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Brazen Fiction Writers

The Lakota man at Pine Ridge told me almost fifteen years ago, "Your future's in fiction, my friend!"

My creativity coach, Justin Stark, who works under the considerable aegis of the esteemed writer, creator, coach and licensed family therapist, Dr. Eric Maisel, has recently reiterated that, more important than returning his emails, more important even than creating new content, is finding and joining a writers group.

Too bad he didn't say anything about FORMING one! Ha Ha! Got you there, Stark!
And who better to find, to join, to form with than Associated Brazen Writers? Aka Able Bodied Writers? Aka, Ah, Brazen Writers!

I’m happy to lead this group. Of course, given my peripatetic intellect, I could lose steam in two Tuesdays.
But I doubt it. I need to write my fiction more than my fact.
My fiction is my fact, as my fact is my fiction.
And methinks it’s the natural bridge from recommending great fiction to writing it. Also, it’s my second earliest true aspiration, after “comedian.”
So, as Hound Dog Taylor was wont to say, “Now, and let’s have some fun!”
Of course, fiction writing isn’t always fun: Have you ever read Kafka? And we all know there’s no money in it. But Writing Coach Stark says I need to join a group, so form one I will!
Surely, some of you’d like to join.
Perhaps Penelope herself can give sex-scene writing tips.

Reminds me of the story of the pro bono mohel (rabbi who performs ritual circumcisions):
"He only took tips!"
Lurid, provocative, Brazen. Quite probably comic, for the write audience.

That'd be us.

Network Leader: Jay Hepner
 
Ryan Paugh Hey guys! I am looking to hire a part-time editor at the YEC. You will work directly with members of our invite-only community which include people like Ryan Holmes of Hootsuite, Jake Nickell of Threadless and Susan Koger of Modcloth. If you're interested, please submit an application to me through the job posting: http://www.brazencareerist.com/job/911111

20 weeks ago from Professional Writers and Editors, Write a Book!, Brazen Fiction Writers, Creative Writing and Creatively Inspired3 more

Vickie Elmer: Ryan, Did you find the editor you needed? I may know someone if you're still looking...
13 weeks ago
 
Ty Unglebower Last night at around 3:00AM I at last finished the rough draft of my novel! It's a relief and exciting at the same time. I got the general idea about 18 months ago, inspired by several things. And I went through a dry spell of writing nothing in it for two months or so. Now I will put it away fro about three months, and this begin first revisions which I hope to have completed by October.

58 weeks ago from Creatively Inspired, Brazen Fiction Writers, Art, Creative Writing and Creating a Life You Love3 more

Rob Smart: Congratulations! (just finished one of my own so know what a relief it is to finally reach the end). Then of course the whole process of trying to ...MoreCongratulations! (just finished one of my own so know what a relief it is to finally reach the end). Then of course the whole process of trying to find a publisher etc. begins. I know from past experience that this is often more taxing than the actual writing.
31 weeks ago
zenredhairsalonbangkok: Congratulations and good luck with the revisions... dont forget to get some opinions on the drafts before you go further... hard i know as its a ...MoreCongratulations and good luck with the revisions... dont forget to get some opinions on the drafts before you go further... hard i know as its a personal thing - but necessary if your book is going to be a success.
30 weeks ago
 
Ty Unglebower I have been working a lot with the fiction exercises in Brian Kitley's "The 3 AM Epiphany". I needed to keep my writing sharp between the end of my novel's rough draft, and the start of my revisions on same. (July). So I broke out this book which I have had a few years but never really dived into. Some of the assignments are very odd and difficult, but it is getting me writing. Anyone else ever use it?

52 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers

 
Mehul Kar I've been writing a lot of poetry, but a lot of it is very personal and puts me in a very (seemingly) vulnerable position. What should I do? Publish or not?

