I’ve finally put together a reading list for my upcoming creative writing class. Whatchya think? The Art of Fiction, John Gardner On Fire, Larry Brown What we talk about when we talk about love, Raymond Carver The Essential Etheridge Knight, Etheridge Knight For colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, Ntozake Shange Fences, August Wilson Continue reading Reading List
I’m reading the entire manuscript aloud in my garage. This is my last chance to get it right before I send it back to my publisher on Sunday to leave it forever unchanged. Here is a little excerpt, a couple sentences, that I would like to share. This is the first night that Sanch is sleeping in his tent in Costa Rica, only two months … Continue reading An Excerpt from Native Moments
Printed out over 100 pages of suggestions sent to me from my editor. Amazed by how many simple errors I had. An omitted word here or there, a single quotation mark instead of double, a few misspellings, etc. Having those extra set of eyes comb over your manuscript is imperative. If I were to ever self publish, I would definitely invest in an editor. Working … Continue reading Editing Native Moments
I’ve been doing a lot of starting and stopping when it comes to reading lately. Can’t seem to get fully invested into a book the last few weeks. A buddy of mine has been telling for a while now that I must read Stoner (New York Review Books Classics) by John Williams. It arrived in the mail yesterday. I skipped the introduction because I felt it … Continue reading Stoner, Preorder Contest and The End
You ever get stuck reading the Art of Fiction? Sometimes, I can’t enough. Even if I’ve read them before. Here is one I read today. John Gardner’s #73 from 1979. Enjoy. INTERVIEWER You have been called a “philosophical novelist.” What do you think of the label? GARDNER I’m not sure that being a philosophical novelist is better than being some other kind, but I guess … Continue reading Paris Review Interview with John Gardner
Still nine months away from publication, but this is an exciting moment. Native Moments is now listed for presale on Amazon. As of now, paperback is the only option. Will update when and if that changes. But for now, take a look and you can follow my author page on there as well. Continue reading Native Moments Available for Presale
Poet Jonathan Fink, professor and Director of Creative Writing at the University of West Florida has been kind enough to read Native Moments and share his thoughts prior to the release. This will be used as a blurb on the back cover. “Like the Walt Whitman lines from which Nic Schuck takes the title for his debut novel, Native Moments explores ‘life coarse and rank’ … Continue reading Native Moments’ first review
My last bite from a publisher ended up with a recommendation for a rewrite and then resubmit in a year. Today, another publisher contacted me saying they believe they could sell my products. Asked me when would be a good time talk on the phone. Maybe this one is “the call.” I know it’s going to happen, just don’t know when. Continue reading Another Bite from a Publisher
A couple of posts ago, I said, “Tuesday is the day.” That Tuesday was yesterday. A publisher had contacted me and said he was meeting with his partners to discuss my novel, Native Moments. I didn’t hear from him yesterday and thought, I guess no news is bad news. That’s how it works in publishing. However, this morning, I got a call. The publisher said they … Continue reading Update from the Publisher’s Meeting
Finally got a rejection where it sounded as if the agent actually read my work. He mentioned the title and spelled my name correctly. Funny how a rejection can be inspiring. But this is the most confident I’ve felt since beginning this endeavor that Native Moments will get published. I like the font I chose for the title, but I’m fully aware that it may … Continue reading First personalized rejection
Nic Schuck 