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By: Catherine,
on 3/19/2016
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The newest knockout competition on British television is The Great Pottery Throw Down (GPTD), in which an initial ten potters produce a variety of ceramic work each week, the most successful being declared Top Potter, and the least successful being ‘asked to leave’. The last four then compete in a final [...]
The post The Great Pottery Throw Down and language appeared first on OUPblog.
How proud I was this evening to accompany my husband to the Wayne Art Center (about which I have written
here), where he won a first award—a student award—for his work, "Industrial Landscape." This is an evolution of work that is exquisitely considered and well made, and a happy validation of the long hours he spends planning and building these pieces.
For a glimpse at an earlier collection, please go
here. So I got all dressed up. Wore heels for the first time in forever. Almost fell off the heels. Had fun seeing two of my own pieces on display. Which I'd entered just for fun, though, once I got there and saw the serious talent, I died a thousand deaths, then decided to stop dying and had the aforementioned (twice) fun. I don't think I'm good at this. Seriously. It's just — a community. I love the community. And sometimes the glaze does nice things.
So, hats off to my husband. I honor the originality of his vision. And the care with which he builds things.
 |
| Dharma words and stamps from our monastery stay. |
Here we are at the end of our trip. I've been dragging these posts out in the hope I'd never reach this point. But, yes, all good things must come to an end (I've never really known why) and we were sure to cram as much fun into the last two days as possible. Starting with breakfast at The One and these coffee cups. I loved them so much I had to buy a set for home:
I don't think my husband is as impressed with them as I am, but I thought they were cute. And they're definitely a fine example of "splash ink" technique.
After leaving The One, we headed back up toward Taipei and a village famed for its ceramic work. We were running a bit behind schedule so we decided to forgo a sit-down lunch in favor of exploring what the street vendors had to offer. They were especially plentiful thanks to the ongoing national holiday. My choices included a steamed spinach-green onion-and-cheese bun, a fried doughnut, and a huge cup of iced lemon tea that lasted me most of the day.
 |
| Loved this tunnel kiln! I need one at home. |
 |
Bought chopsticks for home, too.
Finally learned how to use them, LOL! |
The afternoon took us further into Taipei:
 |
| Taiwan's "White House." |
 |
Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial
(unfortunately covered with
scaffolding.) |
. . . and the National History Museum. I thought this little pagoda was perfect painting material:
Before studying any artwork we needed afternoon tea in the museum cafe:The view from the cafe windows: |
| Someone actually gets to live in this building. |
 |
These beads date from 403-221 BC.
Still so modern. I'd buy them! |
After the museum we found ourselves in a busy part of downtown where I had the opportunity to investigate some of the backstreet shops. Thanks to having bought the pig teacups I needed a larger carry-on. I found just what I wanted in a small suitcase store: bright pink canvas and made in Taiwan. A great souvenir for future travels.
 |
| Which store first?? |
Dinner that night was once again "family style" when we met up with some of Ming Franz's cousins, former high school classmates, and teachers in a downtown restaurant. It was a genuine reunion for them all, and wonderful for us to be part of such a special evening.
Then we were back to The Grand Hotel for our final night. By now we had traveled in a huge circle, seeing three coastlines and parts of the interior too. We also arrived back in time for the start of "frog season." Right outside our windows: croak, croak, croak all night. As I noted in my journal: "These frogs are VERY disagreeable!" |
| A grand entrance, indeed. |
Accompanied by the frog serenade, our packing lasted well into the early morning hours. We had become so spoiled in our big bus, a vehicle designed to sit 30-40 passengers when there were only 10 of us, that our daily habit was to load up the empty seats with our purchases from each stop and then forget about them. Now was the night of reckoning and everything had to find its place or get left behind. First to be discarded were all the beautiful shopping bags--so lovely but way too bulky.
The next morning, packed and ready for our night-time flight, we still had a full day to spend in Taipei. First stop was a visit with Welsh paper artist, Tim Budden, now a Taiwan resident, who led us to his studio through this interesting neighborhood: |
| Hot spring water flows right through town. |
 |
Mr. Budden explaining the
intricacies of paper art. |
Following our studio tour, we were off to Taipei 101, regarded to be the world's highest completed building. We were booked for lunch on the ground floor at an Anthony Bourdain-recommended restaurant specializing in xiao long bao, steamed soup dumplings. Yum.Before lunch we had 30 minutes to ride up to the 89th-floor.
Next and final stop: The Eslite Book Store. The best bookstore in the whole world. Several stories high, filled with treasures I'll never see here in the USA, I could have moved in permanently. I bought more brush pens (black, forest green, gray, and rust red), a book on painting cats in the Chinese style, and a book on French shabby chic. In Chinese. Don't judge.
