This article discusssed unreliable narrators and what makes them so much fun to write. This is a favorite topic of mine, so please check it out. Besides who else do you know that combines discussion of Robert Browing poetry with Al Pacino and Scarface. Enjoy!

http://litreactor.com/columns/%E2%80%9Ci-tell-the-truth-even-when-i-lie%E2%80%9D-a-discussion-of-unreliable-narrators

Cover of Bleak House (Vintage Classics)

It’s my new favorite holiday…NaNoWriMo Day! Today is the day to kick off that novel you’ve been rolling around in your head for, well, EVER.

To help you reach your word count, check out my latest post on Litreactor.com about writing desciptive scenes. There is a GREAT scene from Charles Dickens‘ Bleak House that’s perfect for this cold, foggy November morning (in Portland, OR, at least). That should really get you inspired!

C.D. was a master of description and you can be, too. Enjoy the latest installment, and don’t forget to play along!

http://litreactor.com/columns/sixth-sense-settings-writing-rich-descriptive-scenes 

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Image via Wikipedia

I almost forgot: LitReactor.com has published my latest craft column. I think it’s my best one so far. This time the topic is nonlinear narrative (which you might remember me posting about last year). I discuss use of this particular style in the new book from Jennifer Egan, A Visit from the Good Squad, as well as movies like Memento. I also post an awesome short story, Continuity of Parks by Julio Cortazar, and I offer my own rendition (butchering?) of the classic fable Little Red Riding Hood.

And, as always, audience participation is encouraged!

Enjoy: http://litreactor.com/columns/out-of-order-a-discussion-of-nonlinear-narrative-structure

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• Pulp Fiction….. (meridiancrossfit.wordpress.com)
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Cover of Cliffhanger (Collector's Edition)

Hate a bad ending? Me too. There is NOTHING worse than a story that ends with pfffft! Instead of a BANG!

Read my latest installment at Litreactor.com on how to write better endings.

*IRONIC NOTE: The editors of LitReactor picked a shot of Stallone from the movie Cliffhanger, which incidentally and unbeknownst to the LitReactor editors, was filmed in my hometown—Durango, Colorado. Sweet!

Click here to read it! http://litreactor.com/columns/dont-leave-me-hanging

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Wow, I am so excited to announce that my first column for LitReactor.com is now up and ready to read. If you are planning on participating in National Novel Writing Month this year, check out my slightly gory tips for plot generation using a variation on the Exquisite Corpse activity. [Insert maniacal laughter here]

These columns are written with reader participation in mind. Each will offer a writing exercise that you can do from home, the office, the coffee shop, the taxidermist, or secret evil laboratory. Post your ideas and writing activities in the comments so we can all read how ridiculously brilliant you are.  

More columns are coming up on Monday 10/17 and Tuesday 10/25. Stay tuned!

Here’s the link!

http://www.litreactor.com/columns/an-exquisite-corpse-tips-for-brainstorming-your-national-novel-writing-month-plot

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Image via Wikipedia

Wow, so much Word-nerdiness, so little time. Let me give you an update on all the writing-related things I’ve been up to that have kept me from posting on this blog.

First, I joined the planning team for the Wordstock Festival here in Portland. Once a year, Wordstock puts on a literary extravaganza that rivals any that I’ve been to save the AWP Conference. Hundreds of writers and exhibitors plus a seriously respectable line up of workshops, film showings, and other events during the festival and throughout the year! Wordstock started as an organization that supports teachers with workshops that help them learn new ways to teach writing. There are also workshops for kids and for writers. The festival supports what is Wordstock’s year-round mission to bring better writing education to the people. It’s a fantastic organization and I’m so pleased to be a part of it.

This weekend, I’ll be roaming the tables at the Oregon Convention Center. I even get to introduce Sergio Troncoso and Eduardo Halfon on Saturday evening! To see a full schedule go to: http://schedule.wordstockfestival.com/ Also, follow @wordstockfest for updates and contests!

My other big undertaking is writing for the fledgling writing site www.LitReactor.com. I will be contributing craft articles on par with the blog posts that I wrote here to accompany my classes. So, if you miss Writer’s Cramp, check out my column on LitReactor. These people are real pros, and I’m happy to rub virtual elbows with a seriously impressive list of writers. The site is a spin-off from the Chuck Palahniuk fan site which included sections for writing workshops. LitReactor expands this into a full on, interactive writing community available online to anyone anytime. It’s freakin’ sweet. My first column, about brainstorming for your NaNoWriMo book, will be up next week, so read it, please! Then two other columns—one about writing endings and the other about non-linear narratives—will be up later this month. I’ll post links as soon as they are up. Or you can follow @litreactor on Twitter or on Facebook.

I hope you are writing and getting ready for NaNoWriMo. I sure am. This month will get me totally amped for it, that’s for sure. Happy Writing!

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Cover via Amazon

Wordstock is pleased to announce the call for submissions for the 5th Wordstock Short Fiction Competition.
 
This national contest is a blind competition. The winner of the competition receives a first prize of $1,000 and publication in the October 2011 issue of Portland Monthly magazine. All 10 finalists’ stories will be published in the Wordstock Ten, an anthology that will be available at the festival, at Portland-area bookstores, and online through the Wordstock website. Every writer who enters the competition will receive a copy of the anthology.
 
The final judge for this year’s competition is novelist Aimee Bender.

Bender is the author of four books: The Girl in the Flammable Skirt (1998) which was a NY Times Notable Book, An Invisible Sign of My Own (2000) which was an L.A. Times pick of the year, Willful Creatures (2005) which was nominated by The Believer as one of the best books of the year, and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (2010) which recently won the SCIBA award for best fiction, and an Alex Award. Her short fiction has been published in Granta, GQ, Harper’s, Tin House, McSweeney’s, The Paris Review, and many more places, as well as heard on PRI’s This American Life and Selected Shorts. Her fiction has been translated into sixteen languages. She lives in Los Angeles, where she teaches creative writing at USC.
 
The fee to enter the contest is $20. This year, for the first time, submissions can only be made online. Any proceeds from the competition go to support Wordstock’s education programs for teachers and students. The deadline for entering the 2011 competition is July 15.

Complete submission guidelines are available at http://wordstockfestival.com/get-involved/short-fiction-competition