January 23rd, 2012
"I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose."
—Stephen King
Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene brought to you every Monday by the really bad kickers at Grub Street's world headquarters. As always, if you are receiving this email in horror, please advance to the bottom of the page to unsubscribe yourself.
This past weekend the Grub Street book club met for the first time, discussed the format of the club and voted on the first book selection. We're thrilled to announce the book club's pick for the month of February is the novel Cloud Cuckoo Land by Grub Street instructor Lisa Borders. On Sunday, February 26th from 12:00pm to 2:00pm the club will discuss Cloud Cuckoo Land for the first hour and will then be joined by author Lisa Borders for a Q&A about her novel. For more information or to join our book club please contact sean@grubstreet.org.
Experts agree that Sundays are now very busy days at Grub Street. Exhibit A: Sunday, January 29th, when Grub will be offering TEN different workshops, on topics ranging from book promotion to blogging and from plotting the novel to creating short films. Check out all the classes coming up on the 29th by clicking here, or see details below.
Warm up some cold winter afternoons by working on your writing. Beginning February 1st, we've got two great new 6-week daytime workshops: So You Want To Indie Publish and 6 Weeks, Six Poems. Don't miss out--reserve your spot today!
Cheers,
Whitney, Sonya, Eve, Chris, Rowan and Sean
In addition to our ongoing workshops, Grub Street offers numerous writing-related events around town. See our website for a long-term view of all we do.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, January 28th, 10:00am-5:00pm, Jumpstart Your Writing — Fiction Focus
Through a series of fun directed writing exercises, we will explore the terrain of fiction: mining for material, constructing characters and settings, shaping vivid dialogue, understanding point of view, and finding your voice.
Instructor: Chip Cheek
Sorry, this class is sold out. Join wait list.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, January 28th, 10:00am-5:00pm,The Time of Your Life
One of the keys to success in writing is using your time properly. That can be tough when you have a job, family, home or other major commitments – and when occupational hazards like procrastination and writer’s block rear their ugly heads. The good news is that all of these issues can be addressed once you’ve figured out the root causes of your time “issues” and applied some practical strategies to address them. (Hint: it’s not that you’re lazy or uncommitted—so stop blaming yourself! Another hint: it is not so difficult to create and stick to a time “budget” and schedule that will help you achieve your goals.) Author Hillary Rettig (The 7 Secrets of the Prolific) will help you achieve these goals with two three-hour seminars offered on the same day: “Time Management” first, then a lunch break, then “Stop Procrastinating!” The best news of all is that once a writer actually starts solving his or her procrastination problems or blocks and starts managing his/her time better, change can happen amazingly fast!
*4 spots left* $115/$95.00 members, Grub Street HQ.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, January 28th, 9:30am-4:30pm,Using History and Research to Enrich Your Narrative
Many of the fictional stories and creative non-fiction we write takes place within a larger context of trends in everything from fashion to politics. Details from the past can help you more fully imagine your characters or protagonists and their world. These details can also enrich your narrative. We'll look at work from writers including Geraldine Brooks, James Carroll and Diane McWhorter and see how they use history. Writing exercises will help you use the past as a springboard for new ideas and insights about the people in your work. We'll also brainstorm about creative ways to do historical research that don't involve dust-covered boxes in archives, and discuss finding the balance between the momentum of your narrative and the background information that you find. Leave with new ideas and techniques for expanding the setting of your story.
Instructor: Clara Silverstein
*4 spots left* $115/$95.00 members, Grub Street HQ.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, January 28th, 10:30am-5:30pm, Haiku Intensive
This intensive will survey the history and core principles while reading ancient and contemporary examples. By the end of the day you will be equipped to incorporate the powerful discipline of haiku into your life, using it to hone your poetic practice and increase your daily awareness.
