Is Patience Really a Virtue? 

I sent my latest novel, One Good Kick, a psychological thriller, out to agents about a month ago. I've since received four rejections from the 16 agents I submitted to. Many of the agents said they would respond within four to twelve weeks, but won't give a personal response because they are too busy. Many other agents said they wouldn't respond at all unless interested (because they're too busy), so, if I don't hear back from them within two to six months, assume they aren't interested.

Now, I realize agents are busy. They are inundated with queries every day. But authors like me put in an inordinate amount of work into our novels, and labor tirelessly over our query letters and synopses. We are constantly told to be patient with agents, editors, and the like, because they are all so busy. But they are not patient with us, who have essentially done all the hard work. They take one look at the first sentence of a query or sample and throw it in the trash or the slush pile, then don't respond or send out an automated, generic response that doesn't help us at all.

(Yes, this is an actual rejection email I received.)

Many agents who claim to work with new authors, often won't even look at the work if there isn't some indication in their query that they have been published on some level in a mass marketing kind of way, or they have some kind of fame behind their name.

I've been to many writers' conferences in the past where agents were on a panel to talk about the process and take questions. Eager would-be authors gathered by the hordes to hear their pearls of wisdom and get answers about the overwhelming vagueness of the process. What we got was a bunch of agents telling us all the things writers do that make them look stupid and ignorant, like writing in a query about "my adorable pit bull Fluffy." Or how we disrespect them by misspelling their name or writing "To whom this may concern." They need to be noticed and addressed personally to show we care.

(Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association Conference in Hartford, CT)

The whole onus of patience and caring drops on the shoulders of the writer. But it's the writers who put in the torturous months, if not years (as is my case) of writing and rewriting, editing and rewriting. And those grueling countless moments of trudging through our insecurities, the painstaking, time-consuming research, and the never-ending work toward perfection to make the product that the agent is trying to sell.

The alternative? Self-publish. But now we are even more insecure, because we can't trust our friends and family to let us know that what we've written is actually good enough to publish. And should we publish anyway, we have to pay an exorbitant amount of money to get a good cover, edit the manuscript, and format the manuscript. Even with a professional edit, it's difficult to know if the product is good, because the editor gets paid whether the novel sells or not. An editor who works for an agent has a vested interest in the product because they don't get paid UNLESS it sells.

So, we writers who long to be published authors are screwed no matter how you twist it. And what do we do about it? We write anyway, and continue to slog through the cruel and frightening process, forcing ourselves to keep our dreams alive. The only alternative is to quit and that's not an alternative for those who truly love to write.

Right now, I'm waiting, and I'm not getting any younger because time only works one way. The longer I wait for a response from an agent, the older I get, and the older I get, the closer I get to... well, you know the rest. If only agents would be more thoughtful regarding the predicament of the writer and respond in a timely and personal fashion. I'm not asking you to take me on if you don't like the work. I'm just asking for the same respect from you that you require from me. I don't think that's a lot.

Anyway, here's a poem about time I thought you might like. It's a double nonet in the concrete form. My advice is to read it twice, once forward and again backward (from the bottom up). It's not really related to my post, except in a tangential fashion, but I feel it fits nonetheless.

Here's a little insight about the labor involved in writing a short poem like this that may help indicate the enormity of commitment it takes to write an entire novel:

A nonet starts with a nine syllable line, then each line that follows is one syllable less than the one before. So, the first line is nine syllables, the next line is eight, then seven, then six, and so on. I decided to make a double nonet, to show the irreversibility of time.  Notice, the poem reads the same way forward as it does backward. I also put it in the concrete shape of an hour glass. That means, not only does the first line have one more syllable than the second, but it has to be visually longer than the second without cheating on the spacing.

For example, the word "I" is one syllable and is spelled with one thin letter. The word "through" is also one syllable, but it's spelled with  seven mostly rounded letters, taking up much more space on the line. Therefore, I had to carefully choose my words to not only make the poem work auditorily, but also visually. And it had to be true to the theme.

Anyway, here it is. I hope you enjoy it.

TIME

 

because there’s no way to reverse time

we make mistakes and live with them

can’t slingshot back to fix things

brush the dust off and learn

then make more mistakes

and learn some more

make mistakes

and learn

live

and learn

make mistakes

and learn some more

then make more mistakes

brush the dust off and learn

can’t slingshot back to fix things

we make mistakes and live with them

because there’s no way to reverse time

(Now, read this again from the bottom up.)