57 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers, Creative Writing, Creatively Inspired, Brazen Bloggers and Art3 more

Tasha: Mehul your not alone,I have a lot of poetry that I've been writing as well and it's personal too, one day I will get it published and see what ...MoreMehul your not alone,I have a lot of poetry that I've been writing as well and it's personal too, one day I will get it published and see what happens. There's always someone out here that feels the same way you do.
57 weeks ago
marylee williams36: I am primarily looking for folks who truly want to build a long-term career somewhere, and establish themselves as a key player within our small ...More I am primarily looking for folks who truly want to build a long-term career somewhere, and establish themselves as a key player within our small team. sensatori sharm
57 weeks ago
 
Ty Unglebower There are so many supposed rules to writing. So many in fact that there is an old adage: You can't be a good writer until you have written at least one million words. I don't know if the number is true or not, but persistence and practice required to GET to a million words is helpful. But it is not enough. A writer must write a million of his OWN words for it to matter. My blog about this: http://bit.ly/g481Z9

63 weeks ago from Creative Writing, Professional Writers and Editors, Washington D.C. and Brazen Fiction Writers2 more

 
Mehul Kar The author wrote this book with only one constraint: any and every word can only be used ONCE. And yes this includes prepositions and articles like "it", "is" "and", "the". The book is 200 pages long. Other than being really difficult to read (I imagine), this is a feat worth noticing. But is it a feat worth accomplishing? Maybe beneficial to the writer, but is it beneficial to the rest of the world? http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0971248567/ws00-20

69 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers, Professional Writers and Editors, Brazen Book Lovers - Madison, Brazen Bloggers and Blogging Ideas3 more

 
Monica Valentinelli I have a busy January coming up where I really need to focus on writing and revisions. Last year, I turned my deadlines into a "Writer's Marathon" and invited other people to join. It was pretty hard to manage on my end. Two questions: a) Anyone up for doing something like this? Doesn't have to be fiction-related, just need to check in with your daily word count. b) Any ideas on how to manage this?

75 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers and Professional Writers and Editors

 
Monica Valentinelli Just wanted to introduce myself. I'm an author and game designer who's interested in networking with others. I've got a background in online marketing, SEO and copywriting. My recent clients included Crackle.com and Webstix.com and I guest blog for Howtowriteshop.com and Apexbookcompany.com. Had some recent publications come out that I'm excited about. Like to learn more about you and what you're working on. Any cool stories to share?

75 weeks ago from Creative Writing, Write a Book! and Brazen Fiction Writers1 more

Monica Valentinelli: @Ty - When you're done with your manuscript, don't be afraid to ask me about some other options. There's a lot of really good small-to-medium size ...More@Ty - When you're done with your manuscript, don't be afraid to ask me about some other options. There's a lot of really good small-to-medium size publishers out there that will treat you well.
75 weeks ago
Ty Unglebower: Thanks for that. I have done some rudimentary research about such things, and I feel fairly certain I would be going with an appropriate smaller ...MoreThanks for that. I have done some rudimentary research about such things, and I feel fairly certain I would be going with an appropriate smaller house to try to sell my book. I think I'd rather have great success in the niche of a small house, than low or moderate success in one of the huge houses.
75 weeks ago
 
Riley Carson I've written a short (fiction) story. I'm now looking for two things: A literary agent that will take on an unpublished writer, and/or a writer's workshop that will help me develop my craft. I'm having a lot of trouble deciphering between the real thing and scams because to an amateur like me, there seems to be a hair's breadth worth of difference!

83 weeks ago from Write a Book!, Brazen Fiction Writers, Creative Writing, Professional Writers and Editors and Blogging Ideas3 more

Alex Vilchynskaya: Check out this blog MoreCheck out this blog http://guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog. It has a lot of info on literary agents and agencies. Also, there are a lot of literary agents on twitter. Some of them have their own blogs with plenty of useful advice and info. Hope this helps.
82 weeks ago
Monica Valentinelli: Sorry about being late to this party, but you don't need an agent to publish your short story. In fact, I would strongly recommend that you avoid ...MoreSorry about being late to this party, but you don't need an agent to publish your short story. In fact, I would strongly recommend that you avoid querying agents for this short of a form. Check out www.ralan.com and www.duotrope.com for starters. Writer's Beware, which is owned by Victoria Strauss, is a great place to check out.http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/

It's very common for new writers to be worried about scams, but most publishers aren't. Just remember one thing and one thing only: Money flows to the writer.

75 weeks ago
 
Ryan Paugh I just read a blog post from our friend Alexandra Levit (http://bit.ly/aNLDMx) about what it means to be a best-selling author and it got me thinking about all of you who are passionate about writing. If you're interested in writing a book, or any piece of writing for that matter, what's more important to you: acclaim or meaning? Just because a book is a best seller doesn't mean it's any good. If you could only have one of the two, which would you choose? Money or impact?

