One-Year Program

[Steven Barnes]

I wanted also to start a thread for those interested in the one-year challenge: to become published writers in a year. Journaling has long been understood as a valuable tool of self-knowledge, but I believe fiction writing can be just as powerful. I'd like conversations dealing with the subjects of body, mind/career, and relationship/spirituality, because these three are infinitely rich fodder for stories. The floor is open!

[DavidBurch]

I found this site through a search engine and would like some information on the one year program.

[Steven Barnes]

On my blog (accessible through my http://www.lifewrite.com) I am coaching students through a one-year program to being a published writer. Absolutely free. Just start at Week #1, and follow along. All I ask is that you contribute your thoughts to the board here, or the blog there--an active community is more fun for everyone. Any questions can be addressed to me here, so that my answers will help everyone.

Steve

[H.Byrd]

"begin to search out role models, people who have achieved what you desire. What price did they pay?"
-Steve Barnes

I would like to know if you are available to give
feedback on the exercises in the program, as well
as some of the assignments in the free writing class
on your website. Writing for a living is something,
I've always wanted to do and I could realy use a
mentor.

[Steven Barnes]

I don't have the time to personally mentor people...I'd have no time for my own career! But if you will commit to writing stories and submitting them for publication, we could use the discussion board here to discuss plots, character, and theme...as well as some business-related issues. Fifty stories from now, you'll be a published writer.

Steve

[stormy]

Mr. Barnes,

I just found out about your program at the beginning of this week. I have read through the first and second week exercise on your life writing board. As I read your blog notes, you mention to send off as many short stories as possible. To date I have written 20 short stories, 1 finished novel and 3 partially started novels. Although I have written work, how do I know if the material is quality and ready for the commercial publishing industry? I am actively going to do my weekly exercises. What should I do about submitting the short stories? Should I write new ones to follow along with the program? I need baby steps instructions please.

I am also interested in your views on self publishing.

Success & Happiness
Stormy

[Steven Barnes]

Self publishing can be a good way to get out there, if you have the skills to be both a publisher and a writer. Many people have used it to create product, but the problem is that there is no bottom level of quality. The quality of self-published material is, on the average, much lower because of that fact. But it can be a viable option.
##
The point to sending your work out for publication is so that you can start getting feedback from professional editors, who will be your best critics. You DON'T know if your work is ready to be published--that's the whole point! So write, keep working on improving, playing with the ideas in my blog on on my web site, and pledge to make every story a bit better than the previous one.

[stormy]

Thanks for the input.

I have another question. I have been following the lifewrite website and its weekly assignments. Looking through your previous blogs, I notice that you have a lot of entries for the Yearlong Writing program.

Which would you suggest I follow the Lifewrite weekly examples or the Darkush writing program?



Stormy

[Steven Barnes]

I would suggest that you use a combination of both--with the only real bottom line to finish and send out a story a week, or a story every other week. My thinking on writing continues to evolve, but the basic structures remain the same.

[Don]

I noticed that I got approved and am glad! I've kept up with your blog to know how busy you are.

Anyway, this thread is the very reason I wanted to sign up. I've been following "the program" as much as has been possible. I'm still getting a handle on how to integrate writing with the rest of my life's rhythm, but I'm writing, submitting, and re-submitting.

Thanks for letting me play,
Don

[Steven Barnes]

You're welcome, Don! Please submit your questions here, and I'll answer them from the Lifewriting perspective. This will allow those who have purchased the Lifewriting Year-Long program to accelerate their growth. Welcome aboard!

Steve

[Don]

Thanks!

Okay, first question: Reading. Everyone says it's vital to a writer; no argument from me. But how much? Based on, say for discussion's sake, a full-time 40-hour week, how much of that is reading? And, what should a fiction writer on the "One-Year Program" be reading? i.e. how much actual fiction vs. books on craft vs. the sea of stuff online by writers of all sorts vs. stuff for simple enjoyment and expanding your horizons?

My reading's all over the place right now and I'm not really complaining. I'm just interested in knowing if I need to fine tune at this stage.

-Don

[Steven Barnes]

I'd say that an ideal amount of writing would be about 1000 words a day. You should read 10X that much...so say 10,000 words a day of quality fiction. If you've done that, AND done your writing, THEN read books on craft. But first things first!

Steve

[Don]

I've been restricting my reading lately to short pieces, so I figure 10,000 words is 2-3 short stories a day. I can wrap my head around that--thanks!

[Don]

Steve,

Since you came through with something that I needed, I thought I'd take a stab at something you've asked for on this thread.

admin said:

I'd like conversations dealing with the subjects of body, mind/career, and relationship/spirituality, because these three are infinitely rich fodder for stories. The floor is open!

I've noticed that in the majority of the stories I've written so far, the protagonists deal with the question of how they choose to (or choose NOT to) recognize and/or manifest their own personal power. In some cases, it was a rope they used to pull themselves to a higher level; in other cases, they hung themselves with it.

Unless I'm misunderstanding the concept, this seems to relate to mind/career, except that "career" seems to imply "employment field." Perhaps a more general, yet inclusive term might be "vocation" or "purpose?"

I suppose differentiating between career and vocation could just be splitting hairs. It's just that it seems to me that there is a difference between someone who identifies himself as, say, "an ear, nose and throat specialist" as opposed to "a healer."

You know, or not