The most creative writing you'll ever do:
Sit down for fifteen minutes with no distractions and brainstorm a list of goals - writing, personal, professional, etc. - you want to have accomplished five years from today.
Spend another ten minutes prioritizing them.
Print your top ten.
Post them on your refrigerator.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Station of the Word for April
This is National Poetry Month, and begins with April Fool's Day. Let's combine them:
You assignment this month is to take a familiar poem and write a pastiche that turns the meaning on its head. You might do this with awkward or mixed metaphors, non sequiturs, outrageous rhymes, or . . . . I'm sure you can think of something.
If you don't want to write a pastiche, you might consider a limerick (the best ones are salacious, of course), or just the worst poem you can imagine.
My favorite worst poem is
Only a Baby Small
Only a baby small,
Dropped from the skies;
Only a laughing face,
Two sunny eyes.
Only two cherry lips,
One chubby nose;
Only two little hands,
Ten little toes.
Only a golden head,
Curly and soft;
Only a tongue that wags
Loudly and oft.
Only a little brain,
Empty of thought;
Only a little heart,
Troubled with naught.
Only a tender flower
Sent us to rear;
Only a life to love
While we are here.
Only a baby small,
Never at rest;
Small, but how dear to us;
God knoweth best.
As I think about it, I shudder.
Please comment - or post your poem - below.
[Don't forget to register for CWC! Link Here.]
You assignment this month is to take a familiar poem and write a pastiche that turns the meaning on its head. You might do this with awkward or mixed metaphors, non sequiturs, outrageous rhymes, or . . . . I'm sure you can think of something.
If you don't want to write a pastiche, you might consider a limerick (the best ones are salacious, of course), or just the worst poem you can imagine.
My favorite worst poem is
Only a Baby Small
Only a baby small,
Dropped from the skies;
Only a laughing face,
Two sunny eyes.
Only two cherry lips,
One chubby nose;
Only two little hands,
Ten little toes.
Only a golden head,
Curly and soft;
Only a tongue that wags
Loudly and oft.
Only a little brain,
Empty of thought;
Only a little heart,
Troubled with naught.
Only a tender flower
Sent us to rear;
Only a life to love
While we are here.
Only a baby small,
Never at rest;
Small, but how dear to us;
God knoweth best.
As I think about it, I shudder.
Please comment - or post your poem - below.
[Don't forget to register for CWC! Link Here.]
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
March Station of the Word
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.
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.
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
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