Welcome To 2009
Last night our writers group met at Suzy’s house, and we took turns announcing what we’d accomplish with our writing in the coming year. After a decade of this ritual it’s too easy to simply resolve to complete a current project, then begin and complete another. Something feels a bit automatic, and that robs the process of any value.
Instead, consider that a suitable goal should make you feel a little – or a lot – embarrassed with its aspirations. Maybe only the goals that seem “impossible” really inspire or excite us to take action. In my experience, I’m never excited to answer mail unless I can do that task in an outrageous, over-done manner. It always feels like more work to send a simple letter than an elaborate package. With that in mind, please consider that these resolutions are a first step toward doing something which seems completely beyond your abilities at the present time. None of us want to waste our lives. We all want to surprise ourselves as we discover our abilities, and we want to meet other people and accept their help in completing our plans. In turn, we want to help others reach goals which seem beyond their current abilities.
In workshop, Suzy wrote down each writer’s committed goals, and we each took a moment to examine our writing lives. What we didn’t like, we determined to change. What sounded exciting and motivating, we stated we would accomplish. Please take a moment to examine your own writing life.
It’s my top priority to not waste your time. So in the coming year I’ll be introducing fewer techniques or distinctions around writing; instead, I’ll be reviewing your work and using it as an opportunity to apply what I’ve already introduced: Submerging the I… Horses… Avoiding abstracts… Symmetry… all of it. I’ll look for the best aspects of your writing samples, praise those, then discuss how to make other aspects work more effectively. Each month, the Cult workshop will send me a selection of your work, ideally chapters or scenes or short stories – parts that stand alone to some degree – and I’ll respond with my comments.
By the end of 2009, I’ll have chosen enough of your work to publish an anthology wherein each piece of fiction presents a perfect illustration of a writing technique we’ve discussed. I’ll write an introduction to the anthology and publish it in the spring of 2010. Beyond that, how we’ll distribute the book… I’m not sure, but that’s all part of the “impossible.” For now I’ll be looking for your best, wildest, most-exciting work. If we take good care of that task – all the other details will resolve themselves. If we do this first part right, we’ll have publishers bidding against each other for the finished work.
Maybe we’ll donate the royalties to a charity, or split them among the contributors. We’ll decide that after we’ve done our job. Yes, publishing seems to be as depressed as the rest of the economy, but great work will always sell. For now, your job is to present your best work – hell, write better than your “best.” Commit to surprising yourself. Despite how circumstances around you change, you’re still the talented, dedicated, creative person you’ve always been. Let’s show readers, teachers, booksellers and publishers how amazing a book can be.
Consider this New Year as an invitation, and a challenge.
I’ll Shut Up Now,
Chuck Palahniuk
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wow, that's really cool. Thank you!!
Coolio.....if only I was a writer!
This really does seem like an awesome opportunity, so those of you that can, go get working on that
I hope everyone around here is excited about this as I am. I'm sure Dennis, Mirka and Mark will have a lot to add to the news but just to get the conversation started I would like to let all of you know the following.
Come February we are launching an updated site. This includes among a lot of improvements I'm sure you'll all enjoy, a BRAND NEW Writer's Workshop. So if Chuck's post seems like something you're up for, January is the month for you to be writing. Don't let me slow you down. If you have something you have been meaning to clean up, this is your chance. If you have something fresh on your mind, this is the time to get it down on paper. So to be perfectly clear, this all begins with the launch of the new site.
Plenty of details will follow in the coming days & weeks, so you're welcome to post questions here and I'm sure someone will answer them as well as we can.
That's beyond motivational. I'll be seriously considering joining the workshop.
Wow.
Ya, I am too. I like to write, and I think it'd be fun to be included, but I haven't read any of those past writer's workshop helpful things each month, and I'd just feel like I wasn't following any of the rules.
That's awesome!
If I only had a fraction of the talent some of you around here have...
So those of you who have it, GET BUSY.
