Tayari's Blog

I'll Be Back After Labor Day

Vacation Motel sign
Originally uploaded by SeeMidTN.com (aka Brent)

Later, Gators.

There's Nothing Quite Like Conflict

Nothing wakes up a sleepy story quite like conflict, so that's the topic of the latest "Surviving The Draft."

When I was in high school, a harsh reprimand was, “Stop instigating!” (Odd diction for kids, but it’s what we used to say.) In a more formal parlance, it meant, stop provoking conflict. While this is a good rule for life, it’s not such a good rule in fiction. In an earlier post about personal problems morphing into writerly problems, one of the commenters shared that her real-life aversion to conflict, spilled out onto the page. Many of us have this same issue, so this post is going to be all about learning to be a proud instigator.
How do you know if you’re avoiding conflict in your story? There are plot tics that may indicate a problem.

To see the list of tics, and problem-solving exercises, go on over to She Writes.

Workshop Dos and Don'ts

Creative writing workshop
Originally uploaded by The Mixing Room

Sorry I have been so MIA, but school is starting in a couple days and I had to get myself organized etcetera. (Oh how I long for the days when all I had to do to get ready was put together my outfit!)

I thought it might be helpful for me to post some advice for people who are starting their MFA programs. So here are some Dos and Don'ts.

A mainstay of the MFA program is the workshop. Sometimes called the "Iowa Method", the workshop is basically a group critique led by the professor. One person submits her work and the class reads it in advance and then spends an hour or so critiquing it. During the process the person whose work is being discussed must remain silent.

Okay, on with the show.

DON'T

Be funky. Funkiness can take many forms. Don't sit there with your mouth poked out and your arms crossed defensively. When I teach workshops to beginning students, I gently chide them, but I do not like to see silent tantrums from graduate students. As a teacher it turns me off, but it also harshes the vibe in the class.

Turn in something you think is perfect. The workshop is not a beauty pageant. This is not the time for you to show your classmates how brilliant you are. This is the time to get help and to improve. (Also, you are way likely to be funky is you turn something in believing it to be a work a genius and discover that someone else has a different opinion.)

Turn in something sloppy. No one wants to spend an hour telling you things you already know. For example if the pacing is all off, and you know it, why didn't you fix it before class? You won't get anything out of the critique and the class (and your prof!) will be annoyed.

Turn in something that has been workshopped to death. Be brave enough to turn in something new.

Be evil. I say that the goal of the workshop is to make the student eager to revise. If, as a result of class, the person throws the story in the trash, we have, as a class, failed. When you critique you want to be both helpful, honest, and encouraging. Never forget that your workshop is a community. The person sitting beside you is your neighbor.

DO:

Submit a piece of work that you feel confident about. Choose something that is a good as you can make it, but now you want some help. The wanting help is key.

Proofread. This is sort of obvious, but many people don't. Often it it's not because the person is trifling but because she feels weird reading her own work; it can be listening to a tape recording of your own voice. But you MUST do it.

Take notes during the critique. Although your classmates will submit written responses, things will come up in the discussion that they will not have written, so you will need to jot them down. And, taking notes will give you something to do while folks are talking about you like you aren't even there.

Be gracious. Everyone in the room read your story and, although it required, is something of a gift. Even if your feelings are hurt, thank everyone for their time. And, if you suspect someone in the class is being deliberately mean, don't encourage them by being all funky.

Listen. If there is something that, say, 40% of the class has a problem with, you probably need to address it.

Schedule a conference with your professor one week after the workshop. There will be things you will want to discuss, and she will likely want to give your specific guidance. Further, this is how you build relationships. So, swing by her office. You don't have to bring her an apple, but chocolate is always appreciated.

(to explain the graphic. I put "writing workshop" into flickr and this photo popped up. I laughed aloud, so I decided to post it.)

D.I.S.C.O. Links

sackboy disco
Originally uploaded by [])([](

Why should the kids on the coasts have all the fun? DISCO is a youth writing center modeled on 826 Valencia, offering free writing classes to local youth. It's located in BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA. Fabulous.

Been making edits over your lover's shoulder? You could get an author credit.

The ten top paid authors. The good news is that there is gender balance. The bad news is that authors of color are S.O.L.

Editor, Chris Jackson, is making a deliberate effort to read books by women.

The Brooklyn Book Festival looks pretty h-o-t.

Poets and Writers ranks MFA programs and AWP says rating are silly.

Did you know that a lot of man-on-man romance is written by women for women readers?

How to turn your poetry manuscript into a book

Less is more when it comes to these Stephen King book jackets.

