Dan Choan on Sharing "Common Ground" With Your Reader

I recently finished reading Dan Chaon's superb collection of short stories Among the Missing, which I would highly recommend. The stories are thought-provoking, funny, heart-wrenching, and beautiful. Nathaniel Hawthorne famously said, "Easy reading is damn hard writing," and Choan's stories manage to seem both effortless in their reading and masterfully complex in their execution. My favorite stories tend to be those that leave me with a sense of inevitable surprise. Choan's stories certainly evoked that feeling within me.

I was delighted to find an interview with the author in the back of the book, and I really liked what he had to say about his process and intent:

I think one of my main interests as a writer are those moments that are unpackagable, and, conversely, trying to remystify the stuff that's been already packaged. I feel like we already live in a society that is too constantly encapsulating and explaining and summarizing itself, and that we're often too quick to find easy insights, themes, and messages. I'm not particularly interested in the idea of Truth, or even of "epiphany" in fiction. Instead, I think the thing I value most is the stuff that shakes us up and makes us question our solid ground. I don't feel like I can stand up on a stage and preach anything convincingly; I'd prefer if the reader and I were standing together on common ground, both of us puzzling and wondering in the face of these moments that can't be explained. (Among the Missing, 267.)

What do you puzzle over in your everyday life? What are you obsessed with, curious about, interested in? Maybe you can take inspiration from Dan Choan and write about what puzzles you. It's okay if you don't have all the answers -- in fact, maybe that's a good thing!

I'll leave you with a quote from Dan Choan to give you hope and inspiration whenever criticism
or rejection knocks you down:

Many of the stories in the collection that went on to win prizes were flat-out rejected by any number of magazines, and even when I personally feel confident that something I've written is the best that I can do, I can't hold on to more than a hope that someone else is going to like it. It's always a shock when a story gets attention or wins a prize, and it doesn't seem like it will be less of a shock as time goes on, because it always feels to me like I'm starting over every time I start new work. (271.)

So, onward and upward, and remember -- you're in good company!

Interview with Daniel Williams

Today we continue our Dancing With The Pen blog tour with an interview with young writer Daniel Williams. Daniel is an eighteen-year-old 12th grader from Fort Wayne, Indiana. In addition to writing, his hobbies include reading, dancing, singing, and riding his bike. He is passionate about giving back to his community and is very active within the youth antiviolence movement. He is a featured young writer in Dancing With The Pen: a collection of today's best youth writing. 

Your piece "Water-Bio Poem" was published in Dancing With The Pen. How did you get your idea for this poem?

It is a sort of autobiography poem I wrote about water where I describe what water is like. It comes naturally to me and I write how I feel. I write mostly about my life.

Have you been writing for a long time?

Yes, I have been writing for eight years. One thing I like about writing is that I can express myself the way I write and feel.

What books do you enjoy reading?

Sharon M Draper, Walter Dean Myers and the late E. Lynn Harris are a few of my favorite authors.

What are you working on now?

I’m publishing my first book titled Brothers Stand Strong. I will continue writing short stories. I plan to down the road do my own writing reality show on YouTube.

Do you have any advice for other writers, or for other young people going after their dreams?

Write what you know and write from your heart. In general, follow your heart with what you want out of life.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you for giving young writers like myself a chance to share our works with the world.

Links:

• Order Dancing With The Pen on Amazon. (It rose to a #2 ranking on Amazon.com in the "literature anthologies" category in its first week of release!
• Please take a few seconds to "like" our Amazon page!
• And, if you have a few minutes and could write a review on Amazon, that would be fantastic! 
• You can also follow Dancing With The Pen on Facebook and Twitter. We're now featured on Goodreads, too!
• Discounted bulk orders are available at the Write On! website: www.writeonbooks.org. 

