by Joe Bunting |
Yesterday, I came across a job for a writer on Craigslist. The headline read, “Need help from a writer for my manuscript.” It was a cry of desperation. They couldn’t finish editing it, the ad read. They were exhausted and needed help.
It struck a chord with me. A part of me was dying to respond to the ad, not with a helping hand but rather a kind word to the writer. I wanted to remind her to keep going and to not give up. I wanted to tell her: yes, you can do it. You can finish your novel.
by Joe Bunting |
I always feel a little inadequate when I approach the end of these contests. Month after month, we’ve had the most amazing stories sent to us. You all are such good writers, and the stories you send us are a delight to read.
And then we have to pick just one of them.
I often wonder, “Who am I to judge these stories?” But choose we must, and all I can ask for is forgiveness if we have offended or chosen poorly. Please know, we are trying quite hard.
by Joe Bunting |
PRACTICE
Write about Spain.
Write for fifteen minutes. When you’re finished, post your practice in the comments.
And if you post, make sure to comment on a few others.
by Joe Bunting |
A few years ago I was heading for Hollywood. My script had found its way into the hands of actors Jack Lemmon and Eva Marie Saint. Everyone loved it. Then, one of them, Jack or Eva, killed it. My story, they said, “devolved into melodrama.”
I retreated, determined to discover why fiction flops, and more importantly, “how fiction works.” And I did. I tell the story in a new eBook, “STORY STRUCTURE TO DIE FOR.”
by Joe Bunting |
As you may or may not know, storytelling as an industry—or set of industries—is going through something of a crisis.
It began with music. The internet destabilized the despotic grasp record companies held on the business. Then blogging and Craigslist combined to displace thousands of jobs in journalism. Now, the conflict has turned to publishing, and icons like Seth Godin are saying writers might not deserve to get paid anymore.
