Cultural representation in a language not native to that culture is tricky business. As someone who writes poetry on Indo-Pak culture and its socio-political dynamics – not in Urdu or any of the many regional languages, but in English – … Continued
This blog post was written during jetlag and recovering from the FIFA World Cup 2014 Final (I was supporting Argentina…sigh). Factor in kegs of caffeine and you get a fair idea of my state-approaching-zombie. I have tried to be lucid … Continued
PART III: POST-CONFERENCE REFLECTIONS The final part of the YWC 2014 posts. Post-conference ennui exists. It is real. For days or weeks you live, breathe, eat and sleep in an environment designed to facilitate your writing; you engage with writers … Continued
Part II: LESSONS AND EXPERIENCES Two screenwriters, a memoirist, three novelists, one creative nonfiction author, and a poet: This is what a typical breakfast table in the Pierson Dining Hall during the 5 days of Session II of YWC 2014 … Continued
PART I: PREPARATION After months of waiting… I executed several Corp de Ballet-worthy pirouettes across the room after the news sank in that I had, indeed, been accepted to the Yale Writers’ Conference (YWC) to be held June 18 – … Continued
A project journal is kept for the purpose of recording thoughts, activities, reflections, anything related to an underway project, from its inception to completion. For writers, their projects could be anything from a novel to a group of poems. As … Continued
“The spider’s doing trapeze! “I am green on the outside and blue on the inside.” “I did a waterfall in my pants.” These are just some examples of how the under-five crowd uses language. The ease with which they express … Continued
It’s fairly common advice from seasoned writers: once you’ve completed a draft, get distance from your work. For me, this has been the most valuable piece of advice. Once you’ve sweated through a draft, it’s time to let it steep. … Continued
In addition to knowledge of craft and technique, command over grammar and syntax, and all the other tools of their craft, writers must also draw on their instinct of what constitutes good writing. A writer’s instinct is what tells them … Continued
If I had to distill the writing experience into 10 golden principles, these would be it. 1 – Develop a daily writing habit. 2 – Always fast-write your first draft. Get the content down. 3 – Set SMART (Specific, Measurable, … Continued