Author Archives: Cathy Day

About Cathy Day

I'm the author of THE CIRCUS IN WINTER and COMEBACK SEASON, and I teach at Ball State University.

What They Wrote About: This Novel-Writing Teacher Reflects

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Cathy Day
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Here are the (purposely vague) premises of all the novels my students wrote this semester. I have indicated the writer’s gender thusly: (Italics = Male writer, Regular = Female student), and I’ve grouped the descriptions to reflect the particular critique circles … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching, Writing | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

My Students: Writing as Fast as They Can

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Cathy Day
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I want to introduce the two students who won the Total Word Count Challenge in my novel-writing classes: Sarah Chaney and Kayla Weiss. Each of these young women wrote over 42,000 words this semester, or about 3,500 words a week … Continue reading →

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Last Lecture: “Am I a writer?”

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Cathy Day
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At the end of the semester, I give presentations in my novel-writing classes about the publishing business. Many students are seniors getting ready to graduate. Hence, they are full of anxieties. The first thing they say is: Why didn’t anyone … Continue reading →

Posted in CW Programs, Teaching, The Biggest Things, Writing | Tagged , , , | 20 Comments

How to talk about a WIP

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Cathy Day
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To my novel-writing classes, Next week, you’ll meet with your small group and talk about 25-50 pages of  your WIP (work-in-progress), the novels you’ve been working on this term. This is the moment when a lot of novels fizzle out, … Continue reading →

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Novels vs. Stories in MFA Programs Survey Results

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Cathy Day
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My plan was to release the survey results one question at a time via ruminative blog posts like this one on whether MFA programs are “anti-novel” or not and this one on the “professionalization” question. But I’ve changed my mind. Many people … Continue reading →

Posted in CW Programs, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Should we make it our business to teach the business of being a writer?

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Cathy Day
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Writing as craft and writing as business Here’s the question I asked both MFA faculty and students on the survey. MFA programs should avoid “professionalization” and “business” issues related to the writing life, such as discussions of the market and … Continue reading →

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How I Answered the AWP Survey

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Cathy Day
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Take the survey! You have until March 22. It’s important. I filled it out the other day, and I found that I had so much to say in that little comment module I decided to cut and paste it into a … Continue reading →

Posted in CW Programs, Teaching | Tagged , | 1 Comment

David Haynes: “My goal is to produce novelists, not novels.”

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Cathy Day
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This is important: no matter what Chad Harbach and John Stazinski say, my little informal survey did NOT indicate that MFA programs concentrate solely on short stories. They are not “anti-novel.” At least not on purpose anyway. The perception that … Continue reading →

Posted in CW Programs, Teaching, The Biggest Things | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Survey Results: 56% say MFA favors story over novel

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Cathy Day
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It is possible to teach novel writing in MFA programs, and many do. My panelists (David Haynes, Patricia Henley, Sheila O’Connor, and Elizabeth Stuckey-French) prove it here, by sharing their syllabi with you. You’ve got everything you need to design your … Continue reading →

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Novel-Writing Class Best Practices

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Cathy Day
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If you’d like to teach a class in novel-writing but don’t know how, have no fear. My panel is here! David Haynes, Patricia Henley, Sheila O’Connor, Elizabeth Stuckey-French, and I have all taught the course, and we’ve compiled a Best … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments