Writing Workshops

I have just finished my first writing workshop with James Mathews at The Writer's Center in Bethesda http://www.writer.org/. I have to say, if you are considering a workshop - do it! I learned so much from the critique of my work, and possibly just as much from reading other people's works and hearing their critiques. James' class was great, and filled with quality students. I also recommend his short fiction book, Last Known Position if you are trying to grapple with short stories. Some other recommendations on short stories may follow in another blog entry.

As for workshops, if you have any knowledge of online workshop groups, please share. I have a short workshop coming up in April, have signed up for another eight week long workshop on short fiction and how to get published, and am preparing my application for the Johns Hopkins writing program - wish me luck! Thank you.

Reading the Classics

My friend advises to stick to the classics because their voices carry over time. When it comes to reading for the point of learning to become a better writer of fiction, here this advice may be misleading: technology changes the readers mind. What I mean by this is today we get what we want when we want it. I want to tell someone something I text it or email it or call them on my cell phone. If I want a coffee, there is a Starbucks on every corner. We have low attention spans. The writers of the classics mostly wrote a time before this, even largely before the age of cinema (or at least the fast paced action packed cinema we know). Dickens would spend many pages introducing a scene, while today we want to get straight to the point. We want the action and excitement, or at least want to know why we should care. Hemingway wrote very similar to a screenplay, before screenplays were so prevalent (the main difference in my view is he wrote in past tense). If I wanted to read something in his “minimalist” style, I would pick up the screenplay to Inception or The Matrix and at least be intrigued by the plot.

My advice is to read the classics, but to keep the above in mind. Don’t mimic them if you are an author, and try to be patient with them if you are a reader. But better advice would be to read such short stories as T. Coraghessan Boyle’s King Bee, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Crazy Sunday, or James Mathew’s Grenade, or novels such as Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth or my personal favorite, George R.R. Martin’s adult fantasy The Game of Thrones. These are great books to learn how to keep a reader engaged, how to develop characters, and how to keep dialogue exciting and meaningful. I hope this is helpful!

Review my Book

I have posted my first few paragraphs and pitch on Amazon's CreateSpace website - please take a look and provide comments. Thank you!

https://www.createspace.com/Preview/107651

PITCH - Falls of Redemption

I have begun working on the 'Pitch' for my novel, Falls of Redemption. I have posted it on facebook for review, but if you would like to review it here (or send me comments via email), that would be great. Thank you!

Torn from his youth, NARCELOUS must discover the nexus between love and reality when, as a warrior, he is forced to attack the village where he once lived and loved.

Falls of Redemption (completed at 72,444 words) chronicles Narcelous’s adventures when he is abducted and forced to fight in the vicious military of the best land force in ancient Braze. Memories of a young woman back home never allow him to truly belong, but he hesitantly accepts his new-found loyalties among his brothers. The day the army attacks his home town, Narcelous abandons his new family for his conviction of love. The two are reunited and euphoric, but can such joy continue when she longs for a life torn away by a man she no longer knows?

This is a story of a man learning to deal with his past, culminating in a near death experience on the one hand, and immense potential for self-growth on the other. Largely inspired by my five years in the U.S. Marine Corps and my graduate studies of International Relations at Johns Hopkins, this is a character driven literary work. Readers of such stories as The Count of Monte Cristo, The Princess Bride, or the illustrated novel 300 would find themselves at home in the pages of Falls of Redemption.

Writing Competitions

Friends, I plan on posting writing competitions here occassionally, but will generally be posting those via twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/justinmsloan).

A good one coming up is the Dear Luck Agent contest - for Literary Fiction:

http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/8th+Dear+Lucky+Agent+Contest+Literary+Fiction.aspx?et_mid=65376&rid=52627679

Another good one is the breakout novel contest, by Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-Novel-Award-Books/b?ie=UTF8&node=332264011

If you have written anything, don't pass on these great opportunities, because you know I won't!

Moments of doubt and depression

I recently applied for the Johns Hopkins Creative Writing program, but I did not get in. It was quite disheartening. However, after two days of depression I have rallied and am planning on taking a workshop or two in order to get myself into the program in the fall.

Here is my thought on such rejection/ the depression we all feel: Everyone loses his/ her desire or passion from time to time, I am sure of it. I have been complimented on my will power and energy to accomplish goals many times, yet on just as many occasions I have found myself sitting around by myself and wondering 'what is the point?' Here is why I believe you will rebound if you are in a similar situation -- because I have, and I believe you have the same burning desire to learn that I do (if you care enough about reading to be reading blogs about it) -- perhaps more so! Do people around you see the way you talk about reading and your beliefs, and see you are passionate about it? Do they see that you genuinely want to help people like myself, people that need that extra push?

If this is you, I think you have no choice but to succeed at getting your passion back. Perhaps it is a question of 'passion for what?' That is what it was for me, although I am not trying to say that what goes on in my head is the same for you--we are all different in our special ways--I felt that my passion was diminishing about a year ago. I picked up a few good books, and I thought 'huh, I could do this,' and then I just started writing. I wrote, and I wrote, and then I started reading about writing; I became obsessed, and now I love it. Regardless of whether I make it in the writing world or not, I love it. But believe me, I am scared of the moment I wake up and don't seem to care anymore. You know what though? That is why we find good friends that are able to advise on good readings and provide motivation, and I believe that will keep me going. So for that I say thank you to all those friends like this out there, accompanied by an apology for rambling.

Thank you, and keep warm!

Justin

We Need Fellow Writers

We need fellow writers in our lives; what is it the crazy Irish man says in Braveheart? "in order for an Irishman to find his equal he's forced to converse with the Almighty!" - well, not quite the same as here, but you get the point/ joke – we need that mentor/fellow writer person in our life to serve as a very wise man with great insights, one we can learn a great deal from.

I recently discovered an old friend, and he is serving in this capacity at the moment. What does it do for me? Motivates me to be a better writer, provides advice for readings which will educate me on craft, and is there to bounce ideas off of. What else can motivate you and help you along the way? Your friends that are into sports, or politics? No, although it depends what you are writing about I suppose.