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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Writing Prompt: Stupid Things You Did As A Teen

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Monday, April 15, 2013

Writing Prompt: Errbody's Getting Tipsy!

By Marilyn Friedman

Thank you to everyone who came out to Writers With Drinks at Tony's Downtown Saloon last Tuesday night! Libations and conversation flowed freely, and it was a smashing success. In fact, today's writing prompt (at the bottom of the post) was inspired by our recent soiree.

If you're looking for more literary inspiration, be sure to check out Writing Pad's short story panel this Thursday, April 18th from 8pm to 9:30 pm, Strange, Comic, Beautiful, and Sad: Reinventing the Short Story with award-winning authors Ben Loory (New Yorker, Best American Short Stories), Mary Otis (Tin House, Best American Short Stories), and Amelia Gray (McSweeney’s, Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Prize). Learn how to create powerful tales that linger in your readers’ mind and get advice on how to publish both short fiction and story collections. Hope you can join us. It's only $5 and includes snacks and sangria!

And we just added a few new classes to kick off your May writing practice. Do you have a great idea for a memoir? Let bestselling author Brett Paesel show you how to transform your real life stories into lively drama in True Tales: Writing A Compelling Past on Sat., May 4th. Or are you dying to get an essay published in a magazine or newspaper? On Sun., May 5th published essayist Annabelle Gurwitch (More, Marie Claire) will help you to push an essay to the finish line in Personal Essay Punch Up. She'll help you uncover opportunities in your writing and reach surprising revelations. Her feedback and editing methods will blow your mind!

Below are the latest class offerings, followed by a free writing prompt!

April/May Events:
Creative Writing/Multi-Genre
Fiction/Memoir
Journalism/Web Writing
Writing For Actors
Screenwriting


Writing Prompt:
Sometimes buzzed turns tipsy turns seriously drunk and that's when all bets are off. Write about the first time you or a character got drunk (or a memorable time you got drunk). Before you set off to write:
1. Write down two details about your experience that will show us that your character is drunk (e.g. the room was spinning, all of a sudden, my cheek was on the cold tile floor).
2. Write down a sensory detail that was part of the experience (e.g. smell, taste, sound, touch)

Now write for 10 minutes about this experience without explicitly telling us that your character is drunk. Show us that he or she is drunk by the things he or she is feeling or seeing. Make sure to include a sensory detail (e.g. smell, taste, sound, touch).  

Tell us about your (or a character's) first experience with inebriation. Don't forget to share the results of your 10 minute write in the comments of this blog to be entered in the contest for a free class!
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Monday, April 8, 2013

Writing Prompt: Favorite Place To De-stress

By Marilyn Friedman

Sometimes, amidst the never-ending to-do lists and carting myself from Writing Pad East to Writing Pad West in bumper to bumper traffic, I have a moment of clarity and realize, "I NEED TO GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS CITY FOR A MINUTE!"

The passion and creativity of LA is frenetic and contagious, but even the strongest motors need a rest from time to time. Jeff and I just got back from a lovely weekend in the mountains of Idyllwild, one of my favorite places to escape to in Southern California, and that's the inspiration for today's writing prompt (at the bottom of this post).

Also, if you don't have time to do get out of LA this week, you can at least escape from your computer screen for a few hours with us this Tues. night at Writers With Drinks at Tony's Downtown Saloon! It's free, and it's a great way to network with editors and other writers. Tony's and Pizzanista will be offering special literary drinks and pizza slice deals just for us. Hope to see you there.

Below are are the latest class options as well as a free writing prompt. Enjoy! 

April Events:
Creative Writing/Multi-Genre
Fiction/Memoir
Journalism/Web Writing
Writing For Actors
Screenwriting




Writing Prompt:
Where do you go when the 24-7 connectivity and bill paying and paper pushing take their toll on the primitive part of your brain? How do you unwind? With summer fast approaching, sometimes an afternoon of hiking in the outdoors will erase a week's worth of f-bombs behind the wheel on the 405.

Make a list of three places you go to (or have gone to) to escape the stress of life. Pick one. Write down a sensory detail (smell, taste, sound, touch). Now write for 10 minutes about this place and something that happened there (or an ode to this place), making sure to include the sensory detail. When you are finished, post your story in the comments of this blog!