Writing Your Memoir

So, I've been teaching creative writing with the Wethersfield Adult Education Department for five years now. When I first began teaching there, I focused on novel writing. I did that for two semesters in a row and found it was too big for a six or eight-week class. Novel writing should be reserved for a full college course, where students get graded and hate the class for at least half the semester. But for adults who just want to have fun, not so much.

So, I decided to teach two different, shorter classes each semester instead of one longer one: short story and poetry. That was a great choice and the students actually had fun! I knew they had fun because many kept coming back to repeat the classes, and that made me feel warm and squishy inside. But the downside was that after a while, the students wanted something different. And that's were memoir writing comes in.

Although I'd never done it before, I decided to teach a memoir writing class in addition to the short story class. I have never written a memoir, but I have read many and I followed my mom through the process of writing her father's story. Still a young teenager, I was living at home at the time and I followed my mom as she interviewed her father, taping their talks on one of those clunky cassette recorders of the 1970s.

My grandfather Armand Magnan grew up in the Hereford Mountain region of Quebec, Canada. His father was a horse trader and a bootlegger during the Prohibition, and nine-year-old Armand was charged with being his assistant. His childhood was grueling and fraught with cruelty. My mother was able to complete his story before he passed away, and I realized the importance of passing on the significant aspects of a person's life in the form of a story.

As for my memoir class, I completed the first of the three-week program last Wednesday, and tonight I head into the second. I found the experience fascinating and exciting. I read aloud the first couple of pages of two highly regarded memoirs to give the class the feel of how to start their story. The memoirs were Lost & Found by Kathryn Shultz and I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. They both open with coping in the final days of a parent's life, and though the theme in both is similar, they are two completely different stories.

We then discussed the importance of being accurate and not making assumptions or elaborating for effect. We worked on our six-sentence memoir in which we find the heart of our story and write it down in six words. For example, mine was:

Went to prison, taught creative writing.

If I were to write a memoir, I might write about how I came to teach poetry at the York Correctional Institute, CT's maximum-security prison for women, under the direction of best-selling author Wally Lamb. 

Tonight, I am going to read from two memoirs with lighter themes to show you don't have to suffer a tragedy or overcome negative forces in order for your story to be interesting. They are The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson and Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family by Patricia Volk. The first is about growing up happy in middle America in the 1950s. The second is about Volk's 100-year family history in the food business and growing up in the middle of it in the garment district of NYC. 

Even if you don't think you would like to read memoir, I recommend these selections, as they read more like novels than nonfiction. 

I'm happy I chose this new class to teach and I'm looking forward to tonight's adventure. Thanks for stopping in, everyone, and have a great day!

I'm Back!

Hello! I know it's been a while and I'm sorry about that. I'm not sure why I stopped posting stuff, but it struck me the other day that I have this blogging site so, I should be using it! I have been writing over the last couple of years. Writing a lot, in fact. I've been writing poetry and finishing up my latest novel. The novel is titled One Good Kick, and it's a psychological thriller placed in Hartford, CT, in late 1989. This is the story of Annette Goode, a promising young editor who, after drinking too much at the office holiday party, accidentally shoots a strange man in a parking garage. Here, she makes a fateful choice and leaves the scene without reporting the incident. Despite her initial struggles with her conscience, she finds herself on a tense, winding path of deception that leads to guilt-ridden visions of the man she shot and a chilling spiral of murder and madness. This is a fast-paced, twisty thriller that is sure to satisfy! Currently, the novel is out with agents. No bites yet, but fingers crossed!

One Good Kick is actually my fourth novel written, but only my last novel The Windsome Tree made it to publication. I did work with an agent to get that published, but she since retired and other agents from her agency are either not accepting submissions or they do not work with my genre. So, I'm on the hunt for new representation. I have to say, it's hard, frustrating, and scary. But it's worth the try.

The Windsome Tree takes place in 2014 in the fictional town of Windsome, NC. It's about Mercy Amoretto, a grieving mother of four who lost her youngest child to leukemia. In an attempt to heal, she starts cleaning the house, and in the garage she finds an old rope and a tire. In a fanciful moment, she fastens them together to make a tire swing. Unbeknownst to her, the rope, the tire, and the tree in her yard share a violent history. Once the three are connected, that history is unleashed in the form of two child spirits from decades past. While on the swing, Mercy hears cryptic messages from the spirits and begins to ride the swing obsessively, believing these spirits are key to finding her dead daughter. You can find this on Amazon and B&N, but the Amazon Kindle version has the best free preview. So, check it out!