Insights from Simon Van Booy, author of "The Secret Lives of People in Love"

I just finished reading a phenomenal collection of short stories: The Secret Lives of People in Love by Simon Van Booy. My favorite story, "Snow Falls and Then Disappears," is alone worth the $13.99 paperback price. It's one of those stories that curls up inside you and becomes a part of you.

The stories themselves are beautiful, and the book has an extra gift at the end: a "P.S." section with "insights from the author." This section is a goldmine. I love reading about writers' processes, curiosities, loves, and inspirations. I love reading about writers' journeys to become writers.

Here is a gem from Van Booy's section "History of Stories":

"One of my first assignments as an MFA student was to write a short story for discussion in a workshop. I sat at my desk looking into the shallow woods beyond. And then it began to snow. I began to write.

"After two paragraphs I knew something was different. It felt effortless, but required almost an impossible presence of mind -- a poise, a balance of feeling. I wrote 'Snow Falls and Then Disappears' in a few hours. ...

"When you find your voice, it will be obvious to you. The voice isn't just a choice of words but the sense of rhythm and, perhaps most important, the tone. This is why I could never be the sort of writer who is competitive. Everyone has their own style; no two writers are alike, even if they pretend to be."

Annual "Let's Write!" Literary Contest Now Accepting Entries!

Contest opens -- January 15, 2010
Entries must be postmarked no later than -- April 15, 2010

All categories--Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction are open to all writers, published or unpublished. We will accept most genres, except pornography, erotica, graphic violence/horror, or anything racial or biased toward any religious or moral preference.

LITERARY RULES:

* Maximum entry length: 36 lines (poetry), 2500 words (fiction and non-fiction).
* All entries must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration for publication during this competition, (this includes submissions to our Magnolia Quarterly Magazine) and submission must not have been a winner of a previous "Let's Write" Literary Contest.
* All entries must be typewritten, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double-spaced, poetry may be single-spaced, on one side only of 81/2" x 11" white paper.
* For each entry, include a COVER PAGE. (See Cover Page requirements below)
* On each entry, put title only on the first page, then title and page # in the upper right hand corner of each additional page. Please put No Other identification on your entry.
* Keep your originals. Send only copies. Entries will not be returned. GCWA cannot be responsible for entries lost in the mail or damaged due to natural catastrophe.
* GCWA retains the rights to publish the winning entries in the Magnolia Quarterly and on the web site.
* Multiple entries in all categories are welcome and may be mailed in one envelope.

ENTRY FEE:
Include $8.00 for each Fiction or Nonfiction entry
Include $5.00 for each Poetry entry
Include $8.00 for each Photo entry

PRIZES (for each category):
First place: $80.00
Second place: $50.00
Third place: $20.00

Visit http://gcwriters.org/contest.html for more information and to enter online!

Contest for Young Writers in Arizona

Thanks to Amara Edblad for informing me of this contest for young writers!

Children's Fiction Contest, Arizona Consortium on the Arts

Submission deadline: January 31, 2010
For more information, or to mail submissions, please contact:
Writing Contest
Attn: Melanie Tighe
16428 N. 32nd Street
Suite 111
Phoenix, AZ 85032.

This contest is open to writers residing in Arizona. All submissions must be appropriate for children, 5000 words or less. Poetry or Short Stories with or without illustrations. Multiple submissions are acceptable.

Submissions must be:
Double spaced (except for poetry)
- 12 point Times New Roman font
- Pages must be numbered
- Title should appear in header on right side
- Do not put name on pages

Include a cover page with your name, email, mailing address and phone number along with the title of the story and the age group for which you are writing. If you are under the age of 18 please include your age on the cover sheet for the “by children” portion of the contest.

Ages Groups are 3-5, 6-8, 8-10, 10-12, 12+

Make sure you keep a copy of your story, do not send originals they will not be returned. Submissions will be judged on originality, writing and professionalism so send your best work.

There is no entry fee. Winners will be announced February 28, 2010 on the Arizona Consortium of the Arts website artizona.org. Winners will be published in the first issue of the Blue Guitar Jr. online magazine and will receive an award certificate.

