Thinking of Bridport (deadline tomorrow) I recall this article of mine from a while back and published in the Internet Writers Journal.
Please note the article is not sour grapes.
Not Enough Hints for Mrs Golightly
I recently picked up a second prize in a magazine competition, then in the issue announcing the winners I read from a subscriber: "Dee, A Dancer stood head and shoulders above the other competition entries. It's the only time I have ever been moved to give nine out of ten for a story."
PS, this is neither about "my writing" or "my story"...
Another reviewer wrote: "Dee, A Dancer gets under our moral body-armour and imparts an unacceptable feeling which robs our black- and-white judgment of absolute certainty...sensitive writing. A third reviewer wrote "I like the neutral tone to convey powerful stuff," another thought Dee was the most enjoyable story, but awarded marks to another for originality. Then a fifth reader said, despite awarding top marks: "the husband doesn't know what's wrong, fair enough, but I was frustrated that he, the writer, couldn't have dropped more hints that the reader could make sense of".
Yet, to others "Dee, A Dancer was insubstantial." "Depressing and self-conscious" and another "didn't understand the end. Was it only this reader or did others think that the last paragraph had slipped in from another story?" And third critic said "Dee, A Dancer tried confusedly and unconvincingly to relate."
If I ever actually understand that last sentence, I promise to let you know, but ignoring that, the whole experience leads me to wonder and to worry about the state of much of the short-story market. I have talked in the past about the "disease of competence" and at least three editors have confided in me that they daren't "push it too far", that they often dare not print material which taxes the reader at all. They tell me wanting quality is all very fine, but not at the expense of a readership. Though I might pretend to understand this, what this eventually means is that the safer (and often lack-luster) "decent" stories, find their way into the magazines, competitions are often won by these safe and easy (but smoother than the others) stories, and the readers think this is the norm, the top end of the mid-quality literary canon. Beginners imagine these are the story types to aspire too. The result? More blandness, and yet more authors dropping in hints that the character wouldn't know (terrible art, but we must keep Mrs Freda Golightly of Chiswick happy. She votes!)
Alice Munro would struggle, Borges would be laughed out of the room, Carver would be dismissed probably because he was "too thin".
My question is, where, below the top five-six American magazines, and the few dozen magazines based on American University campuses does a writer go if she wants to push beyond the easy-to-swallow general fiction that is often seen in many of the small British magazines?
I can take three of my stories, one near my best quality, rich and literary, a second, lighter, less ambitious, and a third a lightweight, relative failure. If I enter these three in a competition I can predict the outcome. The best flops, the mid-range is short-listed and the make-weight gets a prize! This hasn't happened just once, it's happened maybe five, six a dozen times. Why?
One why is "readers". Many volunteer readers for competitions, those who narrow down four thousand entries to a more manageable couple of hundred stories, have been raised on the mid-range "easy-to-swallow" magazines I've already mentioned. Many are writers or aspiring themselves. Often, I think, they choose, not the best work, not the most enjoyable, but the best works that they could imagine themselves writing. That is, if it's tough, if it's something currently that bit of an extra reach for them, it's dismissed as "arti-farty" or "intellectual junk" or perhaps "self-conscious" or "MFA stuff".
The result? Even if the final judge is Saul Bellow, what he gets to see are those stories where we've put in the crude make-it-easy-for-Freda bits, removed a few allusions, kept it under the glass ceiling. The poor judge gets two-hundred plain vanilla me-too stories, stories that (ask any judge) he can't remember a month later.
But does Ray Carver's "A Few Good Things" get forgotten? Do people forget the baby in "The Shawl" or the abortion scene in "Differently," the fisherman's boots in "The Ledge"?
I know the owners of magazines have a terrible dilemma, but doesn't something need to be done? Reader, ask yourself. Think of the copies of little magazines you have on your shelf, or the ezines you've read. Now close your eyes. What stories do you remember? Which ones got under your moral radar, which ones subverted you, changed you, even if only for a while. Can you remember ANY of the stories?
Someone once said, "Be one per-cent different and they call you a genius, be two-percent different they call you mad; five per-cent different and they kill you." The problem with much of the short-story market, particularly the competition-driven market is "different" never means "tougher", different never means asking the reader to think, to move through emotional application, into a greater realization, change. Different means, the same plus a one-liner, what I can do, with a twist.
Monday 29 June 2009
Tuesday 23 June 2009
More Feedback
A brilliant W/E - buzzy and exhausting, lots of hilarity. I learned loads about writing too.
PS no walking breaks on the uphills next time.