And then we were off to the airport. Our superb and talented tour guide gifted us all with special little items to remember our trip. For me it was a wooden key-ring carved into the shape of horse complete with saddle, bridle, and tons of intricate detail. She told me she had chosen a horse so that I "may keep traveling, and go far." She also gave me a postcard of a Taiwanese kitten, "Because you love cats!"  |
| On the way to the airport . . . |
After dinner on the plane I think I slept more soundly than I did at the monastery. I don't remember much about the flight home except for the movie I watched before falling asleep: The Crossing--a recent film set in Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War. It was excellent, and a real tear-jerker, but then it suddenly ended with the words 'To be continued." Apparently Part II comes out this summer, but I wanted to keep watching!
Along with two of my travel companions, I had decided earlier to stopover in San Francisco before going home to Albuquerque, and I'm glad I did, but it sure seemed strange (and lonely) to be on our own without the group or my roommate. |
A room of my own.
New pink Taiwan travel bag in the back there. |
 |
My version of my cat postcard:
"This kitty is sad to leave Taiwan." |
And then we flew into Albuquerque, and . . . that's all, folks, 12 unforgettable days of Taiwan. I hope you've enjoyed reading my trip diary; I certainly enjoyed sharing it with you. May you one day travel far and wide, too!
(Next post: A review of my travel sketch supplies, what worked, what didn't. Stay tuned.)
Hi folks, I'm writing a series about how certain artistic skills enhance other artistic skills. I am an artistic and crafty person. I buzz around art. I will dip my toe into most forms of expression. There are a few that I've focused on and have found that those experiences have informed my novel craft. This week I'm going to talk about pottery lessons.
Once upon a time back in my college days, I had the time learn how to throw pots. I have found that those long ago pottery lessons have always been with me as a writer. At first, you need much support to even begin to throw a pot. Someone else chooses your clay. She walks you through how to prepare it. You are give many hints on how condition the clay to make it suitable for throwing. Beginning writers need this same kind of support. I needed others to help me recognize my viable ideas versus my dead-in-the water ideas. I needed advice on how to approach ideas so that I could even get on the road to producing something that would engage readers. Seek out help in the beginning.
Throwing a pot is about finding the center of the clay, and getting all the other clay to revolve around that center. At first it feels impossible. The clay bulges in weird ways. It will even go flying off the wheel. My hands and elbows would be scraped. I practiced again and again. Experience is everything. Finally the day came. I slapped the clay on the wheel and pressed it with my hands, and the clay instantly centered. I had to have confidence and a steady hand. The first important step to writing is finding that story center. Stories revolve around their centers. It took much practice to throw the clay of an idea onto the wheel of my imagination and then center it with the force of my will. I always feel that sense of knowing when I center a pot or center of a story. It is unimaginably satisfying.
One more pottery lesson, once a pot is formed and hardened, it's time to fire it. A glaze is applied to the exterior of the greenware. This glaze will harden into shiny coating when extreme temperature is applied. All stories must go through a refiner's fire to come to elegant completion. This is a dangerous time for a pot and a story. I have worked hard to get it to this place, but the refiner's fire can destroy my work. Pots crack, Glazes wonk. You may end up with something very different from your initial vision. You may end up with a muddy mess that has to be thrown into the scrap pile. Stories are the same. In writing, the fire is revision. Revision may lead to a new novel or it may lead to a worthless disaster. Regardless, it is the only way to success. You may feel fear during revision time. You are right to be afraid. You will have to apply your hottest thought force to make your finished story emerge, and there is a good chance you will fail. Writing is not for the faint of heart.
I hope these pottery lessons help you on your journey. One more week of lessons is ahead. Drop back by for it.
Here is the doodle.
Here is a quote for your pocket:
Beautiful forms and compositions are not made by chance, nor can they ever, in any material, be made at small expense. A composition for cheapness and not excellence of workmanship is the most frequent and certain cause of the rapid decay and entire destruction of arts and manufactures. Josiah Wedgwood.
Today's keeper book doesn't exactly start with the letter "J" but it's close enough. The only other "J"book I have is Holly Schindler's The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky, which I've recently posted about here. (It's a good post--Holly shared her top 12 tips for writing Middle Grade fiction. Please visit!) So in order to not repeat myself, Modern Japanese Stories, an Anthology edited by Ivan Morris and illustrated with 25 full-page woodcuts will have to fill-in today.
