Updates.
I've got some new work out in the world. Here's what's new:
- An essay in the new issue of Third Coast called "Other Aubreys I Have Known." It's about me...kind of. It's about recognizing myself in other people. Here's an excerpt:
Aubrey #1
I don’t know her real name, but she is me, sort of. My friends and I call her Aubrey because she looks like me. And I mean, wow, she really looks like me. We both start college at the same school in August, but I don’t actually see her until well into October. At first, I only hear about her.
- A story in CEDARS called "The News and What it Means to Noah." You can read this one online. This is a very science-y story, reflecting my love of all things particle physics. I had a great time doing the research for it and I learned a lot! Maybe you will, too. If not, there's a story in there somewhere, I promise!
- A story in the new issue of Whiskey Island Magazine called "The Specialists". The website seems to be dragging behind their printer, so my piece is in issue 59 not 58, but I got my copy already and it is lovely! Here's a sample from this story:
By the end of our first day of basic, word was out that Jakewad had raped a girl once and gotten away with it. He didn’t brag about it or anything; it was Net that spread the news. They were from the same town, south of Fort Sill, and according to Net, Jakewad was famous there.
“I know you, man,” Net told Jakewad, after hearing his real name in the Reception Battalion. “You’re the guy that gave it to that cheerleader.”
On Revision
I really struggle with revision. My favorite part of the writing process is the initial draft, where I learn about my characters, shape the narrative and discover what the story is about. I have a harder time with the next steps: the re-working, the polishing, the tweaking. I think it's why I gravitate toward flash fiction. My flash pieces are short enough that, when it's time to "revise," I can open up a new document and write the story again from top to bottom. But when I work on longer pieces and projects, starting over completely is often not an option.
I thought I'd offer some of my revision strategies here for anyone else who might be struggling.
- Focus on the first half. Because we all learn about our stories as we're writing them, sometimes the back half is richer and stronger voiced than the beginning. When I find this gradation in my work, I read the last few pages to get their "voice" in my head and then rewrite the first few completely. Once that's done, I can usually just do a bit of tweaking on the rest to get the language to shine.
- Take it a piece at a time. For longer projects, I often get overwhelmed thinking about the amount of work my manuscript needs. To make it manageable, I look at one scene or chapter at a time. I try not to think about the rest of the story, I just focus on the part I'm looking at right then.
- Revise in layers. If there are specific issues present throughout the whole manuscript, you can instead go through the manuscript a few times, addressing one problem on each pass. For example, you might go through once looking at all the dialogue. Then again focusing on the actions of a single character. Breaking it down like this can make a big rewrite less intimidating.
- Save multiple drafts. When I'm making big revisions, I always save my work draft by draft. This helps free me up to make big changes, because I know I can always go back to a previous draft if something isn't working.
What works for you?
Some Things.
- A new story from my series of counterfactual biographies went up at Cobalt. It's about Rachel Garrett, the only (ever) female captain of the USS Enterprise. Yes, it's about Star Trek. I am not ashamed.
- I wrote a column on learning about your own process for FFC.
- Have you checked out Exits Are yet? This is the brainchild of Mike Meginnis who asked a bunch of writers (Matt Bell, Brian Oliu, Christopher Newgent, etc.) to help him out with an interesting project. The writers meet up on gchat and Meginnis acts as a text adventure game, giving a set-up and obstacles. The other writer responds as the player. The results are fascinating. I'm especially enjoying seeing how different writers respond differently to Meginnis' prompts. I was stoked to be a part of this. Mine's here.
The Micro Award
Today I have exciting news to share! I'm the runner-up for the 2012 Micro Award! I finished right behind the fantastic Bruce Holland Rogers. The Micro Award is given annually to the judges' favorite piece of flash fiction published in the previous year. You can read all about it and the winner and finalists here.
I took second place with "Certainty," which was published in PANK this summer. I'm going to shamelessly share the judges kind words about this story because they left me smiling from ear to ear:
“Certainty” is one of those rare stories that walks that fine,
unsettling line between the world as we know it and the magic of
infinite possibilities. Although it deals with social issues (like
lesbian parenting) and relationship conflict (namely, differing
expectations in relationships), it is neither an issue story nor a
relationship story. Rather, it stands out as a modern day fable of
doubt and love, and most of all, the hope that allows the latter to
overcome the former. It is truly a remarkable piece, reminiscent of
the finest work of Shirley Jackson and Elizabeth Graver. Ms. Hirsch
has certainly raised expectations that she will have a major influence
on the short form in years to come.” -Jacob M. Appel"Excellent writing, great pace. Movement, emotion. Wonderful
ending, great story." -Shelley Singer"The characters in Certainty are beautifully fleshed out and instantly
compelling; I was rooting for them right away. The attention to craft
was very evident as well and I found myself right there with the
narrator at the end, staring at the test box, hoping..." -Kevin A.
Couture
Getting Motivated
Well, it's February and if you're anything like me, your New Year's resolutions to write more, submit more, write on a schedule, finally finish that scene, that story, that book have all faded away like champagne bubbles. To help you get back to being productive, here are some websites dedicated to helping writers get motivated:
- You're probably already familiar with National Novel Writing Month, where optimistic writers set out to write 50,000 word novels during the month of November.
- 750 words is similar, but you can use it 12 months out of the year. It encourages users to write 750 words (about 3 pages) a day. You can earn badges for your writing by being speedy and consistent.
- Written? Kitten! Give you a fresh image of a super-cute kitten every 100 words (or 500, or 1000; it's up to you). This is a surprisingly good motivator, but it is hard to resist the urge to cut and paste the same 100 words over and over again!
- Write or Die utilizes the stick, rather than the carrot. If you stop typing for long enough, it will start to delete what you've already written. I imagine this would be especially useful for shutting up an over-active inner-editor who never lets you get out a sentence unless it's perfect.
If you know of any others, leave them in the comments! How are you getting motivated this year?
About
Aubrey Hirsch's stories, essays and poems have appeared in literary journals both in print and online, including American Short Fiction, Third Coast, Hobart, PANK, and others.
Topics
- awesome
- book
- confessions
- counterfactual biographies
- craft
- fiction
- interview
- links!
- news
- non-fiction
- poetry
- random
- submitting
- the writing life
- writing that kicks ass
Archives
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010