Where do you go to melt the stress away? Don't forget to share the results of your 10 minute write in the comments of this blog to be entered in the contest for a free class!
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Thursday, April 4, 2013

Character Creation with Award-winning Author Sherri L. Smith


Whether you want to write the next Twilight or the next Great American Novel, there is an art to creating multi-faceted characters that will draw your readers in from page 1, and Writing Pad has just the author to teach you how.

Sherri L. Smith is the author of five YA novels. The latest, Orleans, hit shelves in early 2013. She is also the author of the award-winning novels Lucy the Giant, Sparrow, Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet, and the California Book Awards Gold Medalist Flygirl, which the Washington Post named best book of the year. Flygirl is also a selection on 14 state reading lists. Lucy the Giant won the ALA Best Books for Young People, the ALA Amelia Bloomer Selection, NY Public Library Book For the Teen Age, Junior Library Guild Selection, Cleveland Public Library Celebrate with Books Selection, Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year, and was a Book Sense 76 pick. Sparrow was a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age selection and a 2009 Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee. Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet was a Florida Sunshine State Young Reader Award nominee. Sherri has also written for Bart Simpsons Comics and The Simpsons London Times Sunday Strip.

We sat down with Sherri to get the 411 on how she spins such successful yarns.


You're the author of five novels. Tell us how your process has been refined from book #1 to #5. 

That’s a great question. I’d say my process is mostly the same, except I’ve come to accept it over the course of several books and years. When I started my first novel, I really hadn’t grasped the idea of multiple themes fitting into one story. I was still in a short story mentality. Thankfully, writing that first book taught me much of what I needed to know in order to finish it. After the second book, I recognized my methodology—including the bits of down time that some might call writer’s block. For me it’s a period of germination, when ideas take root and start to grow. The biggest challenge has been learning what to do “in the meantime.” And not beat myself up about the dramatic pause that sometimes crops up between ideas and drafts. Usually something great is waiting on the other end.

Where did you get the inspiration for your new book Orleans, set in post-apocalyptic New Orleans?

The idea for Orleans came from my experience evacuating my mother from New Orleans after Katrina. It was a harrowing time and it took a week to finally get her out. At some point during that week, I read an article about local gangs protecting their neighborhoods when law enforcement had fled the city, which lead me to the idea of tribes. There was a lot of talk of racism in the way the storm was handled––remember Mayor Nagin’s “Chocolate City” comment?––which led me to think of other ways a society could be segregated. In the case of Orleans, it’s by blood type for medical reasons. With all these ideas stewing, one day the main character, Fen, started speaking to me, telling her story. And Orleans was officially born. . .

What would you say is the common thread in your books?

All of my books are about identity and family. From Lucy the Giant to Orleans, my protagonists are struggling to come into their own and find their place in the world. You might call it a coming of age, but that implies a very youth-centric focus. In my experience, we are always continually coming of age, learning to go from infant to child to young adult to adult, spouse, parent, grandparent, senior citizen. Life takes constant adjustment and it’s a lonely journey without loved ones to share it with. That’s the core I always come back to when I write.

Give us a little preview of your upcoming Writing Pad class on drawing story from character and crafting strong heroines. Where do you start when you sit down to work on a new book?

I think it’s going to be an interesting class. I’m hoping we can play with characters, bringing them into the real world. I plan on doing a little character dating, creating online profiles. I also hope to rummage around in the characters’ attics and have students bring in a prized possession, or a guilty pleasure. You can learn a lot from a person’s favorite blanket/pillow/outfit/photo. Why should character building be any different?

When I start to work on a new book, I usually have an image in mind. I’m an outline-based writer (some people just put pen to paper and go). I like to plan my road trip before I start driving. So, with that inciting image as a destination point, I’ll write an outline that gets me there and past it. I’ll check my outline for proper rising action, turning points and climax, and then I start writing. 

You have a BFA in Film and Broadcast Journalism and an MS in Business Administration. What brought you to writing?

