[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/#!/calebjross/status/40298146336608256"] What good is Twitter, really? How do authors use it? How should authors use it? How can readers use it? How can readers and authors use it together? How many more questions can I type here that essentially ask the same thing? In this episode I talk about how I, as an author and reader, use Twitter. But most importantly, I address its limitations. Enjoy. Send any writing and publishing related questions to caleb [at] calebjross.com. I will answer them in a future episode. Show Notes and Mentions: Yes, again, Jane Friedman teaches at the University of Cincinnati. Twitter handle: @JaneFriedman Personal examples of professional success using Twitter: Invited to contribute a story to a Rainstorm Press horror anthology Live tweeting at literary events such as the reading at Czar bar in Kansas City and the social media panel at AWP in 2011. Many bloggers and authors have contacted me via Twitter…
Category Archives Stranger Will
Today marks a special stop on my blog tour. Richard Thomas and I have it out a new installment of his dueling columns series which essentially pits two writers against one another to voice their individuals takes on a hot-button issue of the day. Our issue: to MFA or not to MFA. I've posted both of our write-ups below, which can also be seen at Richard Thomas' site. Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff. FOR MFA PROGRAMS – Richard As Caleb mentioned in his column, if you want to teach at the university level, then you must get an MFA. And at many fine universities, you may need a PhD these days as well. In addition to that, most schools want you to have at least one published novel or short story collection (the bigger and better the press,…
Virginia Woolf was an advocate of a writer having a dedicated place to write, as examined in her famous essay "A Room of One's Own." I know, the essay speaks specifically to women and how their treatment as lesser citizens prevented them from potential as serious writers. Hence, having the financial and social freedom afforded (or perhaps implied) by having a room of one's own would be what makes the writer as woman a more accepted presence in the world of books. But me, I just read the title of the essay and have taken from it what I want. Most writers would agree a dedicated writing space is important. But is it really? Is there something to be said about the paralyzing effect that comes with such a freedom? Is the wish of a dedicated room just an excuse some writers use to explain lack of productivity? Show Notes and Mentions:…
During the preorder phase of Stranger Will (around January(ish) of 2011) I decided to do something special, as I try to do with all of my book preorders. With Stranger Will, the temptation to integrate the preorder extras into the thematic content of the book itself was obvious and too persistent to ignore. A large part of the book deals with the trade of messenger pigeon messages between a woman named Mrs. Rose and to-be parents who are, shall we say, less than excited about their coming children. What comes of these transactions is an intricate, yet intentionally misdirected, sales pitch designed to encourage the to-be parents to abort their pregnancies. Heavy stuff, I know. I decided to use one of those exchanges presented in Stranger Will as a base for expanding the communication chain into a longer dialog between Mrs. Rose and a parent. What became of this is a 14-part,…
Sometimes I get bored. When I get bored I tend to pretend there is a camera in front of me. This time, I pretended...FOR REAL! I rather like making promotional videos for my books. Perhaps I will continue. But then again, the new season of Nick Swardson's Pretend Time finally started so boredom may be a thing of the past.
Today at Martine Svanevik's Nascent Novelist blog I talk a bit about my very first non-academic publication, years ago at Dogmatika.com (may it rest in peace). The lesson: I'm so glad one of my earlier tries at fiction writing didn't get out there for everyone else to see. I'm as proud of this first story now as I was then. Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.
Today at the American Typo blog, I talk about some sound wisdom from a source I've long forgotten: too many writers don't want to write, they want to have written. It's hard to remember this at times (which may be indicative of the "writers" lack of reason for being a writer in the first place). I want to be the author performer. I want to be the author on display. But do I want to be the author, alone, in front of a computer screen? A valid question for most of us. Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.