Reading as a Writer

The deadline for enrolling in the Clarion West One-Day Workshop that I'll be giving in Seattle on February 21 is February 2. If you're a writer interested in honing your understanding of narrative or are having problems with a particular story (or both), this workshop is absolutely for you. When I offered it last year, I was pleased at how hard we all worked and surprised by how intense and far-ranging our conversations were. The format provided ample space for moving between the particulars of the stories we critiqued and more general narrative issues and techniques that form part of the working writer's landscape.

Here's the official description for the workshop:

Many first-rate, well-published writers take time out of their busy writing lives to attend critique workshops with their peers. Why? First, critiques from a variety of readers give writers insight into how the words they’ve put on the page are being transformed into the stories that unfold in their readers’ heads. And second, participation in critique groups enables writers to sharpen their understanding of technical issues. This workshop will offer insight into how others are reading your story and help make it into the story you would like them to be reading.

Students who enroll in this workshop will be asked to submit a piece of writing in advance, which will be distributed for critique by a subgroup of the class. All students’ works will be critiqued by both the instructor and several other students. Over the course of the day, attention will be given not only to the stories being critiqued but also to the critique process; techniques for reading critically and for communicating effectively will be covered. Because of the intensely interactive nature of this particular workshop, and to ensure that all students receive adequate attention, enrollment is limited to 12 participants.
 If you're interested in attending, here's the URL you need:  http://www.clarionwest.org/workshops/oneday/how-to-read-as-a-writer-2/.

L. Timmel Duchamp reads Tuesday at University Bookstore in Seattle

For all of you in the Seattle area: I'll be appearing in the Clarion West Reading series Tuesday night, at 7 pm at the University Bookstore in Seattle. I'll read briefly from a story in Never at Home, and then do a Q&A and signing. I believe that all my books will be available for purchase at the event. (I know, yeah, that my books are not easy to find offline.) The event will be one hour long, since the bookstore closes at 8. Hope to see some of you there!

My first night of sleep here at Clarion West was patchy. I went to bed at one and got up at 6:30, which would have been great if I hadn't been awake most of that time. After I did manage to fall asleep, I was rudely awakened at 5:45 by a house alarm going off nearby. Was I dreaming, or was the alarm programmed to make a beeping whose pitch and tempo increased over time? Who can say? I can easily imagine someone designing such an alarm. And yet, it seems unlikely, doesn't it? And since it woke me up from a dream, I might easily have dropped into a hypnogogic half-waking, half-dreaming state. (I certainly wouldn't put it past my unconscious to invent such an alarm!)

And now it's back to critiques. I'm hoping I can sleep a bit later tomorrow morning, which I can't do if I spend any significant time online.

Apply now to attend Clarion West this summer

Nisi Shawl has just sent me a pdf of a flyer about this year's Clarion West. For anyone who doesn't know, Clarion West is an intensive six-week workshop for writers preparing for professional careers in science fiction and fantasy, held annually in Seattle, Washington, USA. The upcoming session (June 19 to July 29) will be taught by Paul Park, Nancy Kress, Margo Lanagan, Minister Faust, L. Timmel Duchamp, and Charles Stross.

I find it striking that all of the instructors in the photos the CW site provides are smiling. You'd swear we were a merry, happy bunch of people! (Well, almost. One of the smiles seems perhaps ambivalent, and thus not quite what one would call "merry," exactly...)  

CW says: Applications must be received by March 1, 2011. The application fee will be reduced for applications made on or before February 10. And it's recommended that after February 24, applicants send their materials via email to ensure that they arrive on time.

More information on the application process is available at www.clarionwest.org.

PS Many, many Aqueductistas are alumnae of the Clarion and Clarion West Writing Workshops.

Clarion West 2011

Sorry for the dry spell here. I haven't been spending much time online over the last week because our broadband internet connection has become spotty,rendering every attempt to get out email or browse online full of frustrating interruptions. We at first assumed it was our modem, but replacing it has done nothing to improve our connection. Since the situation is worst on the weekends (when home internet use tends to be up), we're now assuming that our cable company has acquired too many new customers in the area to be supported by the existing equipment. I'm hopeful, though, since we've got an appointment with a tech set up. Until it's fixed, though, I will continue to be mostly offline.

I've got some news. Clarion West has announced its lineup of instructors next year, which will include me, in the editor slot. Here's the full announcement from Clarion West:

We're pleased to announce that our instructors for the 2011 Clarion West Writers Workshop will be Paul Park, Nancy Kress, Margo Lanagan, Minister Faust, L. Timmel Duchamp, and Charles Stross, the 2011 Susan C. Petrey Fellow.

General background on the Clarion West Writers Workshop can be found here. Check back with us in September for more information on next year's instructors and on applying to attend the 2011 session.

Although I found teaching at Clarion West rather grueling, I enjoyed it immensely. All that talent! All that variety in styles and approaches! And the intensity! I'm very much looking forward to experiencing it again.

Another Aqueduct Writer in the Clarion West Write-a-thon

I'm joining Rachel Swirsky in participating in the Clarion West Write-a-thon, a fundraising event in which people sponsor writers who "shadow" the six-week Clarion West workshop by doing their own writing projects. I've promised to write 1,000 words of fiction per day, except for the period from June 30-July 5, when I'm off at Aikido camp. (I haven't yet learned not to overcommit myself, but I have at least learned that I can't do two intense projects at the same time.)

You can sponsor me on the Nancy Jane Moore Clarion West Write-a-thon page. You can select other writers to sponsor, or sponsor more than one at a time, on the main Write-a-thon page.

(Rachel, I was thinking about signing up anyway, but your entry nudged me along.)

Support Clarion West and my goal of finishing a new novel this summer

Clarion West's fifth annual Write-a-thon began today and will run for six weeks--the length of the Clarion West Writers Workshop. They are looking for sponsors to support participating writers in meeting their goals. Sponsors can pledge what suits their budgets -- $1/week, $5/week, $20/week – or just a flat amount for the six weeks.

Although I'm not a Clarion alumna, Kate Schaefer at Clarion West invited me to participate in their fundraising Write-a-thon (perhaps because I was an instructor in 2005), so I am looking for sponsors, too. I decided to set an ambitious goal: to finish a novel in progress with the working title of "Deep Story" (a title that will almost certainly change). The novel is premised on an application of proteomics (an area of the biological sciences currently in its infancy) that in its totality and immediacy far surpasses the ability of virtual reality to convey information and recreate emotional experiences. I'm picking it up at roughly 57,000 words. Although I don't usually show unfinished work to anybody, I've posted the first five chapters of the working ms on my website here for the duration of the Write-a-thon. I'd be happy to make weekly reports on my progress to anyone who chooses to sponsor me, and on (presumed) publication, I'll happily thank said sponsors again, on the acknowledgments page.

Clarion West is a great institution to support, even for those who haven't attended it and don't plan to do so. It has benefitted many of today's best or most promising writers. Every donation is tax-deductable and will be appreciated, even if your budget limits you to a a very modest amount. You can sponsor me by going to my Write-a-thon page on Clarion West's site.