I bought the book in Southern California at a tiny Japanese mall where I had lunch one afternoon. The bookstore next to the restaurant was a cool, dark space decorated with fluttering cotton flags and carrying rows and rows of books printed in Japanese. The books themselves intrigued me with their rice paper pages, plain but colorful fabric-textured covers, and the way they fit into my hands with a lovely, balanced weight. Holding one was like handling a scented melon, warm and satisfying between my palms. Unfortunately, I couldn't read a single word of any of the text! The shop owner could sense my dilemma, and kindly pointed me toward a small shelf of books in English. Modern Japanese Stories caught my eye. Just like the rest of the books in the store, it had that same weight and size I found so appealing. I bought the book right away and started to read it that night.I wasn't disappointed. Over the years I've read it many, many times and have developed quite a fascination with all things Japanese. I've since read a large number of both modern and early Japanese novels; watched Japanese films whenever possible; studied Japanese ceramics, which have been a huge influence on my own ceramic work; and last year for National Poetry Month I went so far as to write and illustrate a Japanese-inspired art journal I titled "30 Days of Kimono." I wrote a blog post about it here, and created a Pinterest board for the project as well. The journal/sketchbook turned out to be so interesting I'm still adding to it, this time exploring the world of the Geisha.
One day I hope to go to Japan. My husband has been there five (!) times for business, but I was never able to accompany him. He assures me that downtown Tokyo is nothing like my romantic vision of a quiet mountain inn complete with our own private tea garden and a view of cherry blossoms in the snow. I don't care--I want to see Tokyo too! Both places are on my bucket list. In the meantime, I'm happy to re-read Modern Japanese Stories and dream.
By:
keilinh,
on 4/11/2014
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Andrea Cheng is the author of several critically-acclaimed books for young readers. Her most 
recent novel, Etched in Clay, tells the story in verse of Dave the Potter, an enslaved man, poet, and master craftsperson whose jars (many of which are inscribed with his poetry and writings) are among the most sought-after pieces of Edgefield pottery. Etched in Clay recently won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award.
April is National Poetry Month, so we asked author Andrea Cheng to share one of her favorite poems from Etched in Clay:
FEATURED POEM
Etched in Clay, p. 65
A Poem!
Dave, July 12, 1834
The summer’s so hot,
it’s like we’re living
in the furnace.
The clay doesn’t like it either,
getting hard on me
too quick.
I better hurry now,
before the sun’s too low to see.
What words will I scrawl
across the shoulder
of this jar?
I hear Lydia’s voice in my head.
Be careful, Dave.
Those words in clay
can get you killed.
But I will die of silence
if I keep my words inside me
any longer.
Doctor Landrum used to say
it’s best to write a poem a day,
for it calms the body
and the soul
to shape those words.
This jar is a beauty,
big and wide,
fourteen gallons
I know it will hold.
I have the words now,
and my stick is sharp.
I write:
put every bit all between
surely this jar will hold 14.
Andrea Cheng: There are three poems in Etched in Clay which speak directly about the act of writing. In the first one, “Tell the World,” (EIC p. 38) Dave writes in clay for the first time. Using a sharp stick, he carves the date, April 18, into a brick; he is announcing to the world that on this day, “a man started practicing/his letters.” In the poem called “Words and Verses,” (EIC p. 52) Dave thinks about writing down one of the poems that has been swirling around in his head as he works on the potter’s wheel. Finally, in “A Poem!” (EIC p. 67) Dave actually carves a couplet into one of his jars. His words are practical and ordinary; he simply comments on the size of the jar. But he is no longer silent.
Further Reading:
Andrea Cheng on Writing Biography in Verse
An interview with Andrea Cheng about Etched in Clay in School Library Journal
A look at how Andrea Cheng made the woodcut illustrations for Etched in Clay
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This former library book is stamped on the inside back cover with the damning instructions: DISCARD, DISCARD, probably due to the fact it is quite literally falling apart at the seams. All the more reason for me to cherish it these last fifteen years and do my best to give it a good home.
My husband found the book for me when we were at the Carrollton Library’s annual Friends of the Library sale back in Georgia. I had just started working in clay, and I was eager to gather all the information I could on the subject, especially for the grand price of a dollar!
Unlike writing, pottery is something I fell into by accident. I was taking drawing lessons that turned into watercolor experiments that somehow turned into pottery class. My first effort on that first day was a frog that fell apart and never made it into the kiln. C’est la vie. The advice I received that same day was much more valuable than any knick-knack: 1) Pretend you’re making a tortilla. 2) Never make your clay tortilla thicker than ¼ inch. 3) It’s just mud.
That was my teacher talking, but here’s some more great advice, this time from the opening lines of Electric Kiln Ceramics, Chapter Two:
“Clay is a special material with unique properties. It is in itself formless, but can be shaped into many forms. Although it is soft and pliable, it can be hardened by heat into one of the hardest materials known. To understand the nature of ceramics, the potter must understand the nature of clay.”
Kind of sums up the whole of life and creativity, don’t you think?