I haven't either Levi, I want to dedicate myself to something. I'll join if you join. That way I know I am not the only one feeling the way you described.
humm....Damn i wish i wasn't in school and had a whole bunch of time to just DEVOTE, you know? I think I really want to do this! I'm seriously considering it, Jack. We'll talk.
no worries, little brother. we're going to clean those countless threads up shortly. make some easy to follow and read and digest. mostly, they are old and hold jewels for certain but they are long and hard to approach, we know. but we'll be making the tools available for all members in plenty of time.
the beauty of this workshop is that it is time manageable. it's not a classroom one specific days of the week at specific hours. it is here when you have time. maybe you only have ten hours a month to dedicate to the workshop.. you can divide that time AROUND your schedule. or at least, that has proven one of the greatest facets to my sched.
-kabol
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What an amazing opportunity. Thanks to all who've contributed to this.
Hi all,
Firstly, Happy New Year & 2009 to you all!
First time poster here, although I've been reading the essays & lurking in the background since about '01/02 way back when I was still at uni & it was 2.0.
Must say, very excited about this news. And sorry to sound like a n00b, but what's the best way to go about getting these contributions submitted? Is it as simple as using the Workshop Navigation -> Make a Submission? Am I imagining things in thinking it works on some kind of merit system where you critique other's work first? Am I right in thinking the site's having some problems, too?
Hope you guys can help.
Happy 2009 (again)
mavti,
Come February, when the new site is launched, you'll want to begin getting involved and making submissions. We will be sure to put up some "getting started" guides at that point too.
Because of a complete overhaul to the system, entries prior to Feb will not be eligible (though members may resubmit a previous entry).
amazing. i hope i'm good enough. to be a part of this would be a gift.
I was skeptical about this announcement. Been refreshing since the New Year, getting pissed nothing was posted, and then this. Wow. It's a rarity something impresses me, much less excites me, rarer still when a person's actions actually impress me. I really respect this. Haven't participated in the workshop for a year or more (mostly because I was putting a lot more into my crits than others were, just collecting tokens so they could post) although I've developed leaps and bounds as both a writer and crit participant. I'm back on this hard core.
This is an amazing opportunity and i fully intend to be part of this. I have been reading the essays and like matvj 'lurking in the background' also. I've been reluctant to contribute to workshop - apart from one piece - as i wasn't fully aware what I'd be getting out of it. This gives me and i imagine a lot of other people a goal to work towards in the coming year. This is a fantastic idea and i feel privileged that Chuck and his group are willing to put themselves out like this. Not only for them to learn but for us also.
How cool was that? Kaetea texted me and called me to wake me up... her voice is sweet....
Ow yes, the news is cool too...!
going to sleep some more now...till soon all...
As Kirk mentioned, you should hold off on making submissions until February when the new shop is rolling. Some things may look a little different then, but we'll make sure the way to submit a story is clear. Also, it will be important to do peer reviewing and help others out. This can't be just a big lottery type action where people submit story after story without reciprocal courtesy. It's a real workshop, just like Chuck at his friend Susy's place, and the relative anonymity of working online can't be an excuse to shortchange that. So you can be sure that requirements will be in place for thoughtful and helpful reviewing of other particpants stories, and equally sure that tips and guidelines and direct help from experienced people will be part of the picture, too.
In the meantime, you might like to use Workshop access to read the full stock of Chuck's previous craft essays, as you begin sharpening those stories.
I have this one idea for a short story I discussed with Frank. I cant write for shit but Im going to give this a try.
That's awesome, Derek. Your posts always keep me reading. Think of getting your story ideas down as "nothing special" writing, just like a forum post. A way to get your ideas out, with intent, but unselfconsciously. The rest can come later, after you've made pages. Dig into the shop later and you'll learn lots of techniques to improve what you're doing, and you might even grow a little overburdened with learning such things, but then eventually the techniques that feel natural to you become so internalized that your practice becomes "nothing special" writing, again. Except it's better than before. That's the Tao.
I feel like such an idiot for not realizing Chuck had posted another whole blog...I kept refreshing the other blog's comments page.