Margot Taylor
Great course. Thanks Alex. Returned intacta. Done in. Found Eth in my case. Now, she's riding around on my cat.
Tamera Howard.
Ten thirty and time to go to bed after exhaustion of weekend and journey but I just wanted to say a huge thank you for a great weekend - learnt loads, lovely people and great location. I've spent the last two hours digging out old stories, writing and editing - feel very inspired. Hope you had a good journey and have a great week.
Genevieve Lovegrove
Excellent weekend and course! Thanks to Alex and 'the girls'. Chapel lovely. You're tired Alex because you haven't had any exercise this morning!
Carly
PS no walking breaks on the uphills next time.
Margot Taylor
Great course. Thanks Alex. Returned intacta. Done in. Found Eth in my case. Now, she's riding around on my cat.
Tamera Howard.
Ten thirty and time to go to bed after exhaustion of weekend and journey but I just wanted to say a huge thank you for a great weekend - learnt loads, lovely people and great location. I've spent the last two hours digging out old stories, writing and editing - feel very inspired. Hope you had a good journey and have a great week.
Genevieve Lovegrove
Excellent weekend and course! Thanks to Alex and 'the girls'. Chapel lovely. You're tired Alex because you haven't had any exercise this morning!
Carly
I have made myself available at Capel Bethel for a variety of possible courses between these dates
Thursday 22nd July to Tuesday 4th August
One course is now specifically penned in
(arrive Friday 31st)
Course starts early Saturday 1st and covers 1-2-3 August
Cost £180
Other courses eg one week, can be accommodated
Alex
Thursday 22nd July to Tuesday 4th August
One course is now specifically penned in
(arrive Friday 31st)
Course starts early Saturday 1st and covers 1-2-3 August
Cost £180
Other courses eg one week, can be accommodated
Alex
First Feedback on Writing Course
I have learnt more in one weekend of Alex Keegan's Bootcamp then I have in all my writing practice to date. Bootcamp equals action. From morning to night, there are endless discussions on writing and life. These are filled with intensity, laughter, the dawn of understanding and plenty of writing. Bootcamp is focused and directed, unfocused and indirected - the two complementing each other to give writers the perfect approach to the craft. Alex is a wonder and I'm booking my place on the next course. I've also connected with other writers and found new friends.
The chapel which is right in the centre of Llwyngwril is a beautifully converted space. Upstairs, you'll find a large open plan living-kitchen space where writers hunker down around the 12-seater table or sprawl about on the many sofas. Distractions include: Wifi, Bar billiards, a massive TV, books, DVDs and music. If you want to preach then the pulpit is yours for the taking. Downstairs there are bedrooms with comfy memory foam mattresses, bathrooms with power showers and an enormous roll top bath. There are books and pictures everywhere.
A hill stream rushes down through the village of Llwyngwril to the sea. The takes ten minutes to walk from the chapel to the beach - there are also other fantastic walks all around. There's a village shop (with cash back and booze!), post office, cafe and pub. The village also has its own train station and you can get a return, if you pre-book with Virgin trains, to London and back for about £25.00.
Tamera, London UK
The chapel which is right in the centre of Llwyngwril is a beautifully converted space. Upstairs, you'll find a large open plan living-kitchen space where writers hunker down around the 12-seater table or sprawl about on the many sofas. Distractions include: Wifi, Bar billiards, a massive TV, books, DVDs and music. If you want to preach then the pulpit is yours for the taking. Downstairs there are bedrooms with comfy memory foam mattresses, bathrooms with power showers and an enormous roll top bath. There are books and pictures everywhere.
A hill stream rushes down through the village of Llwyngwril to the sea. The takes ten minutes to walk from the chapel to the beach - there are also other fantastic walks all around. There's a village shop (with cash back and booze!), post office, cafe and pub. The village also has its own train station and you can get a return, if you pre-book with Virgin trains, to London and back for about £25.00.
Tamera, London UK
Writers Who Run!
Morning Folks.
I am on Facebook as AlexBootCampKeegan (all one word) and I have just started a group called
Runners Who Write; Writers Who Run
The following is a note I've posted on FaceBook about it. If you write ad run (should be BOTH, that's the point) then why not join me?
I have only run three hours in the last 4-5-6 months but I was a serious veteran club runner AND I WILL BE RUNNING TODAY.
Imagine going on a writers retreat where you ran first thing in the morning and everyone was so ALIVE!
I have just finished a weekend of teaching creative writing in a very intense atmosphere, up around 0600, going to bed around 0100. That intensity was on the back of almost thirty days of non-stop, heavy-duty writing and too many late nights. I went INTO the course dog-tired.