(This is the original cover from 2018. We've since created a new cover, which I love, but there is something nostalgic about this that I find haunting.)

So, that's basically what I've been up to, besides surviving the world shutting down, keeping a business open, and trying my best to keep up in the writing, publishing, and hocking my books worlds.

I am not good at being consistent with my blogging, so if you have any topics you would like me to address, please drop a note below. I teach creative writing, so I can address a diverse array of topics. I can also talk about other stuff, like cats or cooking (but not cooking cats).

Thank you, everyone. Have a wonderful day, and HAPPY SPRING!

Willington Library Author Trail and Crafts Fair

Join me (Eileen Albrizio) and several other CT authors tomorrow, Saturday, December first at the Willington Public Library's Author Trail and Crafts Fair. Speak with an author, find out what motivates them to write, learn what other books they plan to publish, perhaps even gain an insight into how you can also become a published author. A signed book makes a great holiday gift and a one-of-a-kind, personalized memento. 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at the Willington Public Library, 7 Ruby Road, Willington, CT, 860-429-3854, www.willingtonpubliclibrary.org

Upcoming Author Events with Eileen Albrizio

Saturday, December 1: Author Trail and Crafts Fair at the Willington Public Library from 9:30 to 2:30.
I will join fourteen other authors from the CT Authors and Publishers Association for a book signing, along with local craftspeople at 7 Ruby Road, Willington, CT, 860-429-3854.

Sunday, December 2: Holiday Pop-up Meet the Authors Shopping Event at Book Club Bookstore from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
I will join author R.C. Goodwin for a book signing at 869 Sullivan Ave., South Windsor, CT,
860-432-7411.

Friday, December 7: Holiday Pop-up Meet the Authors Shopping Event at Book Club Bookstore from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
I will join author Mark Dursin for a book signing at 869 Sullivan Ave., South Windsor, CT,
860-432-7411.

Thursday, December 13: Meet the Author Event at the Enfield Library from 6:30 to 7:30.
I will be reading an excerpt from my debut novel THE WINDSOME TREE: A GHOST STORY. An author talk and book signing will follow at 104 Middle Road, Enfield, CT, 860-763-7510.

Thursday, February 21 (with a snow date of Thursday, February 28): Meet the Author Event at the Wethersfield Library from 6:30 to 7:30.
I will be reading an excerpt from my debut novel THE WINDSOME TREE: A GHOST STORY. An author talk and book signing will follow at 515 Silas Deane Highway, Wethersfield, CT, 860-529-2665.

Monday, April 1: Roar Reading Series at UConn Barnes & Noble, Storrs Center from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. 
I will join two other CT authors for a book signing and conversation at 1 Royce Circle (Dog Lane), Storrs, CT, 860-486-8525.

Novel-Writing Class

Write Your Story the Right Way

Do you have an idea for a novel, but don’t know where to start? Or have you begun writing, but are stuck moving forward? This is the perfect class for you. In this eight-week course, we will explore what genre of novel is best for you, how to outline a plot, develop scenes, build three-dimensional characters, develop tone and voice, learn techniques in pacing, hurtle that troublesome writer’s block, and even explore publishing options. You can start a new project, or work on one already in progress. This class is open to writers of all levels. Bring writing materials, whether it’s a pen and notebook or a laptop, as this will be a hands-on writing class in a friendly, non-judgmental environment.

Meets Wednesdays 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. starting September 26^th and runs through November 14^th at the Wethersfield High School in Wethersfield, CT. Room 221. Course fee $60

      Instructor: Eileen Albrizio – Author of

      The Windsome Tree: a ghost story.

Grief and Writing

My brother passed away on May 15, 2018. He is my third brother to pass from illness. We were five siblings. Now we are two. I started writing a poem after Fran died. I worked on it almost every day, and couldn't get through it.

My father passed away yesterday, July 29, 2018. I finished the poem today. I never post writings that haven't been read by an editor or member of my critique group, Artemis Rising. But I am posting this because I don't know what else to do.

