My First Creative Writing Class

The first creative writing class I ever took was back in the 90s. I’d been living in Chicago and was back home in San Diego visiting.  My friend Karin invited me to join her at a writing class at a place called The Writing Center in the part of downtown that was long ago Chinatown, and still a little sketchy.   The teacher, Judy Reeves, doled out writing prompts like hors d’ouvres at a cocktail party. The format was simple:  Judy shared a writing prompt, set the timer, and we wrote.  Furiously. It’s like we were all drunk on the creativity that was in the air.  I was terrified.  Sure, I’d been writing, but I wasn’t a WRITER.  Everyone else in the group, however–  well they just blew me away with their talent.   For one prompt, Judy asked us each to write down a secret–fact or fiction and place it in the basket. Then we each drew one.   I don’t remember what secret I shared, only the one I got:  “She slept naked.”  I was surprised and pleased with what I wrote (It’s probably in a notebook in a box in my basement).  One woman, however astounded me.  For some reason I am remembering her name as Mimette. She pulled the secret “He had webbed hands.”  While the timer ticked away, Mimette wrote a complete story (with a beginning, a middle and an end) about a man who had become a monk so he could hide his webbed hands in his long-sleeved cassock.

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The Art of Submission

I still remember the first time I submitted work to a literary magazine. My favorite undergraduate writing professor made everyone in the class submit work to a small, local journal for the experience. I think she was pretty aware none of us were ready yet, but I appreciated the push. It led to my very first rejection letter and to a copy of the journal that declined to publish me!

Fast forward many years, and while I wouldn’t say I have the submission process down to a science, I have definitely put my work out there enough times that I feel, if not comfortable, competent at it.

Where to Begin?

What if you’ve never submitted anything in your life? Or the last time you submitted, everything was done with printed materials? (Some places still do accept hard copies; in fact, some still only accept physical drafts in the mail).

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I am a Writer

We all carry lots of titles–teacher, reader, swimmer, carpooler, weightlifter, daughter, mother, stepmother, grandmother, scientist, philosopher, feminist, cat person, dog person, linguist, foodie, show-binger, traveler, entrepreneur, spouse, counselor, fan, and so many more, but there’s one title that we creative types often struggle with: writer.

What is it about this particular title that gives so many of us pause? Does it feel too sacred, too intimidating, too unearned? It is an important title, to be sure, but it doesn’t need to be something shiny on a high shelf that only the greats can use when referring to themselves.

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Steeped in Setting

Desert landscape with hot pink building in the distance
Desert landscape with hot pink building in the distance
I’ve found some pretty weird and beautiful places to write in and about in New Mexico.

Here’s one from the archives that feels evergreen. Enjoy, Plumesters!

Setting as Character

We’ve all read something, whether it’s a story, essay, poem, or any other form of literature, where the setting seems to leap off the page in a way that feels visceral and singular. I have always been drawn to stories with a memorable setting, and lately have come across two that have been particularly vivid. A few weeks ago I finished Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects, a novel set in Wind Gap, a small, fictional town in Missouri’s Bootheel. The town is mostly poor, but dotted with gentry who exploit the work of their more desperate peers. It’s a murder mystery, and while I won’t spoil anything beyond that, just know that this town is the perfect setting for a southern gothic intrigue, disfunction, and horror. If you’re interested in watching the HBO adaptation, it’s great so far, but as always, I recommend reading the book first.

Once I finished Flynn’s book (which she penned 12 years ago, even before her breakout hit Gone Girl), I moved on to The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. Usually, I try to balance something light after reading such dark fare, but I’ve joined a book club through a podcast, so I just might end up derailing some of my own reading challenge picks as I pursue these other narratives. I’m about 100 pages into TLS now, so I’m a fifth of the way through this fairly hefty book, which I believe is going to become a ghost story very soon. This is not my usual fair, but I’m riveted by the descriptions of The Hundreds, a country British estate that was once prosperous and well-kept, but at the time of the narrative (just after WWII), it’s fallen into great disrepair, and general, well, creepiness. The structure looms large physically with it’s motley assortment of crumbling facades and empty rooms; emotionally, you can also sense that there’s something not quite right about it or its current inhabitants (again, no spoilers–just a general unease I’m getting as I read). A film adaptation is coming to theaters at the end of August (Remember, adaptations are my jam–as long as I read the book first!).

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What’s in a Fundraiser?