Opportunity Alert: New Voices Award for writers of color who write for kids.

Is all the news coverage of the tragedy at VQR unfairly painting Ted Genoways as workplace bully? Tom Bissell defends his editor and friend. Meanwhile, staff is quitting left and right.

Are You Working?

Today is Tuesday, so "Surviving The Draft" is up over at SheWrites. Everyone who reads this blog already knows all about the evil that is "Workcrastination," but the SheWriters are new to the concept, so I posted about that.

Meanwhile, this is the funniest thing I found when I put in "procrastination" into google images. If you click on it, you can see the large version.

And if you don't know what WORKCRASTINATION is, hop over to SheWrites.. and then get back to your book!

Don't Make Your Family Into A Punch Line

joy
Originally uploaded by taylor_forry

At the last minute, I changed the names of one of the characters in The Silver Girl. Dana’s best friend used to be named Brucetta. I imagined that it would be pronounced, Bru-setta. The idea was that she was named after her dad, Bruce. One of the themes I am playing with in this book is the southern tradition of Jr.-ing sons. And when you don’t get a son, you make-do with a girl. So, for this, the name was perfect.

But then…

I noticed some readers were pronouncing it Bru-scetta. Like the tasty dish that involves Italian bread. I corrected the first couple people, but then I decided to change the name all together. It was a hard call because I liked Brucetta as a name. To me it really captured the awkwardness that happens when folks try to give a girl a boy’s name and with that awkwardness it was emblematic of the way it feels to be a girl born to a family who “never had a son…” (cue the violins.) But ultimately, I realized that I had to come up with something new.

The main reason is that I didn’t want to seem to be poking fun at my characters.

Black folks' names are constantly mocked in the media and in literature. have you heard the one about the substitute teacher working in a low income school who sees on her roll the name “Shithead.” Turns out, you should pronounce it “Shi-theed.” (This was told me as though it were true. The guy swore that it happened to his sister when she subbed in the Bronx.) There are a million of these stories and the butt of the joke are always people-- usuallly working class-- who are "too stupid" to "properly" name their child. Hilarious.

This strikes really close to home because my own name sometimes strikes people as stupid, particularly when I was a young person growing up in Atlanta. I once had a (black) teacher say to me, “You should change the way you spell your name. Because the way you spell it now, just shows that some black people can’t understand phonetics.” When I explained that actually my name is from Kenya and that my parents’ dear friend discovered it while she was travelling on a Fullbright fellowship… well, things got different. In other words, I whipped out a can of privilege and she shut the hell up. (But her words stayed with me for years and for a while I experimented with new spellings, paranoid that people thought my parents were ignorant.)

Dolen and I talk a lot about writing from a place of love, particularly love of your own community, your family. This is not to say that we can’t be critical—that’s the writers job, but we try to write with open and full hearts. About a five years ago, Dorothy Allison gave a keynote address at the Southern Women Writers Conference. In this talk she cautioned us against writing books full of wacky, ignorant characters. “Don’t make a punch line out of your family,” she said.

So, I ended up changing Brucetta’s name to Ronalda. Her daddy had to get his name changed, too. (He’s Ronald.) In my heart, she’s Brucetta, and I keep thinking of her by her original name. But I am sure I’ll get used to it. And I am sure that I made the right call.

September Events

Waiting For The Bee-Train
Originally uploaded by an untrained eye

For a person who said she isn't doing any more public events until my book comes out, I have a lot of my plate for September. The reason is that each one of these opportunities were just irresistable. So I will just have to be a busy little bee.

Here's the line up. I hope you can make it to at least one event, maybe two!:

Friday, September 10, 7-9pm. Brooklyn, NY.
On this day, I'll be participating in the inaugural Ringshout reading series along with Danielle Evans and TahNehsi Coates. You may know this, but I am crazy about Daneille! her new book, Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self has been picked by NY Magazine as one of the most exiciting fall releases.

Saturday, September 11, 3pm, New York City
This is the annual open house for the Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center. Come on by and find out more about this terrific harlem institution. Maybe you'll end up registering for a class.

Sunday, September 12, DUMBO, Doors open at 7, program 8pm
This is PEN's Quiz night as part of the Brooklyn Book Festival. Come and be on my team. (Can't find a darn thing about it online, but it's really happening. I'll post more deets later.)

Confessions of an Invisible Girl

I almost didn't post this because it isn't really literary. But it has to do with confidence, which is the thing that keep us going in the face of all kinds of obstacles. The story I am about to share has been tickling the edges of my mind lately, but I decided to go ahead and tell it because I keep seeing posts on twitter saying things like "the most phenomenal woman in the room isn't the prettiest or the most successful, but the most CONFIDENT."