Grief

by Eileen Albrizio

In dark of night, unseen by living things,

she weaves a web with silken strands of grief

that spreads across the attic like the wings

of dragonflies: the workings of a thief

who targets mourners trying to persist

each hour without the ones they love. We're just

survivors of death's casualties, who missed

the touch of one who renders life to dust.

I am among them, laden in my gloom,

existing in a garret without light.

I feel the grief that hangs inside this room.

It clings to lashes, flesh. With all my might

I try to swipe away the deep despair

but still feel death is crawling through my hair.

Understanding Genre in Fiction

I put a call out for ideas for a blog article and I got a great response from Claire Donohue Roof, poet and assistant professor of creative writing at Ivy Tech Community College. She  asked about the different genres of fiction. Great topic. Thank you Claire!

Read a sample of her work here! 

Genre is a category of literature that was first created by the Ancient Greeks and comes from the Greek word genos, which means kind or sort. The term was created to differentiate between prose, poetry, and performance. Today, the term defines a wide variety of literary styles, including comedy, tragedy, horror, science fiction, romance, thriller, mystery, etc. The Greeks set out to simplify the literary and theatrical arts by placing them into genres such as comedy and tragedy. However, as time went on, the genres of literature became more and more complicated, and at times, convoluted. But it is important to never underestimate their importance. Genres help readers understand the style of a book BEFORE they read it. That is one of the major things that help them pick a book to read. So, writers, when you choose to blend one genre with another, it's important to always keep the reader in mind.

Writers love to mix genres, splicing one into another, known as cross-genre or hybrid genre. Examples are historical romance, paranormal romance, science fiction Western, literary horror (my favorite), young adult fantasy, and techno-thriller. There are also hybrid genres that have become so popular, they've been rewarded their own genre name, like steampunk, which is science fiction in a 19th-century setting, incorporating the design of steam-powered machinery.

Is it okay to mix genres? Absolutely, but be careful not to cross so many lines that your story becomes confusing. I find this is the case with the fairly new category of genre called speculative fiction. This is a genre with a wide umbrella, covering horror, fantasy, science fiction, superhero fiction, dystopian, supernatural and any other fiction that is outside the realm of reality. By having this as a separate category of genre, it gives writers freedom to cross into several main genres in one novel. Not that it's bad or wrong, but it could cause some fundamental problems. One is, it could make the novel hard to place. Editors, agents,  and publishers are specific about what markets they are targeting, and if they can't target a specific market, they will likely pass on your multi-hybrid novel. Second, readers are essentially the same as editors and publishers. They love to read a specific genre and may avoid your book because it doesn't fit their niche, or they may be disappointed if they expect one thing from your novel and get something completely different. I found this with Peter Straub's Ghost Story. 

Don't read the next paragraph if you haven't read the book and wish to do so.

Peter Straub's book is called Ghost Story. So, just by the title, I expected a ghost story. And, for the most part, it was. It's about a group of older men who are part of a kind of secret organization called The Chowder Society. They meet occasionally to chat and share ghost stories. Then one of them dies and they all become haunted in dreams by a murdered girl from their past. It was creepy and I loved believing all the way through the book that the ghost of the murdered woman had come back to haunt these old men. But, in the end, she's not a ghost at all, but an immortal shapeshifter. UGH! I was so disappointed! So, if you're writing a ghost story, don't give me shapeshifters, or vampires, or zombies. It's just not the same thing. And, with the exception of his collaborations with Stephen King, I've never read another Peter Straub story. (Althuogh I will if someone recommends one.)

I know we all want to be unique writers and we don't want to shove ourselves into established norms. But as new writers, it's important to understand and be practiced in those norms before you can start breaking the rules. Therefore, I advise that you know the genre in which you want to write, have read and thoroughly enjoyed the genre in which you want to write, and commit yourself to that genre. If you've never read the genre in which you are choosing to write, you will likely not enjoy the process and ultimately give up. Or if you've finished it, but don't love the genre, then you can't expect your reader to love your book.

Perfect example. Sometime around 2003, my mother Connie read Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code.