Plume Fundraising Update

Many of you contributed to our GoFundMe, and we can’t thank you enough for your generosity. We haven’t quite reached our goal yet (We’ve raised just over $1800 at this point), and have found that GoFundMe is not the best platform for us moving forward (It’s a long story, but the TL/DR answer is that we don’t recommend GoFundMe if you want helpful, expedient customer service and easy access to the information you’ve gathered via your fundraiser), so for the final leg of our fundraising efforts, we are switching over to Kickstarter.

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Writing in Cafes

steak salad, a glass of chai, and a notebook & pen
Melanie and a skeleton figure in a chef's hat
Me, writing beside the “mascot” at my favorite neighborhood coffee shop

A Change of Venue

Do you ever feel like you need to get out of the house and/or office to write? Though it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I love writing in cafés. I try to squeeze in as much writing as I can, but I almost always spend my one dedicated writing hour a week at my favorite neighborhood café.

Maybe you enjoy these types of venues for writing already, or you might be asking, What’s the appeal? I have a quiet room with a desk and a view at home; I think I’m good. Perhaps you have the perfect set-up already, but to me, there’s something so delicious about writing in public. I enjoy a little hustle and bustle around me. I love a well-made cup of chai. I delight in the feeling that no one, not even the guy sitting two feet away from me, has any idea what I’m writing about.

I’m not saying that writing at a café lacks for challenges, of course. It can take a little planning to have an enjoyable café writing session. Here are some tips for getting the most out of an hour (or an afternoon!) writing at a coffee shop.

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Chasing Summer Writing

Wearing striped flip-flops in the grass
Wearing striped flip-flops in the grass
Flip-flop weather is in full swing, but where has my desire to write gone?

The Art of Distraction

For most creative writers, we know it’s easy to get distracted from, well, writing. Whether it’s finishing up a project for work, watching the latest episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, or folding laundry, there’s always something else you can be doing that doesn’t require you to sit and stare at a blank screen until something brilliant (or, let’s face it, half-decent) strikes.

I don’t think I’m alone in saying that these types of distractions tend to multiply ten-fold when summer rolls around. Your cousin invites you to a last minute dinner party. Your kids want to go to the pool. You take a road trip to the mountains, the beach, the city that’s better air-conditioned than your own. Some variation thereof. I remember a friend once advising me to query agents about my novel in the winter months because, “They’re all cooped up inside in the city in the winter. Come summer, they’ll all be at the Hamptons or at late-night dinner parties.” (I’m not sure this really holds up, but at the time, it sounded pretty wise). Okay, so most of us aren’t jetting off to the Hamptons in the summer, but the point is, we’ve got a lot more stuff going on.

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Self-Care & Creativity

Just what is self-care, anyway?

We hear this expression all the time from our family, friends, the internet, TV shows, you name it: practice self care. But everyone’s idea of what this looks like is a little bit different. Is it a monthly pedicure? A home-cooked meal made from your favorite fresh ingredients? Going for a run?

And why, after all, do we need to practice self-care in the first place? Aren’t we all attuned to our own needs, mental, physical, spiritual or otherwise? Do we not tend to ourselves every day? Yes and no. We feed and groom and entertain ourselves each day (usually?), but because we all lead such busy lives that pull us in so many directions, it’s easy to lose track of our needs and to lack the opportunities to slow down and do little things just for ourselves.

There are many definitions of self-care out in the world, but my favorite I’ve come across so far comes from  Fort Garry Women’s Resource Center in Winnipeg, “Self care is care provided ‘for you, by you.’ It’s about identifying your own needs and taking steps to meet them. It is taking the time to do some of the activities that nurture you. Self care is about taking proper care of yourself and treating yourself as kindly as you treat others.”

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Plume Baby Shower & Updates

As you may have seen on our social media channels, last Sunday Plume held a “baby shower” in celebration of its official launch. We had some yummy brunch food (Mimosas! Tortilla Española! Energy bites!), played games related to Plume (not your mom’s traditional baby shower activities), and celebrated this exciting new chapter in our business with writerly friends and subscribers in the Albuquerque area.

IMG_3097

Jennifer’s delicious, homemade tortillas (traditional and with some NM flair!)

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Interview with Casandra Lopez

As we’ve been working to get Plume out into the world, we have been thinking a lot about how arduous the process of writing and publishing a book can be. To get a recent firsthand account of this process, we conducted a mini interview with Casandra Lopez, who will be an upcoming featured writer with Plume.

Plume: Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

Casandra Lopez: I always loved to read, but I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until later in my life. Now I can’t imagine not being a writer. 

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