Category: writing about writing

Shutting Down, Opening Up

Joseph Dante4 Comments

Recently, I’ve had a few things of mine published: “Soft Power,” in One Forty Fiction (Twitter-sized stories) and “Playing Female,” in Monkeybicycle. I hope you enjoy them.

It’s also been around a year or so since this blog’s inception, so I decided to give it a makeover (if you hadn’t noticed it already). I updated my writing and reading sections too. The literary magazine I read for, Hobart, also got a really beautiful upgrade. They’re trying to update the site with more regular literary goodness.

I’ve been writing a lot more regularly now too, due in part to the genius that is 750words. It motivates you to write at least 750 words (oh really, now?) a day. It’s been pretty successful, I would say, even though sometimes I don’t get to 750 words exactly. You should really check it out, especially if you’re someone who spends a lot of time on the internet like I do.

Lately I’ve also noticed that a few literary magazines I really liked have come to a close: Dark Sky, kill author, and American Short Fiction (although someone else may possibly take over). Sad day. If you know of any good ones that are just starting, please let me know. Help to fill the void.

The other day, my sister and I went to an art show at Studio 18, where we saw a few local artists talk. There was an artist my sister really liked, Jacklyn Laflamme, who does a lot of psychedelic creatures and big teeth. There was also this community project that we were a part of, where we were given little squares to paint.

My sister had two squares on that wall and I had one. I am not an artist by any means, but it was fun to see. There was wine. My sister said she felt like Dr. Niles Crane. I agreed.

Word Dealing

Joseph Dante2 Comments

It’s been a while, but fortunately, I’ve done a few things during this blog hiatus.

Recently, my short piece, “Word Dealer,” was published in the second issue of Paper and the Sea. My amazing friend Angela provided the cover art and some writing as well. It all came out gorgeous. You can read it in its entirety online, or you can purchase a print copy of the issue to have it on your shelf.

I also wrote a guest post about gender and publishing for ReadLearnWrite. Nothing new for some, but it may come as a surprise to others. I’ve written about it before elsewhere, and I think it deserves a mention every now and again.

About two months ago, I’d fallen really ill, and in the meantime, I watched a lot of DVDs in bed. One of these was Kiki’s Delivery Service, one of my all-time favorite children’s movies. Becoming fairly restless after being stuck under the covers for so long, I wrote a feverish essay about it and sent it over to Bright Wall, Dark Room. They ended up publishing it recently, and you can read it if you’d like.

I’ve been getting more into 8tracks as well (writing with some background noise), and made another mix tape. It features female vocalists (what else?) and electronic music.

Go listen:

Estrogen-Infused Android from josephdante on 8tracks.

Writing and Loneliness

Joseph Dante2 Comments

I’ve been extremely ill this past week or so. I could barely even talk. All I’ve been doing is watching DVDs in bed and trying my hardest to sleep the sickness away.

Fortunately, I’ve been doing a lot better lately. I’ve finished reading the newest issue of the Indiana Review, which I highly recommend. After entering their annual poetry contest this year, I’m going to be getting a few of their next issues. They publish some really fantastic writing.

In addition to working on some of my own writing and trying to find good homes for it, I’ve also been busy with my newest project: a blog that will focus on writers and the spaces they write in. It will be called (surprise!) Writing Spaces. I plan on asking for submissions soon. I’d really like to turn it into a cozy hub where writers can find each other and share some kind of community. This writing thing can get so lonely sometimes, and it’s nice to find new kindred spirits every once in a while. When I have it all set up, I’ll be sure to make a post about it here. And of course, you’ll be sure to contribute, right?

What else? Oh, I recently won a painting.

It was from a great video blogger named Stephanie. I’ve been following her adventures on Youtube for a while now. She graduated from my alma mater a year or two before I did and decided to leave Florida to teach in Japan (something a few fellow English majors I know have considered doing too). The painting itself doesn’t have a title, but I came up with the theme for it originally: loneliness. I guess I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.

Relating to Unrelatable Characters

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I have a new guest post up over at ReadLearnWrite. I’ve written about this issue before, but it was only recently after watching Fran Lebowitz talk about it in Public Speaking that it really started making perfect sense to me. I just can’t stand when people dismiss good pieces of literature just because the characters or experiences they describe are so far off from their own. Isn’t that one of the reasons to read fiction in the first place? To get a glimpse of what it’s like to be someone else? And hopefully, in the process, learn a thing or two? If you’re drawn to the unrelatable, it’s always a test of empathy: taking the extra leap and putting in the effort to understand a life that would seem so strange adjacent to your own.

The First Rejection

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I got my first official rejection this week. It was sort of strange because I honestly thought I would be much more disappointed – in myself, obviously, or perhaps in the journal that didn’t believe in me. But if anything, I actually feel more excited now. More excited to write and more excited to try again.

I’ve started to use Duotrope to track my submissions and the subsequent rejections/acceptances. It’s useful for organizing everything simultaneously. Maybe this is a bit too obsessive for some people, but I’m the type that keeps lists and likes to pin things down so I don’t go completely crazy.

I’ve also been helping read through more submissions at Hobart. I really hope we end up publishing a novella or two. But I’ve been talking with the editor and we’ve noticed how most of the submissions have been largely disappointing. There’s a few really great ones, but it made me realize just how many rejections will be sent out anyway. It’s made me realize how rejections are constantly happening everywhere out there and how everyone will need to keep trying again and again. It was sobering. Maybe that’s why I’m not as angry and dejected as I thought I would be with my own rejection.