Well, this idiot is very excited for this opportunity. Thank you so much, Chuck. I wish I had been reading more of the essays and whatnot; I feel so far behind. But I'd like to take a stab it. No, I want to cut it to pieces and sow it back up, since we're talking about exceeding what we'd normally do.
I can't wait!
Awsome. Thanks to Chuck, Dennis and everyone else for making it happen. I love how you people are always looking for a way to reframe the cult into a more transformational writer’s resource. A place where writers don’t just come to learn new tricks; but a place where writers are made. A learning organization – using business development theory terminology – where feedbacks loops are reevaluated on the fly to deliver maximum payoff on the time invested getting it. In short a place where quantum leaps, the difference between good and great, occur at a high rate for each writer that sticks with the program and invests in it.
Not saying that you’ve reached that stage but by Chuck’s post it’s clear where you’re aiming. And that’s truly awesome.
Now two questions:
1. Can you submit Non-Fiction
essaysstories?2. Is there a limit on how many
essaysstories you can submit? (Not that I think I will manage more than two anyway)You can count me in too.
hleJAC<
Edit: *Fixed essay to story ;)*
If you use smart writing techniques to put your narrative non-fiction on steroids, how would we know the difference? It's in how well you tell it and not whether it really happened. But if by "essay" you mean a straight think piece with lots of abstract concepts and no character development, action or throughline, just big ideas to sell, then I'm guessing it won't make it. Chuck teaches specifically about blending your philosopical ideas or "Big Voice" talk with the business of physical scenes where characters take action and the reader can picture it. 'Big Voice,' like those Tyler Durden rants, works best if you get some action happening first, and if you don't go on too long with it. So don't submit your homework from an intro class in philosophy or sociology, but do learn to use Big Voice as a tasteful added texture.
You'll have to write reviews to earn submission points, so the total number of submissions you can make will derive from how much care you give to the peer reviewing, both number and quality, a sophisticated points system with feedback loops built in.
And again, think stories, not essays. Chuck's essays are in the shop to learn from, but you want your output to qualify as story.
..
@vigorous puppy:
I might be mistaken, but from the tone of your post I'm guessing you didn't really like my developmental theory analogy?
And yes the choice of the word Essay was wrong, ofcourse I meant non-fiction story. Like the stories in Chucks non-fiction book (also called Stranger than Fiction).
I agree that it is the tension between Big Voice and Small Voice, between the strong abstract medicine and the small right now, right here actions that makes stories good. Fictional or non-fictional. The difference between them becomes ever more blurred with postmodern minimalism writing. But we already discussed that grey-area in the comment section of the Amy Hempel interview post.
Don't worry, I won't submit homework from philosophy or sociology classes.
Now THIS is what I joined for! (I must actually thank my wonderful girlfriend for the best Christmas present to a lapsed writer)
Having been involved with something similar before, all you guys with the big idea that you've never quite chiseled it back to your own David, this is the time to dust off your tools and sharpen 'em up!
Thank you to all those that put in their spare time to make this site work and to have brought about this great opportunity.
Now I'm off to dig out that gem...
aDamn
As they say round our way - this is the dogs bollocks.
Kudos to all involved making this happen, and of course to Chuck. The man giveth and he just keeps on giveth.
The peer review = submission points is a genius idea, will sort the daytrippers from those really wanting something from this once in a lifetime shot. And the proceeds to charity another good one. Writing is for pleasure not profit, apparently! Will there be a fee for the workshops? Perhaps a donation towards costs of keeping site running, or to charity? Just a thought.
Great start to the new year.
Thank you.
I'm very, very excited by this opportunity!! I missed the comradery I felt in the old workshop, and so this will be an excellent way to bring people back in and be motivated to not only write the best story they can, but to also help others along the way.
It will also be a learning experience for me
as Mark V. asked me to serve as a moderator for this project. I'm excited to see people from the old workshop dust off their old stories, but I'm also psyched to see people who haven't submitted before to step forward. I've always enjoyed helping other writers, even if they just take one or two things away from what I've written on a critique, I feel I've pushed them forward a bit. Please help make this a great experience for everyone. And, if any of you need help navigating your way once the new workshop is up and running, don't be afraid to ask.