I’ve been a writer since I was a little kid. The film degree actually came out of my love of writing. I wanted to learn how to tell a story visually. The MSBA was intended to bolster my film degree. At the time, I wanted to be a producer. I saw that as the best way to make stories happen in the film world. As a result, I worked in film and then animation for several years before cutting out all of the middle men and getting back to basics—just me, an idea, and a blank page.

When you get writer's block, how do you bust out of a slump?

I really hate the term writer’s block. I don’t think it’s possible to simply run out of ideas. It’s more a matter of getting in the way of the best idea. So, when I hit that “dramatic pause” as I said earlier, I take a break. I sleep. Dreaming is a great way to unlock the ideas. I also keep writing, even if it’s junk. And I read a lot. Grab a book, a comicbook, go see movies. Watch TV. Listen to music. Listen to the radio. Somewhere, someone will say the thing you need to hear. I firmly believe the Universe wants you to tell the story. The story wants to be told. It will find a way to come through you. You just have to be open to it, and kind to yourself in the meantime.

Being kind to yourself––so simple, yet so hard for us writers. Thank you so much for sharing your time and wisdom with us, Sherri.

If you want to learn how to craft compelling characters from a pro, the Writing Pad is hosting YA Character Collage: Crafting Your Story from the Outside In with Sherri on May 4th. Sign up today and you'll have your characters singing in no time!

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Meet Amy Pengra: A Writing Pad Success Story


As a student, Amy Pengra made full use of Writing Pad as her playground. After taking class with Marilyn Friedman, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, and then performing at Christine Schoewald's personal essay show, Amy landed her piece in the pages of Marie Claire. Her freelance career is off and running and she took some time to tell us about the journey.

Your pathway to publishing your Marie Claire piece was due in part to several Writing Pad instructors. What was the trajectory?

I first worked on a messy draft of my essay “The List” with Marilyn, aka Mrs. Writing Pad, during the 2011 WP retreat in Ojai. She gave me great notes, but for a myriad of reasons I just wasn’t ready to tell that story. I put it away for a while and then dusted it off in one of the three or four (who’s counting?) essay classes I took with Taffy. At the time I was working full-time, so taking classes with assignments kept me on task with my writing. Otherwise, I collapsed in front of the television. 

With Taffy’s sage advice and support I finally elevated the story and hit send. I chose the NY Times Modern Love column where it was rejected, but the note I received was complimentary and encouraging. Around that time I ran into Christine Schoenwald who was a fellow student with me in one of Taffy’s classes (and also a WP instructor). She told me about her spoken word show Pinata where people read essays aloud. I submitted "The List" and later read it on stage. Between Christine’s notes, the experience, and audience feedback, I made yet another edit and then sent it to Marie Claire who bought it pretty quickly. A long and winding trajectory indeed. Moral: sometimes it takes a couple years to tell (and sell) a story. And sometimes it takes a Writing Pad village!


What was your publishing experience prior to landing this piece and how has it changed since? 

I published a short story back in the 90's (remember those?) in a small pub called FATE. Reading it now makes me want to run away and change my name, but at the time I was thrilled. So thrilled in fact, that I took a 16-year publishing break to work in marketing. But I still wrote on the side.

In 2009 I read my essay “First Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” at Spark on Rose, another spoken word show in LA, and then later submitted it to an essay contest. It was ultimately selected and was published in an essay anthology titled “Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart: True Stories of Love, Loss and Everything in Between,” which I also titled (they had a naming contest as well). Being selected was incredibly exciting and rewarding. And that affirmation reignited my passion for writing and swinging for the publishing fences.

Last fall I left LA (and the job) to focus on writing and freelancing. Two months after making that decision, I sold the story to Marie Claire and have sold three other stories since then: one to xoJane, which came out this week, and two other travel stories to a Canadian website called TravelMindset. I also have a few others in the hopper and continue to fill my essay/pitch pipeline per the TBA Gospel!

What are your essay writing tips for women's magazines?