It was getting massive press for it's fast-paced action, but more so for it's controversy regarding radical speculations about the history of the Catholic Church. Now, if you look up Catholic in the dictionary, you'll see a picture of the Pope and then a picture of my mother. She had never read a suspense novel, but read this one solely for the controversy. When she was done, she was hyper critical about the content, but also enamored with the books mad crazy success. So, she decided she was going to write a suspense novel. I told her, "You don't read suspense novels. How will you write one?" She said, "You'll teach me." I said, "I'm not versed in suspense novels. I like horror." She said, "You'll learn how, then you'll teach me how." She's my mother and she's Catholic. I couldn't say no. It would have been a sin. So, I went to conferences, workshops, took how-to books out of the library, read numerous suspense novels, including all of Dan Brown's at the time (which I loved), and set out to write a suspense novel for the sole purpose of teaching my mother how to do it. It took me a whole year. When I was done, the novel was horrible, but I went to my mother to at least teach her what I'd learned. She said to me, "Oh, I'm on to different things now." I love her despite this.

Final words: Write in the genre in which you love to read. Pick a genre, devour as many books in that genre as you can, learn the pacing, the level of characterization, the tropes, the plot construction. Then write.

Good luck! I'd love to hear what you're writing!

Eileen

Advice for New Writers

As an author, I get interviewed often about the writing process. I think one of the most frequently  asked questions is "what advice would you give to new writers?" So, I thought I'd share my answer with you.

The best advice is to write every day, even if it's garbage. Easy to say, but not so easy to do. I think the biggest obstacle that keeps writers from writing is fear. Stephen King put it well when he said, "I'm convinced fear is at the root of most bad writing." We are afraid that what we are writing isn't good, no one will want to read it, the story will be hurtful to family, or it's a waste of time. But remember, when you're scribbling out that first draft, no one will read it but you. So, really, you have nothing to fear by writing it and everything to gain. For some great insight on writing, I strongly suggest reading Stephen King's memoir appropriately titled On Writing.

My advice is to just write and don't worry about it. But you will worry about. I know you. You're a writer, just like me. So, when you throw something down on paper and it feels like you've just vomited up last night's salmon all over your writing desk, consider what Ernest Hemingway said, "The first draft of everything is s**t." And look what he did! You will never get to the good stuff until you write the crap first. I wrote two whole novels--that will (hopefully) never get into the hands of a reader--before I wrote my now published novel The Windsome Tree: a ghost story. I never would have been able to accomplish that without barfing up some salmon first.

As hard as you try, though, you will inevitably run into writer's block. There are a rare few who can avoid it. One thing I do is take a break and read. When I give that advice in my classes, students sometimes bring up the fear that what they're reading will influence their writing and they could unintentionally plagiarize. The likelihood of that is slim at best. Reading someone else's work will help clear your mind from your own for a short time. It will allow you to see that each word on the page isn't a masterpiece on its own. The story forms only when the words are put together in sentences and then paragraphs. You may see that often the prose is simple, not overly flowery or complex. When you return to your story, you will not try so hard to be perfect, knowing that simpler is often better. 

Having said that, you should be reading all the time. You should be a voracious reader. The more you read, the better you write. Again, to quote Stephen King: "If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time to write." Plus, reading is fun. So, there you go.

A surprisingly overlooked bit of advice is to get yourself out of your room and into the world. Writing can be a solitary and lonely business. Break down the walls of solitude and go to conferences, public readings by other authors, anyplace where writers and readers connect. I met my agent at a writer's conference. I pitched my novel The Windsome Tree (then called Without Mercy) to her and she rejected it. I went home and revised it and the next year pitched it to her again and she eventually signed me. Join writer's organizations. The annual fees are usually small and the benefits, great. I belong to a wonderful organization called The Connecticut Author's and Publishers' Association. They have monthly meetings in all four corners of Connecticut with great speakers. There, I have a chance to connect and socialize with people of like minds. Additionally, they offer workshops and other events throughout the year. Join a writer's group. Libraries often have them, but they are open to the public, and sometimes the input is more damaging than helpful. Find a closed group that suits your needs and ask to be invited. Or form your own. I belong to a group called Artemis Rising and we meet at my house once a month. We've been together for twenty years!

That's my advice for today. If you think of anything that helps you to be a better writer, I would love to know!

~ Eileen

The Cumbersome Climb of the Indie Author

Hello Friends!

Now that I've published my debut novel, The Windsome Tree: a ghost story, I am quickly discovering how hard it is to get people to take me seriously. Because I'm under the umbrella of "indie," big-box booksellers and small-town booksellers alike refuse to put my book on their shelves in favor of more established authors with celebrity or a large following. When an independent bookstore says they support indie and local authors, but reject me because I'm a debut novelist published under a small imprint, that's not really supporting independent authors. 