Lorrie Moore's New Book

On Thursday I got to meet one of my very favorite authors, Lorrie Moore. I only discovered her work last spring, when we were assigned to read her first story collection, Self Help, in my Creative Writing class. For me, it was love at first sentence. I read the entirety of Self Help in one sitting, and promptly went to Amazon and ordered all the other titles by Lorrie Moore I could find.

When you find an author who really "knocks you out" -- as Holden Caulfield says in another one of my favorite books, Catcher in the Rye -- it is such an exciting, invigorating experience. Lorrie Moore came into my life at a time when I was struggling with my writing. My "voice" felt static, used-up, cliched. I felt like I was writing the same story over and over. I was frustrated. I had trouble coming up with ideas.

Self Help was like a giant jolt of energy to my dead car battery. All of a sudden, a wide world of creative possibilities opened up in my mind. Her widely-anthologized story "How to Be a Writer" is a must-read for anyone who has ever tried his or her hand at the writing life.

Amazingly witty, darkly comic, and both smart and wise, Lorrie Moore is, in my opinion, one of the best writers around. To put it simply, when I read her work, I fall in love with writing all over again.

Her latest book, a novel titled A Gate at the Stairs, has just been released to wide acclaim. On Thursday, I got to listen to Moore give a reading and interview at the Los Angeles Public Library. She was charming, funny, gracious and insightful. After her talk, I was actually acutely nervous as I waited in line for her to sign my copies of her books. I felt like a tween girl meeting her favorite celebrity. What would I say? What could I ever say to express to this woman how much I loved her work?

I love my name for many reasons. I am named after my paternal grandfather, who is incredibly special to me. I also love that my name is unique -- I don't meet many other people named Dallas. And I love how my name is a great conversation starter when I first meet people. Lorrie Moore went to sign my book and asked, "Dallas? Is that your name?" I explained how I was named after my grandfather and had just visited the city of Dallas for the first time. And the door opened for a nice, albeit brief, conversation with my author idol.

Who are some of your favorite authors? Have you been able to meet them? I'd love to hear your stories!

Hamilton Writers Guild Announces 2009 Fiction Writing Contest

Category: General Fiction
2000 Word Limit
Entry Deadline: September 30, 2009

Contest Guidelines
. Entry fee: $10 per entry
. Prizes: $125 1st Prize; $75 2nd Prize; $50 3rd Prize
. Manuscript must be typed, double-spaced on one side of 8.5 x11 white
paper. Do not double space between paragraphs.
. Staple all entries in the upper left hand corner
. Include your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, word count and
where you heard about the contest on cover page only
. Do not put your name, or any other form of identification, on the manuscript
. Entries will not be returned without a SASE and sufficient postage
. Unlimited number of entries allowed; entry fee must accompany each entry
. No e-mail entries
. Previous winning stories or honorable mentions may not be re-submitted
. Winners will be announced on November 20, 2009 on their web site: www.hamiltonwritersguild.org
. Individual winners will be notified by mail. Include a SASE for complete list of winners.

Send entries to:
Hamilton Writers Guild Fiction Contest
PO Box 1205
Hamilton, Ohio 45012

Writing Contest for Young Writers!

Thanks to my writing buddy D.B. Pacini (http://www.astarrynightproductions.com) for sending notice of this contest along to me!

The rules for the Will Albrecht Young Adult Writing Contest are as follows: Writers between 15 and 20 years of age may submit a short story or up to three poems on any subject at a max. of 10 pages double spaced and typed.

First prize is $100; Second Prize is $50; Third Prize is $25.

Submissions are due by August 1st for the Fall-Winter issue, but later entries will be considered for the next round.

Send your work via email to evans327@comcast.net or via regular mail to Scott Evans, Editor, Blue Moon Literary & Art Review, 327 Twelfth St., Davis, CA 95616. www.geocities.com/bluemoonreview