I completely understand the intent behind this little declaration. And I suppose it's empowering to think that key to fabulousness is in your own head, you just have to unlock it. But I think this is most appealing to people who are already confident-- or those who *act* confident. I can imagine a person who doesn't always feel so sure of herself reading that sort of message and feeling even LESS sure of herself as a result. So this one goes out to all the girls who could use a little propping up.

When I started college, I was not a very confident person. High school hadn't done me any favors, if you know what I mean. Add to it that I was going to be the youngest person in my class (sweet 16!). But I soldiered on, hoping something good was right around the corner. I had an honors scholarship, so I suspected that maybe I was smart, or kind of smart, or something. But I knew that I was not fabulous. (And let me tell you, at Spelman College, there was a lot of fabulousness happening.) Basically, I was an invisible girl.

After the freshmen orientation, the upperclassmen came back to campus. A few of them said to me, "Hey Donna!" I gave a embarrassed weak little smile until they realised that I wasn't Donna, instead I was some random freshman. This happened again and again.

Then, one day, someone chased me across the student center. "Donna!" I turned around because it was like Donna was my other name by now. The person said, "Oh you're not Donna. She lost her ID." I took the ID card and promised to take it to front desk where this Donna person could claim it.

I looked at the photo on the ID and gasped. (Really. Literally. An audible gasp.) Donna was GORGEOUS. And she did look like me, but gorgeous. It was like I was the BEFORE and she was the AFTER. I held on to her ID longer than I should have, looking her wide smile, and sassy tilt of her head.

This little moment changed the way that I looked at myself. I have wondered many times about what this little story means.

I think it means that even if you are not the most confident person in the room, it doesn't mean that other people won't find you beautiful or interesting. I like to think that other people may often have a more generous view of you than you have of yourself. And I think the story also means that even ugly ducklings aren't always ugly-- no transformation needed.

I did finally meet Donna, and she had heard of me, too. (I'm afraid that my appearance didn't give HER any confidence boosts!) But she took me under her wings and taught me important things like how to properly apply eyeshadow and how to dodge curfew. I haven't seen her in years, but I will always be grateful for what she gave me-- the gift of confidence.

Natasha Trethewey on Fresh Air Today

Tune in to NPR today to hear Natasha Trethewey interviewed on Fresh Air. Her new book is a non-fiction work called BEYOND KATRINA. I am really excited about this book. I am Natasha's biggest fan and I love all her work, but there is something really urgent about this new project. I really urge you to listen to what she has to say about the way that Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and also the way that the criminal justice system can devastate a family. The audio of the show won't go up until this evening, but there are some really interesting excerpts already posted. Go check it out.

Literary Loos and other Links

Handling Business.
Originally uploaded by Mrs. Chantalle

I don't quite know the relationship between this photo of Michael Jackson & The Reagans and the post about self-promotion, but it cracked me up.

And this video of a white actress auditioning for a Tyler Perry flick made me scream!

And these people trying to sell J.D. Sallinger's comode made me laugh when I thought it was a joke. Then I remembered that I wrote my first novel in a bathroom stall on my lunch break. Will THAT commode one day be considered historic?

Jonathan Franzen is not the first writer to be on the cover of Time, here are the others. Still, it's annoying the crap out of Shelley.

The recession is making writers desperate and desperate writers are more likely to sell out.

Strange Cargo, an exciting new anthology of emerging talent.(Congrats, Renee!)

An agent sent out a memoir proposal and it was returned unread-- memoir doesn't sell. (Luckily, she didn't take stupid for an answer.)

Literary dating site & famous literary loves.

Camden saves its libraries!

Writers share their favorite fonts.

You don't need a special writing desk to get your work done.

Amish is the new sexy.

Get your research done at home in your pjs.

Terry McMillan is coming to a city near you!

This is a publishing horror story. Don't read it if you are already in a bad mood.

Asian-American Writers Workshop leads WORDSTRIKE against the Arizona Immigration Law.

Kansas writers, here is a great opportunity for you!

A horrible situation at VQR. Is workplace bullying a widespread problem in the academy?

Baldwin vs. Buckley (video)

**Tayari rolls eyes, walks out the room and slams the door.**

Would you like to be a debut writer all over again? Just take a pen name. (Is this sort of like trying to regain your virginity?)

Considering a Low-Residency MFA?