Instructor: Janaka Stucky
Sorry, this class is sold out. Join wait list.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Sunday, January 29th, 10:30am-5:30pm, Guerrilla Book Promotion
If you're about to publish a book -- fiction or nonfiction -- you've probably got questions about how to best publicize it. You’re probably wondering how soon to begin your PR campaign, and which ideas work best. Whether you have a big or small publisher, or chose self-publishing, this seminar will outline both traditional and non-traditional methods to identify, reach and build a target audience in various potential book-buying communities. We'll discuss planning and executing a master timeline for book promotion; setting up a promotional budget; creating a book tour (and not just at bookstores but using non-traditional venues); brainstorming special contests, promotions and giveaways unique to your book; establishing yourself as an expert and tying in your book to current events; writing tie-in op-eds and commentaries; pitching yourself to traditional media like print, TV and radio; getting your book into the hands of opinion leader, among other topics. We'll also look at what your publisher should do and what you can do, and the problems that self-publishing creates (and how to work around them). Come with questions.
Instructor: Ethan Gilsdorf
*3 spots left* $115/$95.00 members, Grub Street HQ.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Sunday, January 29th, 10:00am-5:00pm, How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book: Section A
Mary Carroll Moore, award-winning author of 13 books in three genres and a PEN/Faulkner nominee, will guide you through a simple and successful book-writing process that can take your book from idea to publication, a process using a three-act structure that eases organization and makes a manuscript vivid and engaging to readers.
Sorry, this class is sold out. Join wait list.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Sunday, January 29th, 10:00am-5:00pm, Plotting the Novel
Starting with Aristotle and working through three contemporary authors’ ideas about plotting, this course will offer several plot forms to help you rethink your novel’s structure and the vital connection between character and plot.
Instructor: Michelle Hoover
*2 spots left* $115/$95.00 members, Grub Street HQ.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Sunday, January 29th, 9:30am-4:30pm, Jumpstart Your Blog
A blog can be a great way to market yourself, build an audience, and exercise those creative impulses. Whether you're looking to breathe life back into an already established blog or have been wanting to start one and need a push, this class will offer guidance for writing posts others will want to read.
Instructor: Amy Marcott
Sorry, this class is sold out. Join wait list.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Sunday, January 29th, 10:30am-5:30pm, The First 5 Pages
It’s common knowledge that rejection rates in this industry are up around 98 percent, and you have likely felt this bitter sting on more than one occasion, but do you really know why? Do you suspect that even when agents request your material, they sometimes don’t read after the first page? You may be right. Most decisions are made within the first five pages, and not just with agents; reviews, editors, and even readers make quick judgments in the face of so many choices. Join an eye-opening session with literary agent Sorche Elizabeth Fairbank (formerly of Boston, now back in NY) and dig into the murky world of rejection, and the impact, good or bad, of your first pages. Learn what some standard rejection phrasing means (agent-speak), why decisions are too-often made on the first page, find out if you are guilty of one or more of the top twenty reasons for rejection, know when to listen to advice and when to chalk things up to subjective difference, and through an intense critiquing session, learn how make your first five pages work for you.
Email to rowan@grubstreet.org a one-page synopsis or query letter, and your first five pages, no later than 12:00pm on Tuesday, January 24th. For class, please also bring three other random pages out of the first 25, and be prepared to have your work critiqued with other members of the class. Also, feel free to bring in a sampling of some rejection phrasing that has had you perplexed or particularly frustrated. All students will receive handouts and a written critique of their first pages.
Instructor: Sorche Fairbank
*1 spot left* $115/$95.00 members, Grub Street HQ.
DAYTIME SEMINAR: Friday, February 3rd, 11:00am-2:00pm, Viva the DIY/Small-Press Revolution!