Once upon a time, as an athlete, I would have been overjoyed at the surroundings of the chapel. All those fantastic runs, with great views. This time I went, only just recovered from an injury having done no exercise whatsoever for six weeks and abusing my body with too-long days, too much time at the computer and too much (I drink when I write a lot) wine.
But one of the ladies on the course was out first morning, out there running with the sea air in her face. Day Two I HAD to go out.
I was three stones and more (as much as fifty pounds) over my racing weight, unfit, slightly upset tummy, hungover, mentally running on empty AND WE WALKED-RAN FOR TWO HOURS.
We didn't exactly hammer things. I wouldn't be surprised to discover that our mile-running pace was nearer ten minutes than nine, but we walked up those hills, ran along the cliffs, saw an amazing blue lagoon, came back sweaty (and I was sore) but the day FLEW by and I was twice as good a teacher, full of energy again.
This is what I remember when I was running a lot (up to seventy miles a week at my peak).
The physical, mental, philosophical side-effects of running are fantastic. When I'm fit, especially through running (and carrying a lot less weight) I feel younger, sharper, cleverer and insights come so fast I can't catch them all. I used to say running "empties my head of fat".
So, I want to form a group of people who firstly consider themselves writers (whether professionals or serious non-professionals) people who wake up and 19 days out of 20 are immediately thinking, "When and where today will I get my writing space?"
Ability and publications is NOT the point, desire an seriousness, and how you define yourself is the mark of "writer". I was unpublished when my son Alex was born. On the birth certificate my wife, unprompted, put my profession down as writer. That must mean I was, even if the 350-400 publications I now have hadn't started.
And running?
Well, the definition of writer is above. My definition of runner is similar. Do you get up evry day WANTING to run? Is it your main way of being fit? You may or may not be super-slim or fast, but at some time in your past you ran seriously (say 4-5 or more days a week) and raced a bit (even if you finished way down the field.
You own running shoes, shorts, vests etc and you get somewhere and you want to run, want to run, want to run.
You might be like I am right this minute (but watch this space) grossly overweight and maybe a bit ashamed, with short-term and long-term injuries. Running might now make you breathless. You aren't supple, you may not be quite so young. There's no way you are going to enter the next County Cross-Country, and the idea of The National, try to stop laughing.
BUT, like with me last weekend, someone was going running and you HAD TO try, because that's what you are, even if you're a fat old fat, you define yourself as a runner, you want to be fit again, want to feel that sharpness in body, brain and soul.
You quite like the idea, a year down the line, of a half-marathon where every person in the field is a writer. Wouldn't that be glorious?
JOIN ME!!
PS
If you write and don't run, START.
I am on Facebook as AlexBootCampKeegan (all one word) and I have just started a group called
Runners Who Write; Writers Who Run
The following is a note I've posted on FaceBook about it. If you write ad run (should be BOTH, that's the point) then why not join me?
I have only run three hours in the last 4-5-6 months but I was a serious veteran club runner AND I WILL BE RUNNING TODAY.
Imagine going on a writers retreat where you ran first thing in the morning and everyone was so ALIVE!
I have just finished a weekend of teaching creative writing in a very intense atmosphere, up around 0600, going to bed around 0100. That intensity was on the back of almost thirty days of non-stop, heavy-duty writing and too many late nights. I went INTO the course dog-tired.
Once upon a time, as an athlete, I would have been overjoyed at the surroundings of the chapel. All those fantastic runs, with great views. This time I went, only just recovered from an injury having done no exercise whatsoever for six weeks and abusing my body with too-long days, too much time at the computer and too much (I drink when I write a lot) wine.
But one of the ladies on the course was out first morning, out there running with the sea air in her face. Day Two I HAD to go out.
I was three stones and more (as much as fifty pounds) over my racing weight, unfit, slightly upset tummy, hungover, mentally running on empty AND WE WALKED-RAN FOR TWO HOURS.
We didn't exactly hammer things. I wouldn't be surprised to discover that our mile-running pace was nearer ten minutes than nine, but we walked up those hills, ran along the cliffs, saw an amazing blue lagoon, came back sweaty (and I was sore) but the day FLEW by and I was twice as good a teacher, full of energy again.
This is what I remember when I was running a lot (up to seventy miles a week at my peak).
The physical, mental, philosophical side-effects of running are fantastic. When I'm fit, especially through running (and carrying a lot less weight) I feel younger, sharper, cleverer and insights come so fast I can't catch them all. I used to say running "empties my head of fat".
