This month's Station of the Word is a little different from usual.
Rather than write something, please sign into your account at http:// my.goddard.edu and log on to the CWC Writers Conference page in the right hand column. Sign up to go to Clockhouse Writers' Conference from June 27 to July 1 this year.
As always, we welcome comments below.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Station of the word for February
Be sure to Register for CWC June 27 - July 1 at the Plainfield campus of Goddard College. Click here
Create three names for characters. You might use them in fiction, creative non-fiction, or narrative poetry. In any event, you're stretching somewhat and focusing and writing.
When you create these names,
1. Make the last name concrete (like Stone or Oakes).
2. Make the first name alliterative or have internal rhyme (Sally Stone; Joe Oakes).
3. Avoid creating porn star names (Rod Steele, Penny Laide).
4. Write a short description of each character you create.
5. Enjoy!
When you have created your characters, please list the names here by clicking comment below.
Create three names for characters. You might use them in fiction, creative non-fiction, or narrative poetry. In any event, you're stretching somewhat and focusing and writing.
When you create these names,
1. Make the last name concrete (like Stone or Oakes).
2. Make the first name alliterative or have internal rhyme (Sally Stone; Joe Oakes).
3. Avoid creating porn star names (Rod Steele, Penny Laide).
4. Write a short description of each character you create.
5. Enjoy!
When you have created your characters, please list the names here by clicking comment below.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
January's Station of the Word
Open your dictionary at random to five different pages and choose three words from each page.
At the top of your paper, write the three words from each page in a column. You'll end up with five columns.
If you write prose, choose at least one word from each column and create a narrative of at least 100 words.
If you write poetry, choose one word from each column and create a poem of at least 12 lines.
When you have finished, please post your work under comments below.
At the top of your paper, write the three words from each page in a column. You'll end up with five columns.
If you write prose, choose at least one word from each column and create a narrative of at least 100 words.
If you write poetry, choose one word from each column and create a poem of at least 12 lines.
When you have finished, please post your work under comments below.
Prescriptive New Year's Resolutions
Happy New Year!
It's time to write some resolutions, and I have some suggestions:
1. I resolve to attend CWC this summer - either at Goddard or Port Townsend.
2. I resolve to write every day for at least half an hour. If I can't think of anything, I'll write anyway and keep my behind in that chair for the whole time without procrastinating by sharpening pencils, vacuuming, getting a drink, having a snack, listening to the radio, watching the birds outside my window or - fill in your favorite procrastination activity here.
3. I resolve to check this site for the monthly Stations of the Word, and do them.
4. When I write, I resolve to submit my work to the appropriate venue and keep good track of my submissions.
5. I will get three hours of exercise every week, just to keep my mind and body sharp.
Good luck!
It's time to write some resolutions, and I have some suggestions:
1. I resolve to attend CWC this summer - either at Goddard or Port Townsend.
2. I resolve to write every day for at least half an hour. If I can't think of anything, I'll write anyway and keep my behind in that chair for the whole time without procrastinating by sharpening pencils, vacuuming, getting a drink, having a snack, listening to the radio, watching the birds outside my window or - fill in your favorite procrastination activity here.
3. I resolve to check this site for the monthly Stations of the Word, and do them.
4. When I write, I resolve to submit my work to the appropriate venue and keep good track of my submissions.
5. I will get three hours of exercise every week, just to keep my mind and body sharp.
Good luck!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Clockhouse Review Re-Launch!
Greetings, fellow Clockhousers-
We would like to extend to you an invitation to take part in the relaunch of The Clockhouse Review.
For those unfamiliar with CR, it was a literary journal established almost a decade ago that exclusively featured work by alumni of Goddard College's MFA program in creative writing. Unfortunately, in its first incarnation, CR didn't have a very long run because life got in the way for the editors.
But now CR is making its comeback.
Thanks to the generous support of the Clockhouse Writers Conference and some good words from the ever-faithful Paul Selig, we're assembling a new volume that will serve as the first in a new annual series.
We have a ton of logistics to work out for CR, but we agree that the most important thing is to get the publication up and running. To that end, for this first edition, we are soliciting submissions from folks who've attended CWC during the past few years-and our general rule is this: If you attended, and we're inviting you to submit, then we're pretty much going to include what you send us.
As you're making your choice about what to send, though, please keep in mind that this first issue is intended to be a showcase. Not only will it set the bar for future issues, the college will use it for recruitment purposes for prospective students. As a result, this first issue of CR needs to shine. (Yes, of course ALL issues will need to shine, but as the old cliché goes, we only get one chance to make a first impression.) For that reason, we do reserve the right to ask you to submit something different should we deem it necessary.
In the future, we'll have a more formal process in place to judge submissions blindly. We'll include an outline of that process, along with deadlines, in the first issue. You get a free pass for this first issue, though, as a way to reward you for your past loyalty to and participation in CWC.
Submission Guidelines:
All submissions should be original. No previously published work will be accepted.
Simultaneous submissions are not acceptable (because, as we explained, if you send it, the chances are pretty high that we're going to publish it).