For years, writers have fallen victim to the idiot myths of the big presses -- the notion that the only legitimate way to publish a book was via a large corporation based in Manhattan. This workshop will explore the advantages of going with smaller, indie presses, or even self-publishing. In this informal (and hopefully free-wheeling) lecture/discussion, we’ll discuss the risks and opportunities afforded by the “print on demand” revolution, and what it means to build a readership “from the bottom up.” This seminar is meant as an introduction for people who are considering taking this path. However, the instructor has vast experience in the area and can also provide information about development, marketing and promotion of alternatively published books.
Instructor: Steve Almond
*1 spot left* $65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday-Sunday, February 4-5th, 10:00am-5:00pm, Personal Essay Revision Bootcamp
This weekend workshop will focus on how to revise personal writing, be it a personal essay or a memoir chapter.
Instructor: Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich
Sorry, this class is sold out. Join wait list.
BOOK PRIZE RECEPTION: Friday, February 10th, 6:30-8:30pm, Frances McCue Reading & Reception
Join Frances McCue, winner of the 2011 Grub Street National Book Prize in Poetry for The Bled (Factory Hollow Press), for an evening of poetry and conversation. Frances will be visiting us from Seattle for the weekend as part of the national book prize festivities. At 6:30, Frances will read from her work and take your questions about the poems and about the craft of poetry in general. Following the reading, there will be a wine and cheese reception and Frances will be available to sign books. This event is free and open to the public. To learn more about the Grub Street Book Prize and The Bled, visit our Book Prize page.
FREE, Grub Street HQ.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, February 11th, 10:30am-5:30pm, Find Your Memoir
Finding the heart of your memoir can be vexing. What story do you want to tell? How do you tell it? How can you make your reader care about your life? This seminar will help writers who are beginning to write a memoir (or want to write a memoir) find a shape and form for their story. We will discuss how to narrow and frame your life experiences in memoir, and examine some common structures for telling the story, with the goal of ultimately helping you find the heart of what story to tell. Quick exercises will help you "map" your memoir's scope --- the time frame, theme, plot, character arc, and key moments. We will discuss chronological time vs. narrative time, and dilemmas of "truth" and memory as it relates to recovering and recreating the past. Please bring a brief summary (no more than 200 words) of your real or potential memoir project, written in the third person as if it were book-jacket copy.
Instructor: Ethan Gilsdorf
$115/$95.00 members, Grub Street HQ.
MEMBERS'-ONLY SEMINAR: Saturday, February 11th, 10:00am-12:30pm, The Poem and the Audience
This seminar will be a lively conversation about our readers. How do we imagine them? What delights would they take in our poems? In a desire to greet these benevolent, patient, welcoming consumers of our work, we'll look at ways to create poems that connect with our audiences. Led by Frances McCue, winner of the 2011 Grub Street National Book Prize in Poetry. Open only to Grub Street members.
Instructor: Frances McCue
Sorry, this class is sold out. Join wait list.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday-Sunday, February 11-12th, 10:00am-5:00pm, The Hook & The Book (How To Make Your Query Letter And First Five Pages Irresistible To An Agent)
Literary agent Sorche Fairbank’s most popular course, now only offered twice a year. Most literary agents receive at least one hundred query letters each week, yet respond positively to less than two percent. Decisions on writing samples (partials) are often made within the first five pages. Would yours make the cut? Do you know the secrets to writing a winning query? Join agent Sorche Elizabeth Fairbank of Fairbank Literary Representation for a weekend of intensive query and writing critique, lessons on the basics of a powerful synopsis, tips on how to stand out in a pile of queries, help on the first five pages, a review of a laundry list of Dos and Don’ts, and both group and one-on-one analysis of your submission package. By the time you leave on Sunday, you can expect to have a strong query letter that gets an agent’s attention, (or at least a strong framework), and first pages that sing.
Instructor: Sorche Fairbank
$220/$195 members,Grub Street HQ.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, February 11th, 9:30am-4:30pm, Short Memoir and Essays for Print and Radio
A one-day workshop focusing on creating powerful pieces under 800 words for print, and under 600 for radio. In the class, we'll look at examples of pieces from journals like 400 Words and Brevity, and discuss guidelines (based on Barbara Abercrombie's "Courage and Craft" and the instructor's own experiences writing for newspapers, regional magazines and public radio. We'll do writing exercises/write off various prompts, and get ideas for getting our work out into the world.