Electric Kiln Ceramics has remained next to my clay table year and after year, inspiring me with both its words and photographs. More important, though, it is a constant reminder of a little town in Georgia where I learned to make mud pies and how to let go of frogs. Not bad for a dollar.
By: Shelf-employed,
on 3/31/2014
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Greenberg, Jan and Sandra Jordan. 2013. The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius. New York: Roaring Brook.
This book, recognized as a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book, one of 2013's most distinguished informational books, is a photo-filled biography of George E. Ohr, a master of art pottery. A colorful character and far cry from the reticent or taciturn artist stereotype, Ohr was a self-proclaimed,
"rankey krankey solid individualist," the "Greatest Art Potter on Earth," and "born free and patriotic, blowing my own bugle."
Sadly, his bravado did not serve him well in his lifetime, as one fan wrote,
"Mr. Ohr is by no means a crank, but is a naturally bright, even brilliant man, who has been led into the belief that the way for him to attain publicity is through the channel of preposterous advertising, and the signs which he placed round Biloxi do him more harm than good."
Still, he was confident in his own mastery of his craft, and future generations came to recognize that he was indeed brilliant. The
Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art was built in his honor, and houses a permanent exhibition of his work.
The Mad Potter is a narrative chronology and includes a history of the museum, instructions on how to create a clay pot, extensive Notes, Bibliography and Picture Credits, and my favorite - "How to Look at a Pot," a useful interpretation of the language and method used in describing and evaluating pottery.
A fascinating glimpse into an artist's life, the art of pottery, and the nature and mindset of the art-collecting world.
Note:Want to see the works of George Ohr? There is a Pinterest board titled, "George Ohr & His Biloxi Pottery," dedicated to displaying photos of George Ohr and his creations. Be sure to take a gander.
Today is
Nonfiction Monday, and also the final day of our
KidLit Celebrates Women's History Month celebration. Please be sure to catch up on all of the wonderful posts!
My
Inquirer story about the life lessons learned through clay and among real artists can be found
here. Outtakes featured above: a recent release from the kiln (a gift, shhhhhh) and a photograph taken in the Wayne Art Center's lobby, where the work of the extraordinary young glass artist Madeline Smith (daughter of my good friend Karen Rile, about whom I once wrote
here) is currently being featured.
By:
Valerie Storey,
on 2/26/2014
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I'm a big fan of morning pages, but there are definitely times when I need a break. It's not that I don't find the pages useful, but every now and then I need to shake up my routine and make life more . . . exciting.
One of the ways I thought of doing that was to start my day with a "mini-project" instead of the usual three handwritten pages Julia Cameron recommends in The Artist's Way. I got the idea from a gardening book that mentioned how Renoir painted a single rose every day before tackling his main work-in-progress. I don't know if I could stick to a regimen that centered on a single subject, but I can certainly appreciate the need for a warm-up exercise. With that in mind I sat down and brainstormed what might work for me--and for you, too! - Write a structured poem such as a sonnet, pantoum, or ghazal. Base the poem on last night's dream.
- Cut three pictures with a similar theme or subject from a magazine. For example, 3 pictures featuring purple. Or three pictures of dogs, or children, recipes, etc.
- Collage a three-page character bio--for either an existing character or a new one.
- Play with watercolor brushstrokes: random colors, patterns, feelings.
- Sketch one item only, e.g. a cup, an apple, a toy--using a single medium.
- Write three pages of dialogue.
- Place an artist's mannikin in a fresh pose every day. Record the poses in a single sketchbook used only for this purpose.
- A quick sketch of where you are right now. Try a different color of pencil or ink for each day.
- Write a stacked journal entry in three colors of ink.
- Clay: make a small pinch pot, egg cup, votive, bead, dipping bowl, soap dish, or incense holder.
- Three pages of flash fiction.
- Mini-collage on a piece of junk mail.
- Set a timer and create a new Polyvore set or Pinterest Board in twenty minutes or less.
Tip of the Day: At the end of the month, collect all these mini-projects and use them to create a larger piece, or to inspire you in some fresh way. For instance, a sketchbook of mannikin poses could be the basis for a new children's book. The stacked journal entries could be part of a framed collage. At the same time, examine what you enjoyed writing or drawing the most. Did you have a favorite theme, color, or medium? Take note and keep exploring.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Got all your shopping done? I did mine yesterday, and it was wonderful to avoid the crowds and tick everything off my list. As always, we are having a vegetarian celebration, and this year I'm going to especially enjoy the day by writing more NaNoWriMo pages while my kiln fires a couple of new pots--time to celebrate, indeed!
For some reason this also seemed like a good time to share some of my latest splash ink efforts, maybe because they are so misty and reminiscent of autumn and the beauty of the season. I'm still using gouache on top of the initial watercolor background, a medium I'm finally learning to understand (thank goodness). As I've been painting, it's made me think how thankful I am for, well, everything!