Many independent authors have or have had agents guiding them through the quagmire of traditional publishing houses, only to find that smaller, independent presses are their "starter home." That's what happened with me. Independent can mean published through the help of an agent but at an independent press, or it could mean self-published. And there's nothing wrong with that. There are some brilliant self-published authors out there who deserve all the recognition they can get. John Grisham was a lawyer when he wrote his first novel A Time to Kill. The book was rejected 28 times before he went to a small, independent press and published 5,000 copies on his own.  In 1931, Irma Rombauer wrote Joy of Cooking with her daughter. It's said she used half of her life savings to pay a local printing company to print three thousand copies. The company had printed labels for St. Louis shoe companies and for Listerine, but never a book. Five years later, Bobbs-Merrill Company acquired the rights. Over the years the book has sold over 18 million copies. There are countless accounts like this.

So, Barnes & Noble may say they don't have the shelf space for every independent author out there. But the local bookstore down the street should certainly carry the book of an author who lives around the corner. That author will do a public reading at the store and potentially bring new customers in. It's a win-win.

For the past 29 years, I've owned with my husband a comic book store in Rocky Hill, CT called Heroes & Hitters. Whenever a local author comes in with a self-published comic, we happily accept it on consignment. We've dedicated a whole corner to indie comic book writers and artists. We place them right under the super popular Walking Dead trade paperbacks to give them focus. It costs us nothing and helps a local talent showcase his or her work. 

My additional concern is that some "independent" bookstores charge authors to do readings at their store. I won't mention their name, but a well-known Connecticut indie bookstore charges authors $50 to read at their store, and that's only if they approve the author, which they won't if said author is unknown.

An acquaintance informed me that he knows an author who turned to doing "library" tours, because he couldn't get into the local bookstores. He was quite successful and went on to publish over 20 books.

My goal now is to find alternate ways to get my novel out to the public. I've contacted my local newspaper, and they are publishing a small article on my "success story" as an author.  I will be going to the Big-E in September--one of the top-ten fairgrounds and trade show venues in the country--where I'll be selling The Windsome Tree alongside other authors at the Connecticut Authors' and Publishers' Associations' bookstore in the Connecticut Building. And I will be teaching an eight-week novel-writing class beginning in September as part of my local Wethersfield, CT adult education program. So, that's a start.

The Big E at the Eastern States Exposition Grounds in Agawam, MA

If you have ideas for how independent authors can promote their books outside of the bookstore environment, I would love for you to share that with us. Let's work together to lift up the independent author and the independent presses out there!

Thanks for reading. 
Eileen 

Read a free preview on Amazon.

Read THE BOX UNDER THE BED for FREE!

I just enrolled in KDP Select on Amazon, so for all you Kindle Unlimited people, you can now read THE BOX UNDER THE BED for FREE! Limited time, as I'm just trying out KDP Select and don't know if I will re-enroll when the ninety days are done. You must be enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited program to read the book for free. That's a paid program through Amazon. If you do read the book and enjoy it, please leave a favorable review. This is a book of poetry and short fiction. Thank you, everyone!

The Box Under the Bed

Haunting tales and tidbits pulled from under the bed. These compelling little poems and stories explore the dark side of the human psyche and the ghostly side of life.

I Know What Happens, but Why?

Spoiler alert, not that many will need one as most of you likely have already read this story. But I didn't. So, here it is.

I just finished reading Shirley Jackson's short story The Lottery. Yes, I know. Many of you read this when you were in junior high, but for some reason the Catholic School I went to didn't think this was appropriate reading, so I never had the advantage of all that dissecting that was offered in sixth grade English class. I know what happens in the end--and here's the spoiler--every year a random lottery "winner" had to be stoned to death by the entire community in the town square. But what I don't know is why? Furthermore, I don't know why Shirley Jackson wouldn't fill us in on that. I mean, isn't the motive an essential part of the story?

I've read some analysis on this, but not of it makes sense, as it seems to all be speculative. Even Shirley Jackson had trouble explaining her intentions. Responding to complaints, she told the San Francisco Chronicle in 1948, "Explaining just what I had hoped the story to say is very difficult."