Find your strength and use it. This goes for essay and idea pitches. I often use humor and wordplay to make titles and pitches interesting to the editor since I know they’re inundated. Even if the idea/essay turns out to be a bust, I figure at least they’ll be entertained before passing. Plus, I try to talk to them in a casual manner – a tone that shows my personality – because that’s also more interesting than a note that sounds too formal or one that’s been cut and pasted 900 times. Also, be sure to check your impatience and sensitivity at the door. Selling an essay can take a lot of time and often includes multiple rejections. You have to keep your chin up and be willing to keep hitting send. Semi-pro tip: tough skinned persistence pays off. 

Thanks, Amy! That's a great mantra.

If you want your freelance career to take off like Amy's, Taffy Brodesser-Akner can set you off on the right foot. She's already helped 26 students get published! Writing Pad has several classes with Taffy this Spring/Summer: 
 Sign up now and you'll snag that byline in no time!
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Friday, March 15, 2013

Writing Pad Student to Master: An Interview with Lisa Donato


Since Taffy Brodesser-Akner's essay writing class this fall, Writing Pad student Lisa Donato has successfully landed her writing in SELF Magazine, the L.A. Times, Whole Life Times, and 5280, a Colorado Magazine. She took some time out of her burgeoning freelance career to tell us how it all started.

When was your first class with essay instructor extraordinaire Taffy Brodesser-Akner?

My first class was a women’s magazine class that started at the end of September. I’ve taken five total essay classes – and I’ve doubled the money I’ve invested into classes!

Had you been published prior to this foray into essay writing?

No.

Wow, you've had a slew of recent writing success. Tell us about the pieces and where you managed to land them.

My first "yes" was from Self Magazine on November 6th. I wrote an essay in one sitting in Taffy’s personal essay two-day boot camp. I was so strung out over finishing this essay for the workshop session the following day. Writing for me is like extracting blood from a stone sometimes, but I forced myself to finish it. I wrote my last sentence at 4am. The essay is about how I recently lost 30 pounds through the hCG hormone program in 40 days and lied about how I lost the weight to my friends and colleagues.

My next yes was from the L.A. Times L.A. Affairs column. I was going to skip class one night and Taffy convinced me to go. She helped me flesh out an idea I had about my relationship – a story about how my girlfriend and I took ballroom dance lessons in West Hollywood to determine who was the "lead" in the relationship, but it's really a story about the fear of losing ourselves when we feel like we are losing control. It ran on March 2nd. 

Recently I pitched an idea to 5280, a prominent magazine in Colorado. It’s a profile story on a group of female street artists. This story is going to run in their August issue. 

Finally, I pitched an essay idea to Whole Life Times. They loved the essay and they are going to do a feature story on me for their October/November issue. This story is about how I ended years of yo-yo dieting patterns and chronic depression by simply changing my diet. It explores the direct correlation between foods and moods. 

Congratulations! That's terrific. What have you learned about the publishing process?

Patience! I have learned to not become attached to my essays and/or pitches. I pitch 2-3 times per week and I get rejected A LOT. I really believe in my ideas, but I move on quickly. I keep a lot of pitches and essays in the pipeline and I hope that something will eventually bite. The best advice from Taffy: send out multiple essays/pitches every week; the one that sells down the road is an unexpected treat. 

Now that you’re a pro, what are your pitching techniques that help you stand out from the slush pile?

Haha. I don't consider myself a pro, but here are my best practices: I always put a question in the subject line. For example: Pitch: How Can a Pimple Beckon Suicide? I get a response from editors at least 90% of the time (even if most of them are rejections). 

I research the publication I am pitching. Has this story been covered yet? Where in the magazine is the best fit? I tell them in the first line of the pitch: This 1,200-word triumph essay is perfect for the mc@work section in Marie Claire’s magazine. One sentence reveals three things: the essay is already written, the type of essay (triumph), and that I have done research. 

I keep the pitch simple and I always say that I will follow up in one week if I don’t hear back. Follow up is key. Every essay I’ve sold had at least one follow-up email. Oh, and Tuesdays are lucky for me. I always pitch on Tuesdays. 

Excellent tips, Lisa. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us!

If you want to set your freelance career into motion, Taffy Brodesser-Akner is the best person to help get you off the ground. She's helped 25 students get published, including our Writing Pad superstar Lisa Donato!

