The Biggest Things
- Last Lecture: "Am I a writer?"
- David Haynes: "My goal is to produce novelists, not novels."
- Take My Survey about Novels in MFA Programs
- Why Downton Abbey is Addictive (and Instructive)
- SOP: Do's and Don'ts
- MFA FAQ: The LOR
- When Students Friend Me
- Midnight in Paris & Fantasy Linda
- Kim Barnes: Learn the Craft, Trust the Process
- The Swamp
-
Recent Posts
Subscribe
-
Tags/Topics
AWP Ball State Beth Turcotte Big Thing blogging Cole Porter creative writing programs description Downton Abbey Facebook Fiction Writers Review gamification I Jennifer Egan Keeble Kim Barnes Linda Porter Madison Smartt Bell manuscript MFA minimalism NaNoDra2Mo NaNoWriMo notecards novel novel workshop pedagogy Powerpoint prescription process blog short story show down tell Statement of Purpose storyboard students syllabus teaching creative writing The Circus in Winter The Millions Twitter Winesburg workshop Writer's Center of Indiana writing group writing processArchives
Recent Comments
Students
- 9 Circles of Computer Hell
- amywhipple.com
- Aubrey Hirsch
- Awkward Happenings Punctuated by Moments of Charm
- be cool, soda pop
- C.M. Humphries.com – www.fullofcrow.com
- Cyberpunk Apocalypse
- Digital Esoterica
- Fear of Syndication
- Gear Up for Packers Football
- Idle Thoughts
- Jeanine Skowronski
- Knowingly Whimsical
- May I Have a Word?
- Michelle Brower at foliolit.com
- Salvatore Pane
- The Hypermagic Headphase
- Ugliness and Inspiration
- You Will Know Elasticity
Tag Archives: Big Thing
My Students: Writing as Fast as They Can
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
How to talk about a WIP
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
Posted in Teaching
Tagged Ball State, Big Thing, novel workshop, workshop, writing group
Leave a comment
David Haynes: “My goal is to produce novelists, not novels.”
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 Big Thing, novel workshop, pedagogy, teaching creative writing
7 Comments
"Workshop" to "Writing Group"
I love what Peter Turchi has to say about workshop here. This and Madison Smartt Bell’s introduction to Narrative Design have really informed my thinking about how I teach workshops. When I’m teaching a workshop in which students are sharing … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching
Tagged Big Thing, Blackboard, Madison Smartt Bell, Peter Turchi, process blog, workshop, writing group
Leave a comment
My Blogroll, My Students
Just so you know: I’ve been thinking about this idea–THE BIG THING–for ten years now. Ask my students. How many have worked with me on a Big Thing? Oh my. Hundreds. This is the statement that goes in the syllabus … Continue reading
Writer’s Center of Indiana @ Marian University
I’ll be in Indianapolis tomorrow, Saturday, October 23, to talk more about making big things at the Gathering of Writers. If you’re in Indy or there bouts, please drop by. http://www.indianawriters.org/gathering.html If the technology gods are shining down on me, … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching
Tagged Big Thing, Gathering of Writers, I, Powerpoint, Writer's Center of Indiana
Leave a comment