Even the scholars who translated the meaning had to decipher code throughout the story to come up with an explanation. I understand why the story is revered, as its shock value alone is worthwhile. But as a writer and a reader, I am always disappointed in stories that end on a speculative note. Simply put, I as the reader don't want to have to do the work of the writer. I would love to know what you think.

Happy New Year!

My New Year's resolution is to read great books and write amazing things!

Writing is a Lonely Business

Stare out the window. Wait for inspiration. Nothing happens. Stare at the computer screen. Wait for the words to appear. That doesn't happen either. Get up. Get a snack cup of jello with pineapple tidbits. Sit back down. Type out a few sentences. Delete. Go to the kitchen. Open the refrigerator door. Mull over the the leftover burrito, wilted celery, processed cheese spread. Shut the door. Sit back down. Repeat.

Such is the life of a writer. But then we have a moment when something does happen. The words do come. The sentences form. Paragraphs grow. A scene is created. A chapter. A first draft.

We revise. Rewrite. Revisit. Show it to an agent. Get rejected. Revise. Rewrite. Revisit. Show it to another agent. Get rejected. Repeat.

I'm just here to tell you, it's okay. Stock up on the jello and ramen noodles. Stare out the window. Put down a word. Delete and repeat. Don't give up. I mean, what else are you going to do? Watch Law & Order marathons? Spend half a day going through Facebook feeds, wondering how that meme about the drunk friends is really so funny it makes Janet from telemarketing cry, as the emoticon suggests?

Being a writer can be a lonely business. Until the characters develop. Until the story evolves. Until our minds are so full of souls whom we've created we can barely move. We stop craving the wilted celery and processed cheese spread and rejoice in the company or our characters. That's why we write.

Get a coffee mug, a pin, a desk mat that has printed on it the adage "A successful writer is just an amateur who didn't give up." Every time you think it's not worth it, let your eyes fall on that cliche and get back to work.

That's what I've got for today. I would love to read your comments.

SOMETHING WRITTEN
by Eileen Albrizio

When the new day comes,
reward yourself with words,
invent fantastic worlds,
travel to phantom places,
embrace all that seems impossible,
rejoice in who you are.

               ~ From The Box Under the Bed

How to Break through the Fear of Writing a Great Poem

Perhaps  the biggest problem for poets trying to write a great poem is that the poet doesn't really know what poetry is. How do you distinguish between writing a poem or writing a piece of flash fiction. One of the characteristics most significant in defining poetry is its inability to be defined. But if we can't define it, how can we write it?

What makes poetry different from prose literature can be found in its concise language. It uses a heightened, yet more economic vocabulary. Other characteristics of poetry are its use of literary devices such as meter, rhyme, repetition, alliteration, metaphor, simile, assonance, line and stanza breaks and formal structure. If you are writing FREE VERSE, don’t ignore the fundamental techniques that make poetry substantial.

Most importantly, every poem must have an emotional heart. Even within haiku and its observations of nature, the poet delivers an emotional experience through what she's witnessed.

Perhaps intellectually you understand the fundamentals of what makes a poem a poem.. So, what is keeping you from writing great poetry? The biggest obstacle that keeps us from writing a great poem is FEAR

* Whether we've defined poetry or not, we’re afraid we’ll get it wrong.
* We fear we’re not good enough writers to write one.
* We fear what we want to write about isn’t that interesting.
* We fear what we want to write about is too personal.
* We fear we will be judged by our peers.
* Because poems are personal, we fear we will hurt someone’s feelings.
* The desire to be published creates a fear of writing a poem unworthy of being published.
* We fear we will never get to the point of perfection, so we just don't do it.
* We get intimidated by people who say the words just spill out of them, that poetry comes to them like a muse in the night, that they just wait for the perfect time and the poem comes. We know that doesn't happen for us, so we fear we are not true poets.