Prose writers may submit contributions up to 4,000 words long. Novel excerpts are acceptable so long as they are self-contained. Memoirs, essays, and other works of creative nonfiction are also acceptable. Book reviews and works of literary criticism are not. At this time, we are not able to accept translations, either.
Poets may submit up to three poems.
Short one-act plays or self-contained scenes from a longer play are acceptable.
For graphic narratives, you may submit up to ten pages of artwork so long as the story is self-contained. Graphic art should be submitted as a high-resolution PDF.
Submissions should be sent electronically as Microsoft Word documents.
Submissions should be accompanied by a brief biography.
E-mail submissions to:
Chris Mackowski
Clockhouse Review
cmackows@sbu.edu
Please label the subject line of the e-mail "Clockhouse submission."
Submission deadline in December 15.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either of us. In the meantime, we look forward to hearing from you and promoting your work.
Sincerely,
Tim Kenyon, MFA '99
Chris Mackowski, MFA '01
We would like to extend to you an invitation to take part in the relaunch of The Clockhouse Review.
For those unfamiliar with CR, it was a literary journal established almost a decade ago that exclusively featured work by alumni of Goddard College's MFA program in creative writing. Unfortunately, in its first incarnation, CR didn't have a very long run because life got in the way for the editors.
But now CR is making its comeback.
Thanks to the generous support of the Clockhouse Writers Conference and some good words from the ever-faithful Paul Selig, we're assembling a new volume that will serve as the first in a new annual series.
We have a ton of logistics to work out for CR, but we agree that the most important thing is to get the publication up and running. To that end, for this first edition, we are soliciting submissions from folks who've attended CWC during the past few years-and our general rule is this: If you attended, and we're inviting you to submit, then we're pretty much going to include what you send us.
As you're making your choice about what to send, though, please keep in mind that this first issue is intended to be a showcase. Not only will it set the bar for future issues, the college will use it for recruitment purposes for prospective students. As a result, this first issue of CR needs to shine. (Yes, of course ALL issues will need to shine, but as the old cliché goes, we only get one chance to make a first impression.) For that reason, we do reserve the right to ask you to submit something different should we deem it necessary.
In the future, we'll have a more formal process in place to judge submissions blindly. We'll include an outline of that process, along with deadlines, in the first issue. You get a free pass for this first issue, though, as a way to reward you for your past loyalty to and participation in CWC.
Submission Guidelines:
All submissions should be original. No previously published work will be accepted.
Simultaneous submissions are not acceptable (because, as we explained, if you send it, the chances are pretty high that we're going to publish it).
Prose writers may submit contributions up to 4,000 words long. Novel excerpts are acceptable so long as they are self-contained. Memoirs, essays, and other works of creative nonfiction are also acceptable. Book reviews and works of literary criticism are not. At this time, we are not able to accept translations, either.
Poets may submit up to three poems.
Short one-act plays or self-contained scenes from a longer play are acceptable.
For graphic narratives, you may submit up to ten pages of artwork so long as the story is self-contained. Graphic art should be submitted as a high-resolution PDF.
Submissions should be sent electronically as Microsoft Word documents.
Submissions should be accompanied by a brief biography.
E-mail submissions to:
Chris Mackowski
Clockhouse Review
cmackows@sbu.edu
Please label the subject line of the e-mail "Clockhouse submission."
Submission deadline in December 15.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either of us. In the meantime, we look forward to hearing from you and promoting your work.
Sincerely,
Tim Kenyon, MFA '99
Chris Mackowski, MFA '01
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
November Station of the Word
Choose one of your favorite charities and write a persuasive piece to persuade others to support your charity.
Limit yourself to no more than 250 words and then send your piece to me (moserbill37@gmail.com) to post here.
You may wish to support Goddard, the Red Cross, a church, the Humane Society, a political party, your local school, the American Cancer Society, or Your Favorite Charity.
Have fun, and please remember to send me the piece to post here!
Limit yourself to no more than 250 words and then send your piece to me (moserbill37@gmail.com) to post here.
You may wish to support Goddard, the Red Cross, a church, the Humane Society, a political party, your local school, the American Cancer Society, or Your Favorite Charity.
Have fun, and please remember to send me the piece to post here!
Monday, October 4, 2010
October Stations of the Word
Let's work on Flash Writing this month. When you have finished please post your work under comments below.
The Rubric:
Have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Set at timer for 10 minutes and then quit.
Write no more than 100 words.
Don't use any form of the verb to be.
No rants, please.
Write a piece of Flash Fiction, a Flash Poem, or a Flash Essay.
N.B.: Having only 10 minutes, anything you write is going to be rough. That's GOOD! It gives you something to polish.
Have fun, and good luck.
Oh, the prize. You will receive satisfaction at having completed a task.
The Rubric:
Have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Set at timer for 10 minutes and then quit.
Write no more than 100 words.
Don't use any form of the verb to be.
No rants, please.
Write a piece of Flash Fiction, a Flash Poem, or a Flash Essay.
N.B.: Having only 10 minutes, anything you write is going to be rough. That's GOOD! It gives you something to polish.
Have fun, and good luck.
Oh, the prize. You will receive satisfaction at having completed a task.
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