Tag: novel writing

  • George Plimpton, Graywolf Press and the State of Literature Today

    George Plimpton, Graywolf Press and the State of Literature Today

    Today’s podcast of The Writing Bull offers you a two-fer: Years ago I had the opportunity to interview one of the founders and the editor of The Paris Review, George Plimpton. You might recognize him, his face popped up all over the place in the second half of the twentieth century, playing in a professional baseball game…

  • About Literary Agents

    About Literary Agents

    Dear TWB Reader, This is the second of a series on fiction writing, specifically, what you do after you’ve finished your manuscript (in this case, a novel). Many ask me about literary agents, what they do, do they make you rich overnight, etc. Here, I share some of my own experiences with literary agents. I’ll call my…

  • Friends Don’t Let Friends Write Shit

    Friends Don’t Let Friends Write Shit

    Dear TWB Reader, I posted this five months ago, when I finished a fiction manuscript. The next step was to send it to people so they could run it through their bullshit-meters, asking the fundamental question: does it work? In the next few days, I’ll share some updates with you. The thing is, this book…

  • As a Professor, Sometimes I’m Pretty Stupid…

    As a Professor, Sometimes I’m Pretty Stupid…

    I was worried the past few days. I was getting sick–again. The manic depression that had hurled me into a psychotic attack in December nearly did me in. My family and I got through it, but it was a dangerous time. Bipolar is a progressive, organic brain disease. And it’s a killer. The brain deteriorates…

  • The Surgical Tool Known as Instagram

    The Surgical Tool Known as Instagram

    Here’s a little preview I made. I guess that’s what you’d call it, though it’s not for a movie. I’m tossing it out on Instagram to get folks to check out my mother’s essays here on TWB. Marketing. That’s what I’m doing. Thing is, I don’t have anything to sell. I’m using Instagram as a…