But if I narrowed it down to just my creative life, these would have to be my top 12 thank-you's:- I am grateful for my writing tools: computers, Alphasmart, fountain pen.
- Grateful for my Sunday morning writer's group! Best in the whole world.
- My art supplies: I have enough to stock a small store, and I'm grateful that I have been able to buy them.
- Books!! What would my life be without books? I love books more than just about anything. I love the way they feel in my hands. I don't care if e-books are amazing; they will never duplicate the thrill of opening those real-world pages.
- Social networking--now here's where the Internet is fun for me. I'm so grateful for my Twitter, Facebook, and JacketFlap friends. They make me smile every single day.
- I'm very, very grateful that I have a day job that is flexible and allows me to write or draw whenever possible.
- And gives me a nice studio-office where I can spread out my manuscripts, my art journals, my mess!
- I'm super grateful that I have my own little kiln--it's tiny but it works and allows me to experiment and play with complete freedom (and zero worries about destroying anyone else's work--a huge bonus after some early traumas when my pieces would blow up in a shared kiln . . . don't ask . . . ).
- The library--forget Disneyland. The library is truly the happiest place on earth. And they give you free magazines for cut-outs. How good is that?
- Ideas! I have no idea where they come from--but where would I be without them?
- Art teachers. I would not be painting or potting or even writing without them. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
- Living in Albuquerque for the last ten years. New Mexico is not called "The Land of Enchantment" for nothing. The landscape is inspiring; every single kind of art supply or bookstore is within easy reach; and the amount of classes, groups, professional organizations for writers and artists is overwhelming. Sometimes it's nearly impossible to choose which one to attend--but each one I go to is always the right choice.
Last but not least, I want to thank everyone who follows and/or reads my blog posts. Every day I am stunned by how many readers I have and where they all come from: Egypt, Connecticut, New Zealand, Romania, Illinois--it's wonderful! You are all my pool of inspiration:
Tip of the Day: If you haven't already, do start a dedicated Gratitude Journal. To me this is one of the most valuable journals you will ever write. Writing a simple list of just 12 items that made your day special can often be enough. Some days will be more difficult than others to find those 12 incidents, but I can promise if you dig deep they will be there. Enjoy your holiday weekend wherever you will be, and remember, I am grateful for YOU! Thanks again, dear friends.
Remember
that moment of deep frustration at the pottery studio? My angel
Bernadette Stillo, or is she Saint Bernadette, continues to apply her steadying hand and good counsel. These two pieces have been bisqued. Yesterday we learned about glazing. I'm a little afraid to move from chalky pinkish white into shiny color. But I have a week to think about it.
In the meantime, check out Bernadette's own
amazing work. I've been trying to figure out which piece to buy for some time now. :)
It is good, I remind myself each Thursday morning, to set oneself upon an unnatural challenge.
Or it is good not to be sitting at my desk, typing.
Or it is good to pretend to be an artist, since I sometimes write about them.
Or it is good to enter into a community where you are unknown, and can remain unknown, stealth.
My Christmas present was a ten-week pottery course, taken in conjunction with my husband. He is, in fact, an artist, at home with multiple media, dedicated to his craft, familiar with the act of sculpting space, the go-to guy in an otherwise all-female environment. I am an artist in no media. I am ridiculously inept. I have an intimate relationship with frustration, some might say impatience.
But I try. I try to push back the panic that comes from being away from the pressures of a job that, minute by minute, spills more into the in-box. I try to roll the clay, slab the clay, texture the clay, slip and score so that pieces will remain coherent wholes. I try to fist the air away so that nothing explodes in the kiln. I try to imagine these odd shapes of mine all pimped out in color.
Last week we brought textures from the natural world to our tables. My arrangement of haphazard things infinitely prettier than the pots they are meant to adorn.
Happy Valentine's Day, my friends.
Tonight is the Opening Reception for the Society of Illustrators Original Art Exhibit and we are proud to announce that two of our illustrators, Beth Lo and R. Gregory Christie, will have art from their Spring 2012 titles on display in the show. Below, Beth Lo shares a few shots of how her unique illustrations from Auntie Yang’s Great Soybean Picnic came to life, from a simple sketch to a ceramic plate.
black and white sketchbook image
Beth started with a black and white sketch and then formed the plates. She put a “hump” mold or an inverse shape of the plate on a potters wheel. It was then dried and ”bisque” fired to 1850°F, forming a porous mold. To make each plate, she rolled out a slab of porcelain clay about 1/2″ thick over the mold and cut around it to make the edge.
After being shaped into a squared form and slowly dried to avoid warping or cracking, Beth drew a pencil sketch of the the original image. Then the drawing was painted with black underglaze.