Instructor: Judah Leblang
*2 spots left*, $115/$95.00 members, Grub Street HQ.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Saturday, February 11th, 10:30am-5:30pm, Get Unstuck: How to Fix, Patch, and Improve Your Plot
This one-day seminar covers the fundamentals of plotting and character development, with an eye toward getting past those "sticking points" that often slow the writing process.
Instructor: Micah Nathan
Sorry, this class is sold out. Join wait list.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Sunday, February 12th, 10:30-5:30pm, The Who, What, Where, and Why of eBooks
This class will provide all the basics for students interested in learning about eBooks. Everything from how to create your own eBook, to how to go about marketing and distributing them, to why are eBooks important in the first place will be covered in this course. Further, by the end of the course, each student will have created at least one eBook from one of their own manuscripts, and if desired, will have the opportunity to post it up for sale online.
Instructor: Steve Brykman
$115/$95.00 members, Grub Street HQ.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Sunday, February 12th, 9:30am-4:30pm, Writing the Dark, Messy Matter
Be it in fiction or in nonfiction, the difficult, messy, complicated, bewildering, upsetting and chaotic moments can make for the most compelling reading. But how do we capture characters (real or fictionalized) grappling with the dark matter of their lives? In this one-day intensive workshop, we will show you how.
Instructor: Ethan Gilsdorf and Ted Weesner
Sorry, this class is sold out. Join wait list.
WEEKEND WORKSHOP: Sunday, February 12th, 10:30am-5:30pm, Graphic Novel Basics: How to Write for the Drawn Story
Looking to write for graphic novels but don’t know where to begin? This one-day intensive course will introduce the medium of the graphic novel, a narrative work in which the story is conveyed using sequential art in a comics format. Through both lecture and in-class exercises we will examine the story structure and visual grammar of graphic novels, along with script formatting, pacing, and commonly used iconography. By the end of the course students should expect to have a solid understanding of how to write for the drawn story, along with take-home instructional handouts and a suggested reading list. No previous drawing experience is necessary to take this course. Grub students can get an exclusive discount on Final Draft graphic novel software. Please email rowan@grubstreet.org for information.
Instructor: Katherine Roy and Tim Stout (Special Guest)
$115/$95.00 members, Grub Street HQ.
DAYTIME SEMINAR: Friday, February 17th, 11:00am-2:00pm, Legal Issues in Self-Publishing and eBook Publishing
Navigating the maze of self-publishing and eBook publishing can be confusing, hectic, and overwhelming. Unfortunately there hasn't been a GPS invented yet that can help get through the litany of contract language and unfamiliar legal terms. This course will empower you with the basics of publishing on your own or in the eBook realm. By the end of the course, we will discuss the basics of copyright law, the basics of libel law, general legal terms that apply to writing and publishing, and trustworthy resources that can help solve potential legal problems that you might encounter. Time and interest permitting, we will also discuss how to apply many of these same principals to more traditional publishing contracts.
Instructor: Mitchell Bragg
$65/$50 members, Grub Street HQ.
Be sure to check out our website for a comprehensive view of upcoming events.
Grub Street wants to promote YOU! Please send events for consideration to whitney@grubstreet.org. Bonus points and undying gratitude for submitting your event info in the same format as the events below. Our apologies in advance if we cannot fit you in. Please note that we do the best we can to evaluate requests, and do privilege requests from members, but cannot be held responsible for the quality of these events and programs or the legitimacy of contests. We expect that readers will do their own due diligence before sending their work or their money to any individual or organization.