89 weeks ago from Write a Book!, Creative Writing, Professional Writers and Editors and Brazen Fiction Writers2 more

Benny: The following comes from the perspective of someone who hasn't yet made money from writing.

I think that the web has made this extra interesting ...More
The following comes from the perspective of someone who hasn't yet made money from writing.

I think that the web has made this extra interesting and ambiguous. All writing is, in a way, designed to provoke some sort of conversation. The web, though, is extra-conversational. Most writing on the web is designed to provoke immediate feedback, and we've discovered that that is best accomplished by short and open-ended posts.
On the other hand, a lot of meaningful writing takes a long time to sink in and doesn't necessarily provoke a direct response. I think that it's important to separate these two types of writing. If you're making money for it and it's on the web, chances are that you are good at provoking instant feedback.
I may be going out on a limb here, but I think this is an interesting subject:
Which is more satisfying, writing something that will slowly sink in with people but not provoke instant feedback, or writing something that provokes instant feedback?

81 weeks ago
Laura Scheppler: Impact.
76 weeks ago
 
Riley Carson Do you base fictional characters on a real life person? Is it healthy to do that? I'm working on a novel (first attempt), and I have a character that is based on a real life friend/ex of mine. Full disclosure; we're still amiable and I told him that he influences my characters (http://wp.me/p1blqP-Pc). Is there anything wrong with using a real life base or using a real life person and injecting them into a fictional setting?

78 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers and Professional Writers and Editors

Ty Unglebower: I have done so. I think it is almost impossible not to to some degree. I don't generally tell them though.
78 weeks ago
Lawrence Tabak: Read the into to Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem.
78 weeks ago
 
Ty Unglebower It has been a little stop and go for the outlining process of the second half of my novel, as opposed to the fast and productive pace of outlining the first half. This is due to various things, but mostly due to my allowing the wrong kind of thoughts to distract me. But today it is time to outline the scene that inspired the ENTIRE novel. It's just an outline, yet I am a little nervous about finally putting down what has been in my head for over a year in regards to this moment in the plot.

92 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers

 
Elizabeth Marling I have a question: does anyone experience the problem of how much to tell when you are working on fiction but need some feedback or just something to recharge your batteries? Sometimes telling elements of a story can be a jinx--like it's told already and then it can't be written the same way. How do you get productive feedback without killing the magic of your ideas in the process?

99 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers

Ty Unglebower: If I helped in any way, I am happy.
99 weeks ago
Jay Hepner: Eliz, Yes, Ty's put it quite well. Share in the general sense if you care to, but create what you create and when there's enough, share it. Or ...MoreEliz, Yes, Ty's put it quite well. Share in the general sense if you care to, but create what you create and when there's enough, share it. Or share pieces, but if so, know the whole may not be visible to casual, even invested readers, and if it seems apart from a whole, may not connect. That's ok. You can sew your quilt squares together later. Just sew one square at a time, turn over one puzzle piece at a time. Putting 'em together is the ultimate challenge, but designing / turning 'em over comes first.
99 weeks ago
 
Ty Unglebower Yesterday I kicked it into high gear and kept a promise to myself to finish off the first draft of the first half of my novel. Since I have been outlining first before writing the draft, this means my next task over the next few weeks is to outline the second half. (Which should go faster than the first half.) After that, writing the draft based on said outline. My hope is to have a complete first draft by Labor Day.

99 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers

Jay Hepner: You go, Dude. I may have started this group, but you're doing all the heavy lifting. Kudos.
99 weeks ago
: Good luck!
99 weeks ago
 
Jay Hepner Anybody read any Rushdie? Hadn't till today, but it's his 63rd birthday, and I went hunting for some to add to my facebook page, to which I've been adding quotes all month. Wow! Check these out at goodreads.com: http://bit.ly/1MoRHh

100 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers

 
Jay Hepner Anybody read any Rushdie? Hadn't till today, but it's his 63rd birthday, and I went hunting for some to add to my facebook page, to which I've been adding quotes all month. Wow! Check these out at goodreads.com: http://bit.ly/1MoRHh