The colored underglazes were then painted on and each plate fired in an electric kiln at 1850°F to set the underglaze and burn the pencil off. The illustrations from Auntie Yang’s Great Soybean Picnic were photographed during this state. Finally, a light coat of glaze was sprayed on and the pieces fired again to form a glossy surface.
Jason Low holding Beth Lo’s Original Art entry
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I have a friend who hates pink. I adore it.
My friend is, I think, a much better artist than I am, maybe because of her palette choices!
But I don’t want to give up pink, and I don’t want to berate myself just because someone else doesn’t like roses and kitten paws.
Which leads me to Stay Creative Every Day Tip #8
: Never compare yourself to others.The day I learned to stop competing, stop comparing, and truly enjoy the creative life I’ve chosen was a few years ago when I wanted to try using a high-fire glaze on a small vase in my very small kiln. The kiln is capable of reaching a high setting, but that’s more of a theory than a reality. Anyway, I carefully glazed what I thought was one of my best vases in the required 3 coats, let them dry for the appropriate amount of time, and then proceeded to fire up the kiln. After hours and hours of extreme heat, followed by hours and hours of cooling, I opened the kiln. And the vase was absolutely hideous. Not only had the glaze virtually disappeared (what was meant to be a lovely peacock blue was a dull puce) but the clay surface had a weird, bumpy feel similar to ostrich skin. I was miserable. I was a loser. I couldn’t even fire a 4-inch vase. The potters featured in Ceramics Monthly were so much BETTER than me. I would never even make it to my first show. I set the thing aside on a side shelf and tried to find something else to do. A few days later the afternoon sun pierced through the blinds in my studio and hit the vase in such a way that made it suddenly glow, forcing me to pick it up for a second look. Miraculously, it was beautiful, as in seriously fine. Sure, the glaze wasn’t at all what I had planned, but it had personality. The “weird” texture was, dare I say, interesting. I found myself oddly moved; I felt that if there had been any failure on my part it was that I had failed to appreciate this little vase that was just trying to be itself rather than the image I had wanted to impose upon it. Now it’s one of my prized pieces and takes pride of place on my bookcase. Lesson learned: Everyone and everything has an innate timing, integrity, and direction. My job is to just let that emerge naturally, and always do the best I can without worrying, and without the need to compare. The best ways I found to do that are to:- Find what you love to do.
- Find what you do well—and raise the bar only when you think you’re ready to go there.
- Don’t give up because someone else is supposedly “better” at your chosen craft.
- And be honest. Don’t go in the other direction and disparage the “bad work” of others when you might be a teensy bit, um, envious. (Yes, I’ve done that too.)
Tip of the day: If you find yourself constantly comparing your work to that of others, the best way to stop is to start a daily gratitude and appreciation list. Every evening, list 12 things that you did well that day. They don’t have to be acts of great heroism or award-w
Another weekend creative session--this time firing up my (very small) electric kiln for a Cone 6 stoneware coil-built pot I started about six months ago. Plenty of time for the clay to dry, especially here in New Mexico, but for a variety of reasons I was reluctant to submit the piece to the kiln.To start with, the pot measures 12" high, which is the entire height of my kiln--I was worried I wouldn't be able to close the kiln lid. To make the pot fit, I wouldn't be able to use a kiln shelf; all I could do was place the piece on the kiln floor. The glaze I chose is manufactured locally, and the clay store wasn't very enthusiastic about it. They warned me it would drip, and I certainly didn't want glaze destroying the floor of my kiln. And then Cone 6 is such a long, hot firing. Most of my work with this kiln has been low fire earthenware, 8-9 firing hours max; the only time I tried Cone 6 it was a disaster. Would this one be the same? Worry, worry; fuss, fuss. Finally I got so sick of my concerns I decided to just jump off the deep end and get that pot finished! Results = one happily fired pot, no kiln damage, and a good lesson learned: Stop fussing! Stop worrying! There are bigger things in life than potentially messy glazes.Which brings me to the real subject of today's post: REQUEST FOR JOPLIN, MISSOURI LIBRARY RELIEF.Yesterday I received an e-mail newsletter from my Albuquerque chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Included was a message from Joyce Ragland, RA, SCBWI-Missouri. Joyce wrote:
"Five Joplin school libraries were damaged or destroyed in the Joplin tornado. Beyond that, many teachers had many personal libraries damaged or destroyed. Some teachers, I'm told, had years of books they had purchased to share with their students and are now rebuilding. So far, they have put together 7,800 backpacks for kids in summer school, thanks to many volunteers from all over the world who've donated cash and/or books. Still much to do. I can imagine the wonderful escapes into books that kiddos of all ages are getting."Yes, I can certainly imagine the solace and escape books have to offer the young people of Joplin, and for that reason Dava Books will be sending several cartons of books early next week. With that, I'd like to extend an invitation to my blog readers. If you'd like to join with us and send some books of your own, please address your pack
I used to belong to a clique of women that would get together every Monday night for years, we would make and glaze pottery. It was way more of a social gathering than anything and I could even walk to the clay studio, but we did create a lot of wonderful things too. For me, making and painting pottery is one more way I can satisfy my love of houses and buildings but it can be a frustrating creative pursuit. The firing process doesn't always provide the desired outcome. You can spend as much time painting clay as a real painting and end up with nothing. I don't appreciate that aspect of clay but when it does come out beautifully you know why people love it. I really enjoyed these get togethers with all the women, some from Topanga and some from other parts of LA. We even had a few celebrity guests such as Lisa Bonet and Patty Smyth. Most of the ladies were long time friends and we would laugh, tell stories, listen to music, eat food and candy and paint our pots and plates. My submission for Illustration Friday's " clique" theme. There are cliques going on in these buildings :)
Regularly I am asked about the etiquette of resubmitting work to an agent, but lately, with my query critiques, I am also being asked about the etiquette of requerying the same book (now that you have a better idea of how to pitch).