So, I want to form a group of people who firstly consider themselves writers (whether professionals or serious non-professionals) people who wake up and 19 days out of 20 are immediately thinking, "When and where today will I get my writing space?"
Ability and publications is NOT the point, desire an seriousness, and how you define yourself is the mark of "writer". I was unpublished when my son Alex was born. On the birth certificate my wife, unprompted, put my profession down as writer. That must mean I was, even if the 350-400 publications I now have hadn't started.
And running?
Well, the definition of writer is above. My definition of runner is similar. Do you get up evry day WANTING to run? Is it your main way of being fit? You may or may not be super-slim or fast, but at some time in your past you ran seriously (say 4-5 or more days a week) and raced a bit (even if you finished way down the field.
You own running shoes, shorts, vests etc and you get somewhere and you want to run, want to run, want to run.
You might be like I am right this minute (but watch this space) grossly overweight and maybe a bit ashamed, with short-term and long-term injuries. Running might now make you breathless. You aren't supple, you may not be quite so young. There's no way you are going to enter the next County Cross-Country, and the idea of The National, try to stop laughing.
BUT, like with me last weekend, someone was going running and you HAD TO try, because that's what you are, even if you're a fat old fat, you define yourself as a runner, you want to be fit again, want to feel that sharpness in body, brain and soul.
You quite like the idea, a year down the line, of a half-marathon where every person in the field is a writer. Wouldn't that be glorious?
JOIN ME!!
PS
If you write and don't run, START.
Saturday 6 June 2009
Chapel Course in June
I'm running a writing course at Capel Bethel Fri-Sat-Sun 19th-20th-21st June
FEEL FREE TO PASS ON THIS INFORMATION
The Chapel can cater for 24 people during the day, sleeps 12 in bedrooms, can sleep more.
There is a B&B next door. If the course is fully subscribed and people choose to stay there the costs of the course would be slightly reduced.
The Course
The intention to produce to near-finished stories from scratch and
to help with improving any existent ones.
Very useful for entering Bridport
Post course there will be another 9 days to tidy if necessary (if entering Bridport)
but the aim is that two stories will be finished structurally and blue-pencilled, so virtually done
The courses normally tend to be very "full-on" and for those who can hack the
pace there will be writing-talk from 7AM through to the early hours
For this course there would be writing breaks, for "relief"
If you haven't been on one of these courses and experienced just how much can change
ask around. Maybe some of the people receiving this could respond with comments?
The Chapel is fantastic. There are two double beds, six beds as bunks, two twins
and 3-4 double sofa beds... The French Oak table seats 12...
There FIVE stereos, one has an iPod Dock
There's 42" Flat (HD) screen, DVD and Blu-Ray Player (I use video occasionally to illustrate a point)
Bar Billiards Table, thousands of quality books, hundreds on writing prose and poetry
If you think that a full blue-pencil feedback on a 5K story would cost you £50-£90 the course is very cheap
£120 for the two days £150 for the three, but you are FAR better off arriving Thursday night and doing all three days
I promise you that you will be able to start 2-3-4 stories, will learn a load, can fix those stories that haven't quite worked.
I will be writing fresh alongside you all
The Chapel is at www.capel-bethel.com
also see the blog
http://capel-bethel-wales.blogspot.com/
Please respond asap
Alex
Alex Keegan
Newbury RG14 5TH
Telephone 01635-34317
FEEL FREE TO PASS ON THIS INFORMATION
The Chapel can cater for 24 people during the day, sleeps 12 in bedrooms, can sleep more.
There is a B&B next door. If the course is fully subscribed and people choose to stay there the costs of the course would be slightly reduced.
The Course
The intention to produce to near-finished stories from scratch and
to help with improving any existent ones.
Very useful for entering Bridport
Post course there will be another 9 days to tidy if necessary (if entering Bridport)
but the aim is that two stories will be finished structurally and blue-pencilled, so virtually done
The courses normally tend to be very "full-on" and for those who can hack the
pace there will be writing-talk from 7AM through to the early hours
For this course there would be writing breaks, for "relief"
If you haven't been on one of these courses and experienced just how much can change
ask around. Maybe some of the people receiving this could respond with comments?
The Chapel is fantastic. There are two double beds, six beds as bunks, two twins
and 3-4 double sofa beds... The French Oak table seats 12...
There FIVE stereos, one has an iPod Dock
There's 42" Flat (HD) screen, DVD and Blu-Ray Player (I use video occasionally to illustrate a point)
Bar Billiards Table, thousands of quality books, hundreds on writing prose and poetry
If you think that a full blue-pencil feedback on a 5K story would cost you £50-£90 the course is very cheap
£120 for the two days £150 for the three, but you are FAR better off arriving Thursday night and doing all three days
I promise you that you will be able to start 2-3-4 stories, will learn a load, can fix those stories that haven't quite worked.