There are two upcoming Writing Pad classes with Taffy aimed at getting your essay published: the Personal Essay Clinic on March 18th and What Do You Think? Writing the Op-Ed or Cultural Essay on March 21st and 28th. There's only 1 spot left in each class. Sign up today and you'll have a byline in no time!

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Thursday, March 7, 2013

Writing Prompt: Cartoon Characters

Anime Marilyn By Jeff Bernstein

By Marilyn Friedman and Alana Saltz

Do you remember how wonderfully lazy Saturday mornings were when you were a kid? As a child, Marilyn would wander downstairs in her PJ's at around 9 or 10 a.m. on Saturdays, grab a bowl of Rice Krispies, and spend hours watching cartoons like "The Smurfs." As an adult, she has to spring out of bed by 7 a.m. on Saturdays and get Writing Pad East and West ready for morning classes. Gone are the days of carefree weekend mornings without long to-do lists! Sigh. This week's writing prompt (at the bottom of this post) is inspired by Marilyn and Alana reminiscing about the simpler days of childhood.

Speaking of fun times, we have many cool events and classes at the Pad this week. If you're looking for something fab to do Friday night, join us for Crime Scene Confidential with award-winning mystery author David Corbett (“Done for A Dime”, NY Times Notable, Several Best Novel Awards), bestselling author James Scott Bell ("Plot & Structure", "Deceived") and screenwriter and novelist Bill Rabkin ("Monk,""Psych"). Meet these fantastic writers and learn how to write crime stories so real that you can see the yellow crime-scene tape. Admission is only $10 (includes Marilyn's famous sangria).

Also, on the Eastside on Sunday, award-winning performer Ann Randolph (Best Solo Show LA Weekly, Best Solo Performer LA Times & SF Examiner) will turn your life’s trials and tribulations into a hit one-person show in The You Show: A Solo Performance Intensive! Her fun exercises will help you generate powerful material quickly and figure out what your show is really about. She’ll even give you customized improv exercises to craft a compelling, emotionally honest performance. Ann's class will blow you mind.

And on on the Westside on Sunday afternoon, if you have an idea for a crime story or thriller waiting to be transformed into a bestselling novel or a blockbuster, you'll want to take The Spine of Crime: Structure and the Crime Story with award-winning author David Corbett who is known to many students as "the story whisperer." David will teach you how to use character and theme to drive your story and help you create a mini-outline! 

Below are a ton of class options as well as a free writing prompt! See you soon.

Note: classes with an asterix (*) will be held at our new, posh Westside location in Westwood!

Fiction, Memoir, and Romance
•Storytelling At Light Speed: The Art Of Flash Fiction

Journalism, Personal Essay and Web Writing
•Personal Essay Clinic*
•What Do You Think? Writing the Op-Ed or Cultural Essay*
•Getting to "Like": Crafting A Compelling Blog
•Query Letter Clinic: Writing The Pitch That Sells Your Story

Playwriting and Writing for Actors
•Storytelling Bootcamp: A Spoken Workout

Screenwriting
•Dr. Ed's Development Bootcamp: Crafting Your Webisode Calling Card (1 DAY)*



Writing Prompt:
Growing up, most of us had a favorite cartoon character that we dreamed of becoming. Marilyn wanted to be Wonder Woman so much that she showed up to costume day at camp in her Wonder Woman underoos and long, red winter boots (she wasn't the only one!). She spent the rest of the year walking around in a bathing suit inspired by Wonder Woman's outfit and those same red winter boots. She would spin in her living room until she was dizzy and had dreams that she actually was Wonder Woman but was missing one of her power accessories (like the bullet proof bracelets or truth producing lasso). Maybe you idolized Superman or perhaps you had a thing for one of the Power Rangers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

Make a list of three cartoon characters that you (or your fictional character) adored as a kid. Pick one. Now, add a sensory detail that you associate with this character (e.g. smell, sound, touch, taste). Then write for 10 minutes about the character and the images and memories you associate with him or her. What made this cartoon character so cool? Also, make sure to include the sensory detail in your piece. When you are finished, post your story in the comments of this blog!

What cartoon character did you want to be as a kid? Don't forget to share the results of your 10 minute write in the comments of this blog to be entered in the contest for a free class!
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