I’ve told you stories of clients who were rejected by me at one time and later, with another work, offered representation. But what about resubmitting the same work? Off the top of my head I can only think of one client who resubmitted work and became a client based on that resubmission, and that particular client did extensive revisions based on my rejection letter. The truth is that even with a bad pitch it’s probably pretty likely that I am able to see something in your query that would make me ask for more. I’m not a complete dolt, you know. But if your pitch seems boring, typical, or just doesn’t inspire me and the writing in your query doesn’t grab me, then it’s unlikely I will ask to see more.
If you have truly done extensive, and I mean massive, revisions to both your query and your work, go ahead and resubmit. However, take note that in this case I’m not going to tell you that you have nothing to lose, because in fact that’s not the case. When you make the decision to query an agent, I expect that you’ve put that book to bed. In other words, Book #1 is now sitting safely on a shelf next to your computer waiting for Wise Agent to call and request the full. It’s shiny, it’s bright, and it looks beautiful. In the meantime you’re whiling away your time, in between query letters and agent research, of course, writing Book #2. In fact, you’re so busy on Book #2 you haven’t even had time to think about Book #1. If you keep sending me Book #1, I worry that you’ve got nothing else in you, and that’s not a client I want either.
I know how difficult it can be when the rejections start rolling in. Hey, I get them too, remember. But the truth is you really do have one shot. I have one shot, and that’s why it can take me all day to write a pitch letter or query letter to editors, and I do this all the time. So the best thing you can do is make your work, including your pitch and your letter, the best it can be the first time around. And then, and here’s the really hard part, put it out of your head. Work on the second book and the second pitch and query. Make them even stronger.
Jessica
Life has been busy with the grading of piles of student papers and tests that I unwisely let build up (in ten years of teaching, you'd think I'd know better...) and work on a short story that I promised a certain anthology's editor I would have done by March (and yet it keeps wanting more and different words!), and so I haven't had much to write here. I did get some reading some done this weekend, finishing Lydia Millet's marvelous new novel, How the Dead Dream
, which I'll be reviewing for somebody or other eventually. (Briefly: In some ways it's about capitalism and extinction, but it's more an affecting character study, though it's also a laugh-out-loud funny satire, yet really by the end it's a lyrical and heartbreaking look at-- Well, you'll just have to read it. And if you're in the NYC area, stop by the McNally Robinson bookstore on Weds, March 5 for a reading.)
All of which is just me popping up here to say, Nope, still don't really have anything to say. Will you accept a photograph instead?
(That's a picture of a pot made by Hideaki Miyamura and owned by my friends Rick and Beth Elkin. I took the picture on a brief recent trip to visit them in New Mexico -- the morning sun on the glaze was mesmerizing.)
There's a big secret about magazine writing (or any kind of competitive writing job) that nobody will ever put in a writing textbook.
It is an unavoidable part of our job, something that is at once troubling, annoying, and inspiring: in order to make it as a writer, you need to be friends with other writers and editors.
Without a community of writers, nobody will ever edit your work, pass your name on to an editor, or support you when you need the help. Don't try to make it all by your lonesome!
This Urban Muse interview with author Louise Sloan lays it out pretty clearly.
Check it out:
"Well, I got both my first major magazine assignment (back in 1993) and the book deal last year because I made a personal connection to an editor and followed up on the opportunities that created for me. So I’d have to say, network, network, network! Get out there and meet people in the field, and then keep up with them. It doesn’t come naturally or easily to me, but the older I get the more I understand how essential it is."