What to do if someone tried to tell you you are not a "real writer".

Are regular folks connected enough to become literary agents?

Is Your Problem Writerly or Personal?

DSC05126
Originally uploaded by Sianyd85

She Writes has just posted my latest entry for "Surviving the Draft," my new column about all about craft and getting your book done. The post today is called "On Writing With Empathy", which is an expansion of something I posted here a few months ago.

One of the things I talk about was my own fear of empathizing with James-- the bigamist in my new book, The Silver Girl.

The main personal problem I had to get over was the fear that I would be accused of making excuses for men, that by seeing his side of things I was somehow betraying my characters or even women all over the world. But at the end of the day, I decided that we read to stretch and grow and that we write for the same reason. Look closely at the photo that I’ve chosen to illustrate this post. Look closely and you'll see that one of those rocks is a heart. The everyday miracle quality of this image seemed fitting with the magic of the way that the writer must find the heart of all her characters.

You can check out the whole piece here. And, if you're a woman writer, join SheWrites while you're over there.

It's All Good

Gotta Get The Kitchen
Originally uploaded by kleopatrjones

I will admit that I have a thing about hair-- my own hair and everybody else. As for my own, I do it myself and I love to chat up strangers in the elevator and find out what products they use. (My current fave is the Curls line. Great for a well-defined twist-out.) I also love thinking about what hair means to people, especially black women. For me the most interesting character in Their Eyes Were Watching God is Janie's hair! As a matter of fact, Janie's very brown skin and very long hair inspired two of the characters in The Silver Girl.

Gwen and Dana are the secret wife and daughter of James Witherspoon and the whole book revolves around this set up. As you can imagine, Gwen and Dana have an unconventional take on life-- I mean, it takes a special person to be okay with the fact that you husband has a whole other family and you must live in the shadows. One way that they make themselves feel better is that they are more sophisticated and better looking that his "legitimate" family. And what's the main proof of this beauty? The fact that mother and daughter both have about two feet of hair that hangs to the middle of their backs. And when you add to the mix that the "real" wife owns a beauty parlor, we've got conflict, baby! (The photo to the right is me getting my hair pressed as research.)

So, on to the topic of this post.

My editor and I are working on the catalog copy. This is the brochure with which the publisher will announce next season's book. it includes a photo of the author, the book, and quick summary meant to snare the attention of book sellers. I love what my editor has written, but there is one phrase that is tripping me up. Here's the sentence"

For Chaurisse, Dana is a glamorous friend—a “silver girl” possessing all the beauty, popularity, and good hair that Chaurisse thinks would make her happy.

As you probably guessed, the phrase is good hair. Yes, Chaurisse is really impressed by Dana's hair. And, she probably would describe it as "good hair." But I am having an emotional response to the word choice. I don't want it to seem like I think that some people's hair is good and others isn't.

When I was a kid, I felt a lot of pain about this good-hair/bad-hair mess and I don't want to appear to be perpetrating it. Do you think that putting the phrase in talics will show that I am sort of mocking the idea? Or should I just rephrase, or leave any hair-talk out of the situation all together?

Mid-Week, Hot, Sweaty, De-Caf Links

wahtever works
Originally uploaded by doughboy54

You have probably noticed that I have sort of slowed down the blog during these dog days of summer. For one, it's just too hot to think. And add to that, my air conditioner hasn't been working. And the biggest factor is that I have given up coffee, which has cost me about 15% of my personality. I am trying to remember why I thought this was such a good idea in the first place. In the meanwhile, here are some pretty good links.

Big publisher? Indie? Self Publish? Moonrat breaks down all your options.

I, too, noticed that only when the topic is "overrated" writers, the list is really diverse.

Ten excellent rules for writing fiction.

Jericho Brown on the topic of labels, or, as he calls them, adjectives.

The Kindle is a cold shower?

Not literary, I know. But, "My Humps" in sign language.

Eat, Pray, SPEND. What's the deal with Priv-Lit?

More Kindle hateration.

Lauren Cerand is the coolest person in publishing.

Really good interview with Aimee Bender.

So you want to be an agent?

Pretty captivating depression-era photo from Puerto Rico.

Surviving The Draft: My New Column

middler paper
Originally uploaded by olivie

I am so excited to announce "Surviving The Draft," a weekly column that I am publishing over at SheWrites. The column is mostly about process and craft, but I will also be blogging from time to time about how to organize your life to be more productive. I like to think of it as sort of personal training, but for writing. And also, gentler than a personal trainer. (My trainer yells at me sometimes.)

