MY BACKGROUND: I’ve published over 40 stories in magazines and anthologies, in addition to a short story collection (The Other Door, 1995) and two novels (The Soft Room, 2004, and Journey to Bom Goody, 2005). I’ve won an O. Henry award and been short-listed for various other awards.
I run an intermittent reading series at The Cornelia St. Café and have been teaching writing for the past four years, at Gotham Writers Workshops, at NYU’s SCPS, and my own private workshops. I have a particular affection for offbeat fiction and genre fiction and a love for all good fiction, whatever the category.
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE: Advanced workshops begin in February and meet for approximately 2 hours. Subjust to a group agreement to adjust the hours, the workshops will meet on Sundays from 3:30 to 5:30 and on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30pm.
Beginners' workshop will start in late March and will run 4 weeks. Time and day will be determined by majority of participants.
ETIQUETTE: We follow the practice of most workshops. As you critique a story, write comments in the margins detailing your immediate reactions (ie, great dialogue, wonderful image, don’t quite understand, a little flat, etc). At the end, write in more depth about general issues—character, plot, etc., making sure to include what was successful and what wasn’t.
The goal of these workshops is to provide constructive criticism in a supportive atmosphere. If you are too personal in your criticisms (making the writer feel inadequate), or incapable of taking criticism (getting defensive or angry), these workshops are not for you. We’re here to work on getting the best, most publishable stories written. The ideal member is smart, talented, cooperative, articulate and ambitious.
SUBMISSIONS: You will be guaranteed two submissions, each up to 20 pages (double-spaced 12-point-type), per six-week period. This can be a story or a novel excerpt. If it’s not complete, you must include a cover sheet with a paragraph giving enough information for the reader to be grounded in the story. Depending on the size of the group, it’s quite possible to be able to submit more than twice.
Beginners' workshop will be a little more informal, with shorter exercises that will allow everyone to get feedback every week. If writers wish to submit longer pieces, this will be subject to determination by the entire group, so that everyone has equal opportunities.
REVISIONS: Submitting a revision is encouraged. If you do a good job, it’s an interesting experience for everyone. If you don’t do a good job, it’s an opportunity to explore the goals of the story and what went wrong—also interesting. Everyone goes wrong occasionally—losing track of their original insight; losing confidence in the story arc, or just plain getting lost. It’s a learning experience, like it or not.
DISCUSSIONS: The problems you face are the problems of writers in general—how to satisfy your own goals, how to get published, how to deal with rejection, how to figure out what success means to you and how to get it. I encourage exchanging info about calls for stories, new magazines looking for writers, magazines selecting for theme issues, etc.
