I should note that when I summarize the VCFA lectures here, I'm only giving you a taste. I was so blown away by the level of detail and amount of information delivered by the faculty and students in their 45 minutes. I can't do it justice. Come see for yourself!
I'm skipping over Lisa Doan's lecture on humor to continue with the thread that seemed to run through the day - deep digging for ideas and emotions to make your writing better.
Alan Cumyn also addressed this, in his lecture on perseverance. Gosh, that's one of my favorite words. As you've probably seen, I wouldn't be writing today if I didn't possess this trait. In this context, Alan talked about how our hopes and dreams become a part of our writing, even though they can make us vulnerable to being hurt. You know, when you have the feeling that "this is my best writing ever!" until a critique partner says "this is dreck!" .
Well, enter the "dark room" of your soul, and you'll know when your writing is good. Don't stay on the surface; let it bubble up, and when your writing truly becomes organic, it will be your best work. Believe it! Persevere!
Okay, on a personal note, my new-look website is up (not complete yet but up) and I love it. Have a look at www.janetsfox.com and let me know what you think!
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4 comments:
Hi janet-I love the new website! It looks fabulous!
I hate that feeling of when you think your work is great and someone else tells you it's really not. Even worse is when someone after that tells you it's good. Then you don't know who to believe!
Dawn
Yes, I know exactly what you mean - who do you believe?
At least that's better than everyone telling you it stinks!
Thanks on the website - I'm really pleased with what she did with it. I asked for something more "grown-up", and I really love the colors.
Nice website!
And it's so hard to keep the "this is great" attitude throughout. I find myself starting that way, and then during my off hours when I'm not writing, I wonder if it truly sucks.
:)
Hey, PJ! Thanks for the website feedback.
Yes - personally I have a 3am bad habit - I wake up and I'm convinced I'm a sham, the worst writer in the world. Then it all clears up miraculously at dawn, by which time I'm a basket case of exhaustion.
So...maybe it's being exhausted that keeps me going!
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