Thank you Chuck for taking an even bigger role in the workshop. It's inspirational.
But, I'd really like to thank Mark, Dennis and the rest of the gang that I don't know for working tirelessly to keep the cult going before now. For providing us the opportunity to participate in the intensives and learn form other guest writers, for keeping the old writing workshop going and for moderating a vibrant and interesting community. They have kept work and conversation at the Cult to a standard of commitment that is impossible to find in any other online community. They have herded cats and policed delinquents to aid us all in our focus as writers, reviewers and cheerleaders for each other.
Thank you guys for making this opportunity possible. Without you, I doubt Chuck would have had faith that an investment of such a tremendous amount of his valuable time would be worth it. You've kept a pool of incredibly talented writers as happy as humanly possible. Afterall how possible is it to keep any bunch of self absorbed prima donna, geniuses happy?
Thank you
Oh, wait...I have to be a Premium Member to be involved in the Writer's Workshop. Well, that would have been fun. Good luck to everyone who is participating in this awesome opportunity!
wow, this sounds amazing. i dabble in writing but maybe i can get motivated to do something better and bigger. i must dmit i havent read many of the workshop essays and whatnot either but maybe i'll take a swing at it anyways...who knows...?
.
hleJAC<,
hey, the perfect answer occurred to me:
chuck's third essay, On-the-Body, starts out with a non-fiction short story, as kind of an example of how to use that particular technique, and how use a first person, non-fiction account as a strong story. that short story, published nowhere else, is one of the best essays on the cult--my opinion.
for easier navigation, this is the link:
http://chuckpalahniuk.net/workshop/chucks-essays-2004-3
that essay inspired an entire story for me, a story i have been working on for years now. one that one day i will get right. personal note.
-kabol
..
Great to see this finally up. I've been chomping at the bit for days now. Like Mr. Grover, I will also be joining the talented crew here as a moderator. Let me share a couple of quick thoughts.
I expect this workshop to be reborn. It didn't work as well as many of us wanted it to in the past, and I think we have found our motivation.
BUT, the INTENSIVES I took here (Clevenger 1, Clevenger 2, Monica Drake, Max Barry) are about 90% responsible for me writing at all right now. I am a product of this website and the extremely talented and generous staff and writers. Drop all of your excuses. Pay the fee. Time to cowboy up. This is your shot at getting an audiance with a respected and taltented writer who will actually read your work. This rarely happens. And everything that comes after it? Un. REAL. A gift. I can honestly say that there are a ton of talented writers who have come here, and I expect to help pull them all back into the fold. We are entering a new golden age at the Cult for writing. What comes after gold. Platinum? Platinum age. This is the kind of stuff that LAUNCHES careers.
Thanks to Craig and the intensives, I am in an MFA program RIGHT NOW, TODAY, and I got 12 short stories accepted for publication in 2008 - online, zines, actual printed color glossy magazines, and anthologies slated for 2009. It CAN happen folks. Dream big. And then write.
Thank you Chuck for your generosity. And I look forward to working with everybody here - Dennis, Kirk, Mirka, VP, Kabol, Grover, KC, etc. Don't hesitate to drop me a PM, fellow scribes, when this gets up and running. I'll be glad to help you with anything that is on your mind.
And if I may paraphrase Chuck:
"Teach us something, make us laugh, and then break out hearts."
Peace,
Richard
@JKabol:
Thanks for sharing man! Now you’ve got me really curious about your story.
I personally don’t like to make such a strong distinction between the word story and essay. Non-fiction-oriented stories. Or story-oriented non-fiction. That definition is, in my opinion, not important. A good story is always a good story. It uses the same workshop principles, with only minor differences to it.
I’m going to re-read Chuck’s third essay now. Hit me a pm, when and if you get your story finished and want to share…
Kirk, vigorous puppy - thanks for your replies.
