I was so happy to participate in this project; 270 reasons, from 270 people, for voting for Harris in November. My piece is aimed at the most progressive ones among us—those who might be contemplating a protest vote. I’ll still love and respect you if you do that, but this is why I think you shouldn’t.
Bucket List Item #26 completed! I was on the New Yorker Fiction Podcast, reading “The Third and Final Continent” by Jhumpa Lahiri — a story I relate to very personally. You can hear why in the interview after the reading The story came out 25(!) years ago. This was the first time anyone’s read Lahiri for the podcast; I hope I did it justice.
Click here to read my profile in ADDitude magazine this October! Next month, the publication will publish their profile of me, as well as others in the creative arts who have ADHD, and how it impacts our work.
Click here to read my interview with CrimeReads’ Polly Stewart! We discuss Alexandros Papadiamantis and my 84 books project.
I’ll be judging the Wildhouse Fiction Contest that opens September 1!
I talked to The New York Times about how I wish more novelists would write about people’s jobs!
Gmail just turned 20 (?!?!) and New York Magazine asked a bunch of writers to dig back in our emails for something we’d written in 2004, and talk about it. I found an email from a very wobbly time in my life, and picked it apart. Here’s the link; you can also read entries from writers like Major Jackson, Sloane Crosley, and Paul Murray.
For Oprah Daily, I wrote about revisiting my father’s hometown—and the capital of Hungary—to find traces of our shared past. You can read about it here!
Novelist Rebecca Makkai presents six online lectures on aspects of the novel, addressing the writer’s work plan, novel structure and outlining, backstage decisions, pacing, character, and editing.
There are three common places a novelist gets stuck: page zero, page thirty, and page one hundred. That first sticking point is, of course, about lacking the nerve to begin — while those stuck around page thirty have likely begun with great hope, only to realize either they’re missing the knowledge they need to structure an entire novel, or that they’re not sure what this book is even really about. Those who make it to around the hundredth page have overcome those initial hurdles but are still faced with the great impossibility that is the middle of the novel.
Maybe you’re stuck somewhere else, or maybe you’re not stuck at all — but these six online lectures will give you a novelist’s toolkit for seeing your draft through to completion and beyond.
No workshopping, reading, or other homework will be required. This class is relevant for those working in any genre of novel.
Our six classes will be:
The Work Plan
We’ll talk outlining (when, how, why), schedule, work ethic, the myth of writer’s block, and how to keep working for the long haul. We’ll also talk about realism regarding the size and scope of the project you’ve cut out for yourself, and how to know when you’re tackling too much or too little.
Structure, Momentum, Tension, Stakes
While there’s no formula for a novel’s structure (and books that tell you otherwise are going to lead you down the path of predictability and cliche), there are some core elements of story structure that transcend genre, time, and culture — ones that it’s best to know, even if only to rebel against. We’ll talk about the arc of a novel, and the momentum and tension and stakes that will keep a reader turning pages.
Backstage Decisions
There are some big, heady decisions we have to make early in the novel process — ones about point of view, framework, the point of telling, the ear of the story, the rules of telling, and the rules of the world. These are the kinds of decisions you can ignore for a little while, until your novel runs smack into its own impossibility. We’ll talk through these choices, what they mean, and how to go about making them.
Pacing, Backstory, and Balance
A common drafting mistake is the Chapter Two Information Dump, in which we learn everything about a character all at once. But another common mistake is not slowing down to give us the information we need in order to care about the character. There are solutions to this paradox! We’ll talk about backstory, memory, and flashback, as well as the cause-and-effect foundations of forward, ongoing action.
Character, Dialogue, Interiority
We expect more out of a novel character than we do from a short story character (who might be quickly painted) or from a film character (who most likely lacks interiority). We’ll talk about creating and sustaining long-haul characters, about the many layers of interiority that can give them life and depth, about mapping character relationships, and about the dialogue that we rely on particularly to bring non-point-of-view characters to life.
Macro Edits, Micro Edits
A completed first draft is simply the moment when you meet your novel for the first time; much, if not most, of the work still lies ahead. We’ll talk about the stamina needed for those edits, as well as strategies and steps for mid-stream edits, full-draft edits, restructuring, rewriting, and retroactive outlining. We’ll also talk about the finer grades of sandpaper we need later on, polishing on the level of the line. And we’ll talk about what to do when a draft is running too long.
The Northwestern University Summer Writers’ Conference returns on Friday, July 19 – Saturday, July 20. Once again, it will be held online, welcoming writers from around the globe to participate in this extraordinary event.
Since its inception in 2004, the conference has offered a variety of programming for writers of all genres and backgrounds. This year’s attendees have the unique opportunity to learn from award-winning authors on how to uncover the heart of a story, use nature to make sense of the world, tease universal insights from personal experiences, and navigate the complexities of flashbacks. The conference features a variety of specialized workshops on flash fiction, imaginative travel writing, and character development. Participants can also receive pro tips on publishing as practice and how to embrace the concept of ‘good enough.’ For those seeking personalized feedback, individual manuscript consultations with conference faculty are available.
This year’s esteemed workshop instructors include Paula Carter, Gioia Diliberto, Kate Harding, Laurie Lawlor, Rebecca Makkai, Juan Martinez, Faisal Mohyuddin, Lori Rader-Day, Christine Sneed, and Megan Stielstra.
Hosted by the Northwestern University School of Professional Studies MA in Writing and MFA in Prose and Poetry programs, this conference offers an unparalleled platform for writers to deepen their understanding of the craft and business of writing.