Have you ever pitched a story or novel to an editor, face-to-face?
It's a rare opportunity that few amateur writers ever get. Media Bistro has turned the whole ritual into a web video reality television show, giving us an uncomfortable, staged, but ultimately instructive peek into the mind of an editor at Blender Magazine.
Even though the video creates the illusion that personal connections to the editor don't matter, the advice will serve you well as you write (or speak) your next pitch.
Once you polish your literary gem, you might want to submit to a brand new literary journal run by some of the most creative minds in non-fiction and fiction. The Normal School is now accepting "Creative Nonfiction. Story. Poem. Critique. Experiential Recipes." The excellent Emerging Writers Network has the submissions guidelines and some notes about the staff.
I gotta tell you, I love Wes Anderson and his films, but I wasn't terribly moved by The Darjeeling Limited nor the short web video now paired with the film. Our buddy Steve Bryant has a snappy review and some ideas about what the web short means for us web writers:
"You can't really construe the decision as a victory for "online video" (whatever that means), since any merit to the piece is somewhat overshadowed by the fact that Natalie Portman appears nude in it."
Can a book deal save your life?
Author Allen Rucker's life derailed in his early 50's when he woke up paralyzed by a rare disorder. According to his new memoir, The Best Seat in the House (in hardcover now, look for the trade paperback in January 2008), one of the things that helped him recover from this devastating loss was a contract to write The Sopranos Family Cookbook.
That comical book became a bestseller, giving a once struggling television and film writer new work as a non-fiction writer. Today he tells us how he pitched his most recent book.
Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson's mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.
Jason Boog:
Your memoir ends with you getting a contract to write The Sopranos Family Cookbook--an inspirational conclusion to the darkest time in your life. Landing a contract and writing your memoir must have been a similarly intense experience. On a practical level, how did you conceive, pitch, and finally land a contract for The Best Seat in the House? Any advice for fledgling writers looking to pitch a non-fiction book?
Allen Rucker:
As I said, I knew I wanted to write the paralysis book right away, but I waited, for two things: one, to figure out what I wanted to write, and two, to get to a place in the publishing business where I had a chance in hell to sell a book like this. Continue reading...
You want to know the big, fat secret to pitching stories to magazines? Embrace rejection.
Seriously, before embarking on a series of magazine pitches, prepare for the worst. For every story you manage to sell, another twenty editors will send you polite rejections, ignore you, or tell you to stop bothering them.
It doesn't matter who you are, you will be rejected this crazy economy where writers need to sell stories like door-to-door salespeople. Freelance pro Susannah Breslin has published in countless big magazines, but her blog post about rejection will blow your mind.
Brace yourself, is what I'm saying. And when you are ready to pitch, read these helpful guides: Pat Marcello has a good guide to pitching magazines, Jed Hartman gives an editor's POV on magazine pitches, and finally, Miss Snark points us to a site dedicated to rejected pitches.
(Thanks, Ed Champion)
Wow! Last week’s post on What I Learned at RWA certainly had people talking. And I loved it! Believe it or not I read through all of your posts and was really impressed. Some of you nailed the five word pitch making me very confident that you’ll be able to nail the book as well. Others will need some work. Keep in mind that pitching the book in five words not only sells it to an agent, but is also the way the agent will sell to the editor, the editor to the publisher and eventually the publisher to the readers. Those five words can make a big difference and just to prove my point I have another little exercise for you. Pitch your favorite book. Not one that you’ve written, but one that you read and loved. If you don’t have a favorite pitch the most recent book you’ve read. In five words, no more than one sentence, I want you to make our other blog readers hungry to pick this book up. And to keep in challenging don’t reveal the title just yet. Let those commenting guess for a while before making the reveal.
I can’t wait to see what you have to say and just to start things off...
Can an Earl’s daughter save her servant from murder charges while preventing herself from falling in love?
--Jessica
Okay, enough sap. See. I need sleep.
I always say, and have always said, that you can hear something and be told something millions of times, but it isn't until it clicks that it's all going to come together. I've heard authors say this and I've seen it in action. Just because someone tells you what's wrong with your work or writing doesn't mean you're going to get it the first time. Often we need to be in just the right place for that to happen. Well this weekend that happened for me.
I have been talking for years about how important the hook is and how it has to be a one or two sentence pitch. Well you know what? It really clicked this weekend how important that is. For every book you write you need to pitch agents and I need to pitch editors. More importantly, all of us need to pitch readers and if we can't do that in a short sentence or two we will lose their attention.
So I want to know from you in five words if possible, or one sentence at the most. What is your book?
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You want to know the big, fat secret to pitching stories to magazines? Embrace rejection.
Beautiful artwork and I love the idea of a gratitude journal! Stopping by to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!