And thanks for everyone who contributed in getting this off the ground - Chuck, Dennis, the mods - you know who you are.
Fantastic opportunity, Chuck is a helluva guy. Best of luck to everyone! Time to shake away the massive block of '08.
You would be mistaken. It's a great analogy and we are a learning organization, as you pointed out. I simply didn't have the remaining energy or concentration at 4:30 AM or whatever time it was to join you in riffing on those concepts. It felt more urgent to answer your specific questions and to answer them in a way that didn't make any necessary assumptions about how much you've used the workshop here in the past, how much familiarity with Chuck's teachning concepts, et cetera. I was framing my answers not only for you but also for "greener" people who might need an answer to the same questions.
I would be the Mark V. who co-ordinates all workshop activities, recruits and trains moderators, arranges the writing intensives with visiting authors that Richard mentioned, provides raw intelligence to the code guys about the functional needs of the workshop... and I'll stop blowing my own horn now. But you need to understand that if my answer seemed a little terse, it's because of the level of focus I'm on right now.
Thanks for your enthusiasm, your good questions, and your sharp perspective on what we're about.
VP
This makes me depressed. Your biggest enemy is your expectations. I want to waste my life. Goodbye.
I hope everyone brings their A game to this!
oh dear lord, how frikin cool
how does all this work? when does sign up open, or however this is being done.
Right now, the best srategy is to read all of Chuck's past essays for writers that are archived on the site. Besides learning and practicing some of the skills he outlines, you need to simply start working on any story that you might like to submit. The new workshop will be open for submissions at the first of February. And lots more details will be forthcoming in the weeks ahead.
I didn't expect you too either. I just misinterpreted the seriousness of your comment/answer to my two questions.
Anyway, it's all good.
I sometimes come across a little heavy when I'm just aiming for unambiguous.
I'm very excited for this project, and I'm grateful for the nice commentary from Kaetea and others who recognize the insane amount of work and commitment that supports all the magic.
Let's have a great year.
Vigorous puppy is there going to be a word limit on the story you can submit? The reason I ask is that if this is going to be done on a points scheme like you say. Where people will need review to then gain points to submit, I imagine that with someone with say a large story will undoubtedly suffer because of the time constraints of other peoples lives.
Lastly I would like to thank you for the hard work that you have and will be putting into this.
oh, yes. Hey, kaetea !!
.
martin barker,
the point system will be explained in detail a little later on, when it is completed and the correct information is available. as for larger stories..
most stories hit between two and three thousand words, on average. there are many that are told in a thousand or less. then there are a few here and there that go the full distance of five and six k. occasionally, a story will hit higher. i submitted a story of almost nine thousand words once. i didnt have to, being that the deal back then was you would have to review five submissions in order to submit one of your own. but i knew i would have to put in extra weight in order to get reviews on that one, being the sheer size of it. (much easier for other members to "skip" that submission and hit up the one and two k word submits.) i think i reviewed a total of twenty stories to garner the six reviews i received [from others] on that story.
we are trying to figure the best way to force review participation, but no matter what, youre going to have to give a lot to gain a lot. if you submit a larger story, you should go out of your way to review a whole lot of stories, and others will see that and you will gain reviews for your large story. or at least, that's the way i did it.
thanks for the question, and thank you for being involved. looking forward to seeing you and everyone else in the shop.
.
oh, and alex martin. welcome back, homie. you email ignorer. you kabol avoider. anyway. hope youre involved when the time comes.
-kabol
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Thank you very much for explaining this. The piece im working on at the mo does hit around the 9k mark, hopefully that will not put people off in the long run. I plan to review a lot and hope that i will receive the same back.
Thank you for taking the time to reply and also to help put this monumental task together.
always !
.
another easier thing is to break the story--what at nine-k words is pretty much a novella--into sections, if sections could be read as individual short stories and culminate as a collective of two or three thousand word segments. that's an idea i thought about for that particular story but decided against for whatever reason.
-kabol
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