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
At some point, the satisfaction I felt from reading a well written story crossed over to wanting to be able to write a well written story. I wanted to learn the craft of storytelling to see if I could tell a compelling story, one that stuck with the readers after they finished it. I wrote a story that I thought would be fun to read. … Continue reading Overcoming self doubt and criticism
It’s a good feeling to see Native Moments rise in the ranks with the presale orders. Yesterday it climbed to #17 in the surfing category. Today is back down to #61. But it is staying at #2 so far on the Hottest New Releases list. Thank you to all who have already placed orders. Can’t wait until you actually get to read it. Eight months … Continue reading Amazon Rankings, BEA and Writing a Synopsis
Just spent way too much time procrastinating by redesigning the blog, but I think it looks cleaner and hopefully easier for everyone to navigate. Also, a friendly reminder that Native Moments is now listed at #10 on the Good Reads Anticipated Books for 2016. With a few more votes it may be able to break the Top 5. Continue reading New Look
This could be fun… !! Source: 2016 Reading Challenge Continue reading 2016 Reading Challenge
Someone on Good Reads created a list of the most anticipated literary fiction books of 2016 and Native Moments has been included. If you have a Good Reads account please follow this link and give Native Moments a vote. I promise I’ll ease up on the self-centered posts in the future, but I’m learning all these new websites that I apparently need to be active on. Up until about … Continue reading List of Anticipated Books for 2016
I’ve been fascinated with the idea of the Flaneur since I first came across Walter Benjamin in a Ulysses class in grad school. I felt an instant connection with the urban wanderer. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, too. Wander and create art. I first decided work wasn’t for me while living in a tent in Costa Rica for six weeks at the age … Continue reading The Flaneur
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
I return to these three books fairly regularly. It pains me to know these giants of writing are no longer around and we won’t get any more material from them. When I think of the kind of writer I want to be, the stripped down style, the grittiness of the characters, the tackling of hard hitting subjects in such a raw manner, these are … Continue reading Three Greats
In my case, the second and third are also shit. By the fourth, I had a story. After the fifth, I began sending off query letters. After 47 query letters, I looked back at my novel. And now I hate the first chapter. Time for another rewrite? Is it just self-doubt? Continue reading My writing is shit
Nic Schuck 