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NYWC write-a-thon

Jun 13

Write-A-Thon Recap

This past Saturday marked the end of a majority of our NYWC Write-A-Thon endeavors as the Write-A-Thon itself had finally arrived. Though we blogged throughout the day, we just want to share one final reflection on the day with everyone, and to congratulate everybody who participated and risked hand cramping and marathon-writing-induced delirium due to creative overexertion.

Most of us started the day off carboloading, with a passion in our hearts, the first dose of caffeine in our veins, and creativity flowing:

The goal of NYWC is to provide an inclusive environment for writers from all backgrounds to feel free to express themselves. It was such an amazing sight to see all these writers at the Library of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen. 

Throughout the day, participants broke off into smaller workshops to see how the NYWC actually conducts most of its work: 

Writers responded to prompts that were prescribed throughout the day both in workshops and via social media. 

It was interesting to see how everyone’s process differed slightly. Some writers favored tech-savvy means, while others stuck with good ol’ pen-and-paper. 

Though the prompts were (hopefully) inspiring, the library itself was particularly interesting, with mechanics and tradesmen inspired designs throughout: 

After a workshop and taking a break to wander around the building, an entertaining lunchtime talk given by Jessica Hagedorn helped spur more creative dialogue. 

Hagedorn spoke of her childhood and her process, responded to quesitons regarding choosing genre, and her inspirations. We want to share some interesting advice and opinions she shared with us: 

  • “Silence is a powerful tool, we don’t chatter all the time”
  • “Curiosity is a huge factor in making us good writers. It’s not the answers that drive you. It’s the questions.” 
  • Calling rewrites “Delicious,” she added: “The best writing comes through revisions. The first draft is finding the story.” 
  • On getting out of your comfort zone: “Get out there! Why are you sticking to what you know?”
  • On art and the drama of soap operas: “I cherished those influences & used them later in my fiction”

And so our gallant writers persevered, rejuvenated by Hagedorn’s tips and tricks, there were more workshops to attend, prizes to collect, and a break-out reading session to share their work.  

By the end of the day we were all feeling a little bit like one of NYWC’s workshop leader Erin Ehsani’s picture prompts:

But in our opinion the exhaustion was worth it! All in all, we hope you found the day productive, and if you couldn’t make it, we hope you found our thoughts entertaining at least! We’d like to thank everyone once again who came and wrote, or donated, who spread the word about us, and helped us surpass our fundraising goal. Thanks to all of your generosity, we can keep running our free workshops. 

So stay inspired and we hope to see you next year! Who knows, by that time you might be revising a final draft of that novel you started on Saturday… 


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NYWC photos write-a-thon Writing

Jun 11

Picture This: Write-A-Thon Visual Prompts

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, well, these pictures (again, courtesy of our Write-A-Thon writer’s block doctor, Erin Ehsani) ought to give you a couple of pages at least…

Go forth and write! 


write-a-thon NYWC writing

Jun 11

Write-A-Thon Prompts

As we reach the final half-hour of the Write-A-Thon, we’d like to leave you all with some prompts we shared (courtesy of NYWC Leader Erin Ehsani) throughout the day to keep your creativity going and to inspire you in times of writer’s block:

  • Write a homage to a body part. Like Lucille Clifton: http://bit.ly/jgh1mo
  • Write an elaborate excuse for being late. Let Jeffrey McDaniel help inspire you: http://bit.ly/izXuJ4
  • Take a text you know by heart - the words to an old song, or a poem, or a fragment of something from your religious tradition – and use it to start your writing.
  • The ultimate writing prompt: a mariachi band with wedding passes by the Write-A-Thon
  • Close your eyes and sit still and just listen to everything around you until you hear at least one surprising thing. then write whatever comes to you.
  • Gaston Bachelard writes: “For our house is our corner of the world…it is our first universe.” Write about the first home you remember or one of the rooms within that home.
  • Write the gospel of a food. http://bit.ly/mfEk0i
  • Write about a kiss that “levitates above all the others” (via Jeffrey McDaniel: http://bit.ly/2F7Z9).

NYWC write-a-thon

Jun 11

Live from New York, it’s Saturday’s Write-A-Thon!

For the past two months, we’ve been blogging away here trying to spread the word about the Write-A-Thon and letting you know some cool things about us and the organizations that have participated to make this day happen.

And here we are!