--READING and PARTY: Thursday, January 26th, 6:00-9:00pm, Salon Soirée
Come see Grub members Karen Lee Sobol and Matthew Sandel perform! Karen Lee will read from her just-published memoir, Twelve Weeks: An Artist's Story of Cancer, Healing, and Hope. Matthew will read from his almost-finished novel, a contemporary comedy about good friends grappling with major depression, minor inconveniences, missed opportunities, and lots of defective merchandise. Also featuring vocalist Jan Shapiro, Shakespearean actor Ross Macdonald, underwater photographer Steve Coren, and wine, appetizers, and conversation! RSVP by January 18th to salonsoiree@hotmail.com or contact Susan at 508-221-8596.
$25 cash at the door, HAMMOND Residential Real Estate, 10 Berkeley St., Boston's South End, MA.
--SEEKING SUBMISSIONS: Level Best Books
Submissions are open for Level Best Books tenth annual anthology of crime stories by New England Writers. Co-founded by Grub instructor Kate Flora, this year's anthology includes a first fiction publication by Grub student Adam Renn Olenn that has been exceptionally well-reviewed. Submission guidelines are available at http://levelbestbooks.com/submissions/.
--AWARDS CEREMONY: Feb. 4th, 7pm, The Boston Society of Film Critics 5th annual Awards Ceremony
This year’s special guest will be Stan Chervin, one of the scribes behind Moneyball. Past guests have included Oscar nominees Jeremy Renner and Frank Langella. There will be a screening of the film and a Q&A with Chervin hosted by Ty Burr, critic for the Boston Globe. The event will be held at the Brattle Theater, for more information go the theater’s website <> or the BSFC’s.
--PANEL: Tuesday, Feb 7th, 6:30pm, Mystery Short Story Panel
Got a short story idea or a story with a crime in it? Looking for advice about where to send it? Consider attending this short story panel at Flora Restaurant in Arlington. Grub instructor Kate Flora, along with writers Cheryl Marceau and Dan Luft, and Level Best publisher Barbara Ross, will be discussing writing the mystery short story. Level Best Books publishes annual collections of crime stories by New England writers, and is now accepting submissions for Blood Moon, the 10th anthology. Stories from the Level Best series have won virtually every national mystery-writing award including the Agatha, Anthony, Macavity and Derringer awards, as well as the Robert L. Fish Memorial Prize for best first American mystery story, and have been honored with three Edgar nominations--the mystery writing world's Oscars. The editors love discovering new voices. Perhaps one of them will be yours.
FREE, Flora Restaurant, Arlington, MA.
--WRITING WORKSHOP IN NYC: Feb 29th - March 4th, Charles Bock Fiction Writing Workshop
This intimate, 5-session class will include a workshop of each student’s fiction, craft talks, and close editorial work. The class will be limited to 10 students. Sessions will last for 3 hours with Charles Bock illustrating how to find the heart of a story or novel, as well as how to pinpoint its weaknesses. Each student will leave the class with a greater understanding of revision and a game plan for the next step in their writing career.
Charles Bock is the author of the novel Beautiful Children (Random House 2008), which was a national and New York Times Bestseller, a 2008 New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and also won the Sue Kaufman award for a first novel from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His fiction and nonfiction has appeared in anthologies, magazines, and literary journals including Harper’s, Esquire, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, AGNI, and many more.
$1000, Details at http://charlesbockwritingworkshop.tumblr.com/. Deadline to Apply: February 1, 2012.
Welcome to the end of the e-mail, where like an imaginary friend you just can't shake, we offer you the chance to win a prize. This writer, famous for his acerbic wit, also wrote fairy tales for children. Email your answer to whitney@grubstreet.org. The first correct respondent wins a Starbucks gift card for a coffee treat.
Last week's trivia: Edgar Allan Poe spent his last days stumbling into Baltimore polling places and casting ballots for drinks (and probably would have been as sad about the the Ravens' defeat last night as the winner of the quiz question is). Winner: Brian Runk. Loser: The Ravens.