The first post is up today. It's a sort of introduction. This column is open to everyone, not just SheWriters. BUT, if you're a "she", thinking about join SheWrites and leaving me a comment. Tell me what craft issues are more interesting to you. I already plan to post about naming your characters, pacing and how to know when you get to the end. I'll also talk about going to residencies to get away from it all and also how to get away from it all without getting away. But maybe there is something else you'd like to talk about.

In the meantime, how I came up with the name, "Surviving The Draft."

The title of the this column, “Surviving The Draft,” is inspired by a piece of advice given to me by my mentor, Ron Carlson. When I met him, I was a great admirer of his work and I hadn’t yet written my first novel. R.C. was such an excellent teacher and a beautiful craftsman that I would have done anything that he said would make me a better writer. Sometimes, I would ask him questions about process. I was writing with pen and paper, was that okay? And how often should I go back and revise? Is it okay to read other authors while I am trying to write? Finally, he smiled and said, “Tayari, do whatever you need to do to survive the draft.”

Surviving the draft is getting over the finish line however you can. I’ve written three novels and for one I sprinted across the line, for another I limped, and for the last one, I crawled, but the point is that I did it. Surviving the draft often ain’t pretty, but it’s always possible.

The Case For Using An Agent

I have been represented by Jane Dystel since 1999, when she called me up on Christmas Eve and said that she was interested my first novel, Leaving Atlanta. There is a little prequel to that particular story, but I will save it for another post. Anyway, to celebrate her birthday, I thought I would post on why I think it’s best to go into publishing with an agent.

Just in case there are folks out there who are new to the publishing game, let me give a quick run down on what an agent is and how an agent works. Your agent acts as a go-between for you and publishers. Many agents—Jane included—used to be editors, so they have personal relationships with editors. The agent decides which editors at the various publishing houses will be into you. Then she sends the manuscript with a personal pitch. For this, you pay her 15% of any money you make from the book. (Little coda here: any agent who asks for money up front is a crook. Run!)

Anyway, some writers prefer not to work with agents, mostly because they don’t want to give up the money. Far be it from me to urge anyone in this rough economy to part with cash, but in my opinion, it’s well, well, well worth it. Here’s a bullet point anecdote-y list as to why.

You are probably really eager to have a book deal and will lose your cool in negotiations. Face it, for your first book, you want publisher so bad you would pay them if it came to that. You need someone to stand your ground when you are too chicken to stand it for yourself. About three years ago, a publisher called me inquiring about my friend, Dwayne Betts, who has an interesting life story. The editor was interested in talking to him about a memoir. I refused to hand over his contact info, until I had put him in touch with Jane. (And the story has a very happy ending.)

You don’t know much about contracts. Whenever we get a contract Jane goes through it with her pen scratching things out and writing other things in. I don’t really know what all that scratching means, but she’s been in the business for decades. Remember most contracts are written to serve the person who wrote the contract. The agent's job is to get you your fair share.

If you’re a first timer, you don’t have a brand. Your agent is like a seal of approval. When your manuscript comes over an editor’s desk with your agents letterhead attached, you get to borrow some of your agents cache and reputation. Leaving Atlanta because one of Jane’s projects and was no longer a random stack of paper (on which I had pinned all my little hopes and dreams!).

You will give up, she won’t. Leaving Atlanta was rejected 22 times before it was accepted by TimeWarner. I know I would have thrown in the towel after ten. Why? Because I am sensitive. And also because I was not a professional so I didn’t know that double digit rejections were not all that unusual. And maybe even because Jane believed in me more than I believed in myself.

She’s bolder than you. When I met Elisabeth Scharlatt, the publisher of Algonquin, I told Jane. (I was excited. Algonquin has always been my favorite press!) Imagine my shock when I ran into Elisabeth the next day and she said she had heard from Jane. I was so embarrassed. Was this presumptuous? Elisabeth said, “She’s just doing what an agent is supposed to do. Look out for your interests.”

Sh*t Happens. Once the manuscript has been accepted there are a million opportunities for drama before publication and after that. I call Jane whenever I find myself in a tight spot. She has intervened on my behalf when I was facing a pretty ugly experience at a regional book festival. She has stepped in to help me negotiate my cover art. She is constantly in touch with the publisher to make sure things stay on schedule. My motto is “When the going gets tough, call Jane.” And when times are good, she’s there, too. When I win prizes—even little ones—she has sent flowers.

So, these are the reasons that I choose to work with an agent in general and Jane in particular. I’m in good hands and, for that, I am very grateful. Happy Birthday, Jane.