Literary agent Nathan Bransford had a guest blogger on his blog this morning. Tracy Marchini shared 21 things an author can do with Twitter. But Tracy left a couple of things off the list. I’m sure there are more, but these two extra things are things that I do as well. Install Twitter Tools into…
Category Archives: The Writing Life
How Many Books Must One Read To Win The Pushcart Prize?
In business it is a common practice to read biographies to learn how other successful people approached their challenges and “rose to the top.” Is it possible to do the same with literature? Can you read all the great books of the past and learn how to write one yourself? If you read every Puschart…
Happy Anniversary: It’s Been A Wonderful 5 Years
Today is mine and my wife’s fifth wedding anniversary. We dropped the kids off at her sister’s house and went out for dinner. It was an especially nice anniversary dinner even though it was not at any place super fancy. The first year of our anniversary was spent almost away from each other. I was…
The Insanity Of Children
AAAAaaaaahh! I’m living with a 6 year old with a Bronson complex, a 1 year old that is cutting teeth, and a 5 year old whose female hormones dance the rumba. And I don’t have time to put it into a poem. That’s torture.
Do You Need A Publicist?
I got an exclusive interview with publicist Teresa Conboy in the latest issue of Hyperbole e-zine. Questions I asked were: What exactly is a publicist and what does she do? Why does a poet need a publicist and how does a poet work with a publicist? What is the going rate for a publicist and…
Jerry Seinfeld Teaches Poetry Writing
While browsing through my favorite RSS feeds and Twittering among my betters, I came across a link to this post about Jerry Seinfeld’s interview on what made him so successful. I realized that it has applications for poetry writing as well. In summary, Jerry Seinfeld’s formula for success is so simple. It boils down to…
How Do You Break A Poetic Stalemate?
Tonight, I had a chance to go over most of the poems that I’ve been compiling for Rumsfeld’s Sandbox. I haven’t looked at them in six or eight weeks. Upon reading through my pencil-marked manuscript, I have concluded that most of the poems are about as good as I can make them. I’ve put the…
Life: The Poetics Of Breaking Through Walls
It’s been one hell of a week. I’ve been trying to find the time to make a post now for three days. Between Cub Scout meetings, finishing up the final touches on a website update, the business, and household chores, I’ve barely had time to take care of necessary bodily functions. Caring for three small…
Critique Group Ethics: How Should Poets Help Each Other?
Getting a late start tonight. Was at a critique group I hadn’t been to in a while. We went a little later than usual. It was a good night. I found myself in the unusual position of defending a piece written by a young college-bound woman who was new to the group. It’s not unusual…
It’s Been A Productive Day For WCP Despite A Leaky Synapse
Well, I’ve always wondered what Jim Murdoch really thought about me. Now I know. Thanks Jim. I had prepared myself to write one of my philosophical posts on a topic related to writing today, but as I sat down to write, I’d forgotten the topic I was to write on. It was important earlier in…