100 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers

Bill Shears: Been meaning to. Saw him speak last summer, though. Here's my report:
More
Been meaning to. Saw him speak last summer, though. Here's my report:
http://infinitybound.com/index.php/2009/07/18/salman-rushdie-speaks/

100 weeks ago
Jay Hepner: Nice write-up, Bill, though I disagree about the congruence of the 2nd Amendment argument. Guns can kill from a distance; that's at least part if ...MoreNice write-up, Bill, though I disagree about the congruence of the 2nd Amendment argument. Guns can kill from a distance; that's at least part if not the greatest part of their utility. Books are to open minds, to educate.

As Aristotle said, "The hallmark of an open mind is to be able to consider an idea without accepting it."

Not to be so incensed by an idea that one kills someone over it.

100 weeks ago
 
Ty Unglebower My work on my novel continues. But I have found in the last few writing sessions, that I have actually been able to consolidate the events of (what would have been) about 50 pages worth or writing, into only 15 pages of writing, just be altering a time line a little bit. I am not one to shorten just for shortenings sake, but I am happy that I was able to reduce extraneous material this early in the process. That usually takes much more effort, much later on.

101 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers

 
Ty Unglebower I came across this blog post. http://bit.ly/cetNPU How Glee both illustrates and perpetuates a problem with intellectual property. I tend to think that intellectual property and copyright laws have gone too far in this country, and are doomed to die in an internet age, eventually. But does that mean we should flaunt them until they are changed? What do you make of copyright laws?

102 weeks ago from Creatively Inspired, Creative Writing and Brazen Fiction Writers1 more

Ralph Scott: Well, if we flaunt intellectual property laws, then we are unconsciously or consciously suggesting that they are not on par with any other body of ...MoreWell, if we flaunt intellectual property laws, then we are unconsciously or consciously suggesting that they are not on par with any other body of law. And I see this as a dangerous precedent. If tomorrow, simply because we're running late to the office, we decide to ignore STOP signs and red lights, the argument that in an age when motorists are willfully ignoring the ban on cell phone use while driving anyway seems hardly a defense for not bringing our vehicles to a full stop. The day we tap into the equivalent of 'moral relevance' as applied to law, is the day we might as well hang out the Anarchy flag and just do whatever the hell we all please. I.P. laws are at the foundation of protections for the core of our creative commerce. To ignore them is to cheapen the creative process itself. It's tantamount to saying: "Well, that's a great idea, but I would have come up with it anyway." Wrong. I, and presumably anyone in this forum, probably wouldn't have come up with Monet's 'Water Lillies,' Bach's 'Preludium in E,' or Dr. Robert Jarvik's artificial heart. If we could, then society wouldn't hold these achievements up to such high esteem. In short, every idea would become relatively equivalent. Might as well dump the Tonys, Oscars, Peabody's and the Olympics. Imagine that. Sound extreme? Not in a world where creative idea generation goes unprotected. The result: creativity is stripped of financial incentive. It becomes creativity for creativity's sake. Try buying a quart of milk or paying your rent by walking into your local grocery store or your landlord's office with a new song you wrote or poem. Without I.P. protection, creativity dies on the vine. My two cents. Oh, and I hereby wave my rights. Feel free to distribute at will.
102 weeks ago
Raquel Elle Bell: @Ralph - Thanks well put!
@Ryan - I believe the only recourse they have is if they have filed patents or registered trademarks internationally ...More
@Ralph - Thanks well put!
@Ryan - I believe the only recourse they have is if they have filed patents or registered trademarks internationally that is at least how it works in the US.

102 weeks ago
 
Ty Unglebower My production on my novel had slowed the last few months as I faced a rather large issue that I wasn't sure how to fix. I don't edit as I go, as that is fiction suicide, but so bothersome was the potential corner into which I had painted myself, I didn't feel free to proceed very quickly. I am happy to report that I have navigated through it, and am back to more regular work on the piece. Plus, i think I have created a way to tell the story in fewer pages now.

102 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers

Jay Hepner: Good work, Ty.

What I'd been working on just seems way too Kafka-esque. May need to go back to my earliest novel idea, which wasn't all that ...More
Good work, Ty.

