The new Tablet story my editor is afraid I’m going to get hate mail for

July 10, 2014July 9, 2014beccakinla Jewish, Jewish writing, Judaism, klempner, kosher, ladies-only, magazines Tags: comments, controversy, don't wear, essay, feminism, girls, hareidi, hate mail, jew, jewess, jewish, ladies, magazine, orthodox, rebecca klempner, Tablet, tefillin, trolls, wear, women, writing 4 Comments

My newest piece is up on Tablet. When I submitted the pitch several months ago to the Life and Religion editor, Wayne Hoffman, he cautioned me: do you really want to do this?

The topic of the essay is a controversial one in the Jewish community — women wearing Tefillin — and he was afraid I’d get a lot of trolls. And probably some genuine hate mail, to boot.

My original proposal was a much wider topic — the denigration of traditional feminine roles by many “feminists” in the Jewish community. I shot off the query letter in a fit of pique after yet another feminist looked down her nose at my lifestyle and basically told me I was so persecuted I didn’t know that I was persecuted.

The first draft was a mess: too big, too venting, too…too…everything.

I have to really give credit to the very special Mr. Hoffman, who asked the right questions and nudged me in the right direction until I could be proud of the resulting essay. We cut most of the first draft, and narrowed the topic considerably, then tried to focus on the positive aspects of the story.

Anyway, I hope you check the essay out and share and comment and all that.

Writing conundrum: Leaving behind that outline without creating problems

July 6, 2014July 6, 2014beccakinla outline, publishing, revision, writing, writing process Tags: alter, changes, consistency, edit, glixman in a fix, inconsistent, magazine, outline, rebecca klempner, revision, rewrite, serial, tricky, writer, writing, writing process Leave a comment

So, I’m back to cranking out chapters of my serial this week, and this time, I hope to do it a little faster. The quicker I finish the serial, the easier it will be for me to focus on other projects, I think. Anyway, something is happening as I write that I think is worth mentioning, because I sincerely doubt that I’m the only writer to experience it.

In the beginning, there was an outline…

In order to secure my gig to write my current serial for Binah BeTween (“Glixman in a Fix”), I had to prepare an outline. Once that was approved (along with character profiles, the summary, and so on), I started writing. Generally, I write the serial episodes — I might have mentioned this before — in blocks of three, basing them on the outline. Because I’m working from an outline, with characters who are now well known to me, the writing goes relatively quickly. Then I revise the rough drafts once or twice and send them together in a batch to the editor.

Recalibrating

We’re now more than a third of the way in, and more and more often, I find that I’m diverging from the outline. Continue reading →

Writing a serial: Nickel and dime-ing your way through fiction publishing

May 18, 2014beccakinla authors, magazines, novel, novels, serial, writer, writing, writing process Tags: binah between, bit by bit, chapter, episode, frustration, glixman in a fix, magazine, Mendel Glixman, novel, one at a time, publishing, re-reading, reading, reading your own material, reading your own work, rebecca klempner, serial, writer, writing process Leave a comment

On the way to pick up one of my kids at school on Friday afternoon, one of the other moms pulled me aside.

“We’re really enjoying your new serial in Binah,” she said.

I got a little extra bounce in my step. “Thanks!”

“But getting just one chapter a week is driving us crazy! It’s so hard to wait for the next one!’ she added.

“Sorry!” I replied.

There really isn’t anything I can do to help her, but I feel her pain. Usually, I’m the reader throwing my arms up in frustration at the end of a serial episode screaming, “I have to know what happens next! Argh!”

What’s really funny, is that now as a writer, Continue reading →

Announcing a class for beginning Jewish writers in L.A.

May 5, 2014May 5, 2014beccakinla advice, authors, California, los angeles, writer, writing, writing groups, writing process Tags: article, author, beginner, Chareidi, class, course, hareidi, jewish, Jewish children, Jewish magazines, Klempner, magazine, novel, novice, orthodox, picture book, picture book idea, rebecca klempner, serial, short story, workshop, write, writing, writing workshop Leave a comment

Do you have a picture book idea?

Have you always wanted to write for the Jewish magazines, but didn’t know how?

I will, G-d willing, be teaching a workshop on writing for Jewish tots, tweens, and teens later this month.

A possible student for my workshop?

Audience: Ladies ages 15 and up are welcome to participate.

Date:May 25th

Time:10 am – 1 pm

Location:Private home in L.A.

Cost:$25, $18 if you refer a friend and they also commit

To sign up: Please fill out the form below.

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Passover looming ahead: Not quite panicking yet

March 23, 2014beccakinla Jewish, Jewish writing, literature, los angeles, magazines, newpapers, newspaper, Orthodox, serial, teens Tags: 2014, 5774, action, binah, binah between, Binah Bunch, children, interview, jew, jewish, judaism, kids, Klempner, literature, Menucha Publishers, new, orthodox, Passover, Pesach, picture books, rebecca klempner, serial, suspense, teens, tweens, Tzivia Erlich-Klein Leave a comment

Due to the onslaught of housework, etc., that Pesach entails, as well as some nifty work assignments, I’ll be posting less for the next month or so. However, I do want to share with my readers several bits of good news: Continue reading →

When writing shifts from a hobby to a job: my new essay in Tablet

March 10, 2014beccakinla adar, authors, klempner, kosher, publishing, purim, shpiel, tafkid, talent, writer, writing, writing process Tags: article, author, career, essay, fun, funny, holiday, humor, jew, jewish, job, judaism, Klempner, love, newsletter, profession, purim, purim spiel, rebecca, rebecca klempner, Tablet, work, writer, writing Leave a comment

Meow.

Last year, I wrote on this blog that I struggled with creating the annual Purim newsletter I co-write with my husband. Well, this year, I wrote an essay about it for Tablet. You can read it here.

And if you don’t live in L.A., but do want to see this year’s edition of the newsletter (and other freebies throughout the year), you can fill out this form. I’ll put you on the mailing list!

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Rebecca Klempner

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The new Tablet story my editor is afraid I’m going to get hate mail for