How do we break through the fear and write a poem:

* Be active readers of poetry. Pay attention to the way words work together, or don't work together. It is not only important to read poets that speak to you, but also to read poets who you find out of reach or who challenge you.
* Think of creative writing as traveling without a map, or driving a car at night. These metaphors illustrate that writing is seldom a linear process with a known destination. Instead, it involves learning to love language—its tastes and shapes and sounds—and then to go wherever the writing leads.  NOTE: If you do this, it’s just the first step. Once you get to your destination, then go back and revisit the poem and think creatively about what it says and what you want it to say.
* Practice writing often, as you would if learning to play the piano or shooting free throws. Instead of expecting a "great" poem every time you write, write in a way that feels "raw and messy."
* Find the emotional core of the poem and connect it to concrete objects: something that can be seen, touched, heard, smelled and tasted by readers and listeners. Every time we feel something, it has a tangible connection. Find that connection and work with it.
* Don't get bogged down in the facts. The only significant truth in a poem is its emotional truth. Don't be afraid to blur the facts in order to get to the heart of the TRUE EMOTION.
* Write without fear. It won't be great when you first throw it down. It will be like the clay on the potter's wheel--a shapeless mass of brown, wet, glop. Get that glop on the wheel. No one will see it but you!
* Once you write, you must revise. Genius comes in the editing. In the revising, don't be afraid to throw away that first line that sparked the poem in the first place. Often that line isn't worthy of the poem, it's just the inspiration. Be your toughest critic. Just as you would write without fear, you must edit without mercy.

Bottom line: The best way to be confident as a poet and write a great poem is to:
1. Read poetry. Read lots and lots of poetry from a variety of poets. Not just today's poets either. Read yesterday's poets. You don't have to like all of it, but you do have to read it.
2. Write poetry. Write lots and lots of poetry in a variety of forms. Copy the forms of today's poets. Copy the forms of yesterday's poets. You don't have to like all the forms in which you write, but you do have to write them.
3. Always remember, you are not alone. All great writers have a fear of writing something great. It's persistence and an unrelenting desire to write that makes us successful.


I WRITE
by Eileen Albrizio

I write, but what I’ve written isn’t right.
Rewrite, but it comes out wrong.
You say don’t stop. Keep writing.

With sound advice and insight,
I go back to the start and be strong
and write again, but it just isn’t right.

Maybe all it needs is a slight
tweaking to help it along.
You say no, it needs more. Keep writing.

New eyes on the lines to shine light
on what might turn what I wrote into song,
but what I’ve written still isn’t right.

An edit won’t make it tight
if the words aren’t where they belong.
You agree and say keep on writing.

I’m not good enough for this fight.
Can’t stop crying when I think of how long
it took me to write what’s not right.
You say I’m awesome because I keep writing.

  ~ From The Box Under the Bed, available on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.
 The Box Under the Bed


I would love to read your feedback. Drop me a comment!

BARE WHITE LEGS ON COLD WINTER EARTH
by Eileen Albrizio
(A short-short story from The Box Under the Bed)


Christmas Day.

She was driving, making up time on the Mass Pike. They were heading to her parents’ house in Newton—maybe it was Shrewsbury. She was chattering on about something. He tuned her out. Or he was at the wheel, laughing at her jokes, playing with the radio. They were going to his sister’s in Bedford. The children were bickering in the back seat. A boy, ten, and a girl, twelve. Their SUV had a TV in the rear. The son, possibly older, had an iPad, was playing video games. The younger daughter quietly watched a movie. Might have been they weren’t rich, didn’t have the trappings. So they bided their time singing medleys the way families did before satellite radio.

Oh my Darling, Oh my Darling, Oh my Darling Clementine—I want a girl just like the girl who married dear old dad.

Perhaps it was just the two of them, only wed a year. He had a few drinks before hitting the road. She told him not to drive. He said he was fine. They were arguing when he changed lanes. He was yelling at her when he swerved. Could have been they weren’t arguing, but enjoying the ride as she drove on that crisp, clear afternoon. It was another driver, drunk, who clipped them while passing. Sent their SUV off the road. She overcompensated, struck the guardrail. The SUV went airborne. And there were children, and they were screaming when it hit the ground, flipped again. Crashed and burst into flames. The children were trapped. Parents unconscious. Pray there were no children. They were staying at their grandparents. It was conceivable the children were only a plan—for someday.

Fireman put out the blaze. Pulled the man and woman from the vehicle. Their clothes were smoldering. EMTs cut off their pants, pulled off their shoes. Laid their bodies on the median. No hurry putting them in the ambulance. A white sheet draped over their heads, down to their thighs.

We drove past them on that Christmas day. You said, Don’t look. I looked. Saw the burnt-out vehicle on its head. And the bodies on the ground. Dear God. What went wrong to stretch those bare white legs out onto the cold, dead earth?

The Box Under the Bed - Available at Amazon.com
The Box Under the Bed - Available at B&N.com