So far we’ve had our first round of workshops: 

A really informative and entertaining talk with author Jessica Hagedorn:

A raffle, and a whole lot of writing! (And really good potato salad, just sayin’…)

We’ll keep you posted later on in the day with a wrap-up of all today’s activities, but with over $26,000 raised, and some amazing work by all our participants, we think we can safely say that today’s a great success! 


NYWC write-a-thon We Did It! Elle Woods References Awesome

Jun 10

An Impending Write-A-Thon Thank You

A couple of thoughts on this, the eve of the Write-A-Thon:

We’re really grateful and happy you’ve all been so wonderful with our fun(d)raising efforts: we’ve given away two signed books and (drumroll, please) raised 101% of our goal!!!

Yes, that means not only did you all help us meet our ambitious $25,000 goal, but you actually helped us surpass it. This is us, giving you a big internet hug. And, if you’re coming to the Write-A-Thon, we’ll probably give you a real big hug too.

In light of this great news, our Executive Director Aaron Zimmerman has written a little note to all our supporters: 

Hi everyone,

The Write-A-Thon is just hours away, but I wanted to send you one last update, because thanks to you, we are 99% [editor’s note: 101%!] to our goal of $25,000 raised!  I will be honest, when we set that goal it seemed extremely ambitious.  But there’s no doubt that by tomorrow morning when we open our notebooks and laptops, we will have not just met our goal, but exceeded it!  

All of us involved with NYWC are extremely thrilled to have you as partners in our work. Your support will go a long way towards creating countless possibilities for more than 1,000 people a year who would never otherwise have access to our powerful and inspiring workshops.  Tomorrow, everyone will have an opportunity to experience one of these workshops, so you will know exactly what sort of work you have helped make possible.

I am looking forward to doing everything I can to make sure you have a fun, productive and creative day.  Please introduce yourself to me tomorrow if I don’t know you.  You all now hold a special place in our incredible writing community and I am excited to see you tomorrow!

Now go and get some sleep! You don’t want your hand to cramp up tomorrow.

Lastly, For those who cannot make it to the Write-A-Thon, we’ll be tweeting throughout the day, using the hashtag #writeathon, so you can track us that way. Make sure to come back soon for pics and a recap of the day!


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prizes! giveaway write-a-thon NYWC Super Sad True Love Story Gary Shteyngart

Jun 07

CONTEST! GIVEAWAY! PRIZE!

With four days to go, we here at NYWC are really super excited for the upcoming Write-A-Thon!

And, to get you as super excited as us, we’re giving away a SIGNED COPY of Gary Shteyngart’s Super Sad True Love Story!

Here’s how to enter:

AND/OR

Please include a link to our FirstGiving page (https://www.firstgiving.com/nywriterscoalition/writeathon2011 or http://bit.ly/kbdb78) as well.

We’ll be keeping track of the entries over the next four days, best of luck and thanks for helping to spread the word!


Jessica Hagedorn write-a-thon NYWC

Jun 07
Learn a little bit more about our awesome Write-A-Thon guest speaker, Jessica Hagedorn, and her new book, Toxicology here.

Learn a little bit more about our awesome Write-A-Thon guest speaker, Jessica Hagedorn, and her new book, Toxicology here.


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Grammar Grammar PoPo Le French

Jun 07

Tumblr Tuesday

We could spend the whole of the Write-A-Thon on this. (Or, writing and attending workshops, but whatevs…)

orbooks:

Edit Piaf

Be still my grammatical heart.

Posted by Crystal

Somewhere, Strunk & White are smiling…


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Jessica Hagedorn NYWC WNYC Talk to Me Toxicology write-a-thon

Jun 07

Jessica Hagedorn on WNYC

Hear an excerpt from Toxicology read by author and NYWC Write-A-Thon guest speaker, Jessica Hagedorn, on WNYC’s Talk to Me.

WNYC Reporter Sarah Montague writes:

Hagedorn’s ‘Toxicology’ begins with the widely publicized death of a hot young actor, and is reminiscent of the furor surrounding the death of Heath Ledger in 2008. Celebrity passings and their attendant media circuses are viewed with some cynicism by Hagedorn, but she showed her soft side in fulfilling the second half of her evening’s assignment. Stern requires her authors to ‘take a risk on stage,’ and Hagedorn and her musical collaborator Mark Bennett did just that, by serenading his dog Cassius with a mournful tune by Antônio Carlos Jobim.

Happy listening! Stick around for more Jessica Hagedorn this Saturday at the Write-A-Thon!