I will be writing fresh alongside you all
The Chapel is at www.capel-bethel.com
also see the blog
http://capel-bethel-wales.blogspot.com/
Please respond asap
Alex
Alex Keegan
Newbury RG14 5TH
Telephone 01635-34317
Prompts & Chapel
Over at http://alexkeegan.blogspot.com/ we post a set of pompts for writers most days and out popped an old shot of the chapel
Before we continue, may I just say
The street is empty, I smell smoke
I often wondered about other mothers
It's a small, pretty place, near Milford Haven
Probably isn't definitely
The hand that rocked the cradle has kicked the bucket
Slum Dog Millionaire
Perhaps I should return to my apartment
How Plaster Dries
Something in the night sky, lights
Red Sea Peril
We went kite dragging, not flying
Another storm is battering at the windows, the wind keens
Clothes lines flapping with white, the sound of children
She was, in the end, more or less unharmed
PINK!
Before we continue, may I just say
The street is empty, I smell smoke
I often wondered about other mothers
It's a small, pretty place, near Milford Haven
Probably isn't definitely
The hand that rocked the cradle has kicked the bucket
Slum Dog Millionaire
Perhaps I should return to my apartment
How Plaster Dries
Something in the night sky, lights
Red Sea Peril
We went kite dragging, not flying
Another storm is battering at the windows, the wind keens
Clothes lines flapping with white, the sound of children
She was, in the end, more or less unharmed
PINK!
Some prompts
On one of the other blogs I'm posting daily prompts or writers
Here's a sample
Before we continue, may I just say
The street is empty, I smell smoke
I often wondered about other mothers
It's a small, pretty place, near Milford Haven
Probably isn't definitely
The hand that rocked the cradle has kicked the bucket
Slum Dog Millionaire
Perhaps I should return to my apartment
How Plaster Dries
Something in the night sky, lights
Red Sea Peril
We went kite dragging, not flying
Another storm is battering at the windows, the wind keens
Clothes lines flapping with white, the sound of children
She was, in the end, more or less unharmed
PINK!
Here's a sample
Before we continue, may I just say
The street is empty, I smell smoke
I often wondered about other mothers
It's a small, pretty place, near Milford Haven
Probably isn't definitely
The hand that rocked the cradle has kicked the bucket
Slum Dog Millionaire
Perhaps I should return to my apartment
How Plaster Dries
Something in the night sky, lights
Red Sea Peril
We went kite dragging, not flying
Another storm is battering at the windows, the wind keens
Clothes lines flapping with white, the sound of children
She was, in the end, more or less unharmed
PINK!
Thursday 4 June 2009
Not Very Bright
There are, of course, loads of pictures of the Chapel
Previously known as Capel Bethel
Will be known as Capel Cader Idris
The web-site is here
Capel-bethel.com
(There are many Capel Bethels) This url should get you to the correct one (with Capel Cader Idris mentioned)
Previously known as Capel Bethel
Will be known as Capel Cader Idris
The web-site is here
Capel-bethel.com
(There are many Capel Bethels) This url should get you to the correct one (with Capel Cader Idris mentioned)
3 Day Intensive Course in Wales
I'm running a course at Capel Bethel (LL37 2JU)
Fri-Sat-Sun 19th-20th-21st June
To book, please contact me
alex.keegan(at sign)btinternet.com
Intention to produce to near-finished stories from scratch and
help with improving any existent ones.
Very useful for Bridport, but useful anyway
Leaving another nine days after the course
to tidy if necessary (if entering Bridport)
The Chapel is fantastic. A purpose-designed refurbishment to run
writing schools.
There are two double beds, six beds as bunks, two twins
and 3/4 double sofa beds... the French Oak table seats 12...
Here are two shots of one of the bedrooms
FIVE stereos, one has an iPod Dock
42" Flat (HD) screen, DVD and Blu-Ray Player
Bar Billiards Table,
Thousands of quality books, hundreds on writing prose and poetry
There's telephone and broadband and a wireless network.
Four computers in-house but people usually bring lap-tops
and then there's me (cough)
Cost of the course is £120 for Sat-Sun £150 for Fri-Sat-Sun but I would strongly recommend people attend for the three days.
If you are wondering what Alex Keegan courses are like I think we can provide a few references, not the least being that Boot Campers have won more than 130 first prizes.
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