Job Hunting, Miss O’Connor and Writing Without Teachers

I’ve never minded working hard
It’s who I’m working for- Gillian Welch

I sent resumes out to two companies last week and inquired into a third. Two of these companies I think I could work for and one I’d love to work for. Although who you’re working for may ultimately be more important than what you’re doing, I’d love to find anything connected to writing or supporting the arts in general.

Right now I’m reading The Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor. The woman was brilliant. There’s something about the way she combines the Southern mentality, Christianity, and finding/rediscovering your place in the world that really connects with me. I’m also reading Understanding Flannery O’Connor after each story I read. I think I’m becoming a better reader – I usually know what the author in Understanding is going to say before I read the passage about that story. Growth happens in small steps.

I’m also reading Peter Elbow’s Writing without Teachers. Elbow talks a lot about freewriting (which I already do). Don’t think, just write. When you freewrite, you allow your subconscious to flow and move, you don’t stifle it and you don’t edit. You can edit later. Too many times I’ve looked at the freewrite as a basic structure of a story that’s already in place. What I haven’t done is allow for different points of view (not character POVs, but different ideological POVs), different interpretations of what I’ve written. I haven’t allowed the element of conflict to germinate so several of my stories have seemed static and feel manipulated. Speculating. Dreaming. Exploring. I haven’t done that enough. How to fix it? Cook those differing ideas more, let them mix and blend with each other, even if it takes many drafts. Understand that you’ll revise later. Probably a lot.

My friend Marjorie has some great new stuff on her website and some great links. Check her out at http://www.marjoriemliu.com.

Now Playing = Everybody Loves a Happy Ending – Tears for Fears