What the rest of this year will look like.

So far this year has featured new themes every month, mostly centered around humor, but since I've been reading a lot of craft books over the last year and a half, I figured I'd share my findings.  So, for the remainder of the year (or until I run out of books on craft), each week will feature a new review of a book on craft.  The posts will be uploaded on Fridays at noon PDT.  Here's a list of what the next few weeks will look like in no particular order.

1. The Art of Dramatic Writing, Lajos Egri
2. How to Write a Damn Good Novel, James N. Frey
3. How to Write a Damn Good Novel II: Advanced Techniques, James N. Frey
4. The Key, James N. Frey
5. The Art of War for Writers, James Scott Bell
6. On Becoming a Novelist, John Gardner
7. The Art of Fiction, John Gardner
8. How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy, & Science Fiction; ed. Williamson
9. Characters & Viewpoint, Elements of Writing; Writer's Digest Book series.
10. How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy, Orson Scott Card
11. Writing the Breakout Novel, Donald Maass
12. Getting Your Book Published for Dummies, Zackheim
13. Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft

The list will get longer as the year progresses.  The reviews will consist of what was useful, what was not, and whether or not it should be required reading for Undergraduate Creative Writing.

Glory

So today's short story is a story about an incredibly ballsy writer: Lajos Egri, as a fairy tale.


Once upon a time, there lived a confused tyrant, who made demands one way, but actually wanted something else altogether - like ordering ice cream, but really wanting pizza.  The problem was, this tyrant didn't know he was confused.  He just thought people were stupid when it came to hearing his orders.  This Tyrant was named Aristotle, and he sat upon his throne named Poetics for more than two millenia, with hundreds of thousands of loyal subjects.  A sniveling lot that didn't dare countermand ol' Aristotle's orders, because how could someone be wrong for two thousand years?  That's a ridiculous notion.  These subjects were called writers.  Sure there were a few rebels that made an impact in how other writers viewed Aristotle's tyranny, but they were the exception - not the rule: Shakespeare, Cervantes, Chekhov.  But even some of these rebels did not know they were rebelling.  Accidental freedom fighters, as it were.  You see, Aristotle demanded that ACTION was more important than CHARACTER, which of course is similar to saying that a sword or a gun is more important than the soldier carrying it, or the crucifix is more important than the person hanging from it.  Because, you see, action can only be driven BY character, and in the early twentieth century, one man dared stand up against two thousand years of traditional tyranny, and say, "Hey, now this is patently ridiculous - shouldn't the characters matter at all?  After all, aren't they in fact what the play (you see, this hero was a playwright) about?"  That man, that titan of the craft was Lajos Egri.  He dared question why the common consensus was that a play couldn't be judged to be good or bad without actually performing the play.  The brave Lajos took up his pen and struck again and again at Aristotle the tyrant, but Aristotle would not easily die, and in fact the tyrant still lurks in the dark corners of classrooms, preying on the traditionalists and enslaving new subjects, while Lajos harries the edges of the tyrant empire, whittling it down, shedding light on error.

And just what epic weapon did Lajos Egri create to combat the empire of Poetics? Why, The Art of Dramatic Writing of course.

Seriously, though, this book will change how you view Poetics. And maybe even writing itself.  Although, Lajos Egri does set up another tyrant: Premise.
"The Premise is a tyrant that permits only one way - the way of absolute proof" (Egri 109).

Thanks for reading.

Writers' Digest Conference Recap

This past weekend I went to the Writers’ Digest Conference in Manhattan. It’s kind of a whirlwind still, and I haven’t landed on the ground yet. Here’s a list of my impressions:

1) Driving/being driven around Manhattan is more terrifying than jumping out of an airplane (true story)
a. Reason 1: Lanes are merely suggestions
b. Reason 2: Stop lights are optional
c. Reason 3: A Pedestrian only has right of way if they’re big enough to dent the bumper.
2) Most pedestrians have some sort of death wish or absolute trust in drivers.
3) It’s difficult to find a meal for two for anything under $50.
4) Oban 14 is now my favorite Single Malt scotch.
5) Being around a ton of other writers is both humbling and inspiring.
6) I know a lot more about psycho-developmental and cognitive theories than I gave myself credit for (at least as it pertains to writing).
a. Corollary: I am bad at experimenting with what I know (e.g. incorporating Meyer-Briggs type in my characters’ dossiers).
7) Donald Maass – believe the hype about him.
8) Chris Baty is hilarious and really down to earth. He was very proud when I told him that NaNoWriMo basically pulled me out of the engineering field. (I wonder if he keeps a tally on his car like some sort of literary Red Baron?)
9) My novel is a LONG way from being ready, but I now have the tools to tune it up right.
10) Literary Fiction (particularly “Lit light”) is the genre that dominates the Bestseller lists for one to two years at a time. All else is mostly passing through.
11) Pitching to agents in terrifying.
a. Insight: Having a killer synopsis would have helped strengthen my pitch.
b. Insight 2, the Insightier: A strong premise for the novel at the outset would have kept my story better in check.
12) Manhattan definitely has its appeals. It’s refreshing to stand on a street corner and hear four languages – none of which is English.

Here’s what actually being at the conference felt like:
The Process:
Level up! You have one specialization point to spend.
English Major 5/Manager 1/Novelist(Prereqs. Not met!)

*Click* “Novelist”
Error: you have not unlocked this specialization path yet. Visit the Master to level up.

Journey: To Manhattan –
Trial: Get time off work (Success)
Trial: Overcome nerves about being in a BIG city. (Failure, but too late! Committed to course of action)
Trial: Get Manuscript ready to present to agents (Partial Success)
Trial: Get manuscript copied (Great success – only wasn’t needed).
Trial: Airplane Ride – Babies were involved. (Success! Baby slept the whole ride)
Arrival!
Trial: Find the bus that goes to the hotel. (Success! With help from a mystical helper)
Trial: Survive the ride without soiling shorts (Partial Success!)

Congratulations! You have found the Masters.
Next step: Level up and spend Specialization point
Net adjustments: Perceptions ++, Insight +, Confidence ------, Craft Tools +, Networking ++, Exhaustion --, Bank account ------------------------------------------------, Optimism +

You have achieved level one Novelist!