What I'd been working on just seems way too Kafka-esque. May need to go back to my earliest novel idea, which wasn't all that sunny, either...What am I, Morrissey?

102 weeks ago
Virginia Merritt: Great work! I hated editing papers and creative works. Can't wait to read it!
102 weeks ago
 
Heather Conroy I'm writing a story about what my thesis is about - what it feels, tastes, sounds, looks like and what the relationship between me and it is. It's helpful because it reveals my unconscious motivations. Is that what fiction is? What are you writing?

105 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers

 
Ty Unglebower So I'm back to regular work on my first draft. It had become sporadic the last few months because I made the huge mistake of reading advice columns on writing. (Nothing will make you second guess your choices as a writer faster than this.) Yet I must stay focused on my outline and what is speaking to me, and not on the formulas that are out there. Nanonwrimo cured me of constant proof reading a first draft. Something must now cure me of A.I.I. (Advice Induced Inertia.)

107 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers

Jay Hepner: Ty, Thanks for taking up the slack here. Will hope to have something to share soon. Many Thanks also for your comments on my blog last month.
107 weeks ago
 
Ty Unglebower I must truly be a writer. I have spent the last two hours just browsing through my new copy of Writer's Market. What's more, the possibility of pitching something to a magazine that generally is only found in East Coast movie theatre lobbies doesn't bother me so much. Provided it gets bought of course. =)

108 weeks ago from Creative Writing, Creatively Inspired, Brazen Fiction Writers and Professional Writers and Editors2 more

Melissa Breau: :-) writer's market can def be a time suck. Do u subscribe to the online version? I've been trying to decide for a while now if its worth it...
108 weeks ago
Ty Unglebower: I don't subscribe to the online version at this time. I have never even owned a hard copy version for myself until now. I have skimmed through it ...MoreI don't subscribe to the online version at this time. I have never even owned a hard copy version for myself until now. I have skimmed through it at libraries getting a name here or there. But to have it at my disposal all the time should provide lots of incentive to submit pitches to all kinds of places I never thought about before.
108 weeks ago
 
Ty Unglebower I know many people feel this almost moral need to finish a novel, no matter how much they dislike it. I am not one of those people. So I ask, are you? If not, on average how many pages do you give a novel to grab you before you just abandon it? I usually give it around 50. If I am in a good mood, 100, but if it hasn't done anything for me by then, I move on.

109 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers, Creative Writing and Creatively Inspired1 more

steve taite: I find that the best novels grip me from the first page. Take a writer like Ruth Rendell. She doesn't beat around the bush. She hooks you right ...MoreI find that the best novels grip me from the first page. Take a writer like Ruth Rendell. She doesn't beat around the bush. She hooks you right from the start
Steve Taite http://taitegallery.net

103 weeks ago
anna da silva: HA! I first read your 'need to finish a novel' question as in _WRITING_ one, seeing how this is a 'creative writing' network!! :-) Made me laugh. ...MoreHA! I first read your 'need to finish a novel' question as in _WRITING_ one, seeing how this is a 'creative writing' network!! :-) Made me laugh. As for your question, I usually give a book a couple of tries on dif. days, if it fails to grab me -- I move on. But I have tried harder with the ones everyone is 'supposed' to like... (my least fav. in this category is 'Don Quixote') even if the book is doing nothing for me.
102 weeks ago
 
Michael E Cantone I wrote a play about not taking rides from strangers as a a child then grew up thumbing from Maine to Florida to becoming a bored factory worker who was online before it became the W.W.W.

109 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers

 
Ty Unglebower I suppose I should get the ball rolling. Always more of a challenge for me than non-fiction, none of my fiction has been published, or even submitted. I have written a one-act play, a screenplay, a first draft of one adaptation, partial drafts of two novels, and I am in the midst of a 4th novel. (My most complete idea so far.) A few short stories, but I struggle with the genre for some reason. I don't like getting too formulaic when writing fiction, despite the advice of professionals.

109 weeks ago from Brazen Fiction Writers

Heather Conroy: I don't write non-fiction because my ideas are always incomplete. I just can't bring myself to have the patience to wait and see what my ...MoreI don't write non-fiction because my ideas are always incomplete. I just can't bring myself to have the patience to wait and see what my characters will do.
109 weeks ago
 

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