Step-by-Step Guide to Setting up a Writing Critique Group or a Manuscript Swap

February 1, 2017February 8, 2017beccakinla advice, Uncategorized, writing, writing groups, writing process Tags: author, critique, free, friends, group, how to, learning, manuscript, swap, tutoring, write, writing 1 Comment

A little birdie told me what to write about this week.

Okay, I’m exaggerating. But recently, quite a few people have either asked me how to advance their writing skills (answer: join a critique group) or how to arrange a critique group or what they should do if they cannot attend a critique group. And while I’ve discussed critique groups on the blog before, I think it’s worth a new blog post dedicated to this topic, because I’ve been helping run critique groups for nearly five (or is it six?) years now, and I’ve learned a lot.

Why Join a Critique Group?

You only will grow as a writer if you write regularly. But motivating yourself to write regularly, with no deadlines, is challenging. Getting useful feedback can also be challenging. For instance, you might have a close friend or relative read it, but will they be objective? And you could take a class, but that might involve spending money. (Note: I think it can be worthwhile to take writing classes – but I don’t have much spare change and won’t assume you have it either.) You can remedy all these problems with a single solution: the critique group.

How to create a critique group:

Continue reading →

Sometimes it pays to be a fan…

January 4, 2015January 4, 2015beccakinla magazines, review, writing, writing process Tags: article, enthusiasm, excitment, fan, feature, Hevria, hobby, idea, interest, magazine, pitch, review, topic, write, writing 1 Comment

Last week, The Jewish Home L.A. published an article I wrote about Hevria, an online lit mag/blog that I’ve loved from its first post last summer.

One day, after contemplating how much I would like to see Hevria’s message of Torah and non-judgmental discourse spread, and thinking about how fun it would be to write about its writers, I pitched an article based on the website to The Jewish Home L.A.‘s editor. Since the publication is based in L.A., I focused on the website’s contributors who live in the L.A. area. The pitch got accepted, and now the article is hopefully being read by many people.

I guess sometimes it pays to be a fan. In the past, I’ve written book reviews of works by writers whose books I love, and I’ve written stories based on my hobbies and interests. Sometimes, researching articles can be a chore, but when you’re writing about something you love, it’s a pleasure. And then when it’s time to write, the words simply bubble up with enthusiasm.

I’m definitely going to be exploring more of my favorite things in future magazine pitches.

I can’t help but think that there’s a secondary message here: Recently, I’ve been mired down in a project for which my initial enthusiasm has waned. Maybe I need to introduce something new into the project which I’m actually interested in writing about.

Have any writers out there published articles based on one of your “favorite things?”

Do you think it helps/hurts your writing, makes it harder/easier?

And have you tried to draw on your hobbies or interests in order to liven up a project that you need to complete, but which you’re no longer excited about?

A discovery! And what happens when you follow other writers’ advice.

November 16, 2014beccakinla advice, creativity, productivity, serial, tips, writer, writing, writing process Tags: advice, author, binah magazine, creativity, focus@will, inspiration, productivity, serial, tips, write, writer, writing, writing process Leave a comment

So, things today went better today than last week. In short, I wrote more today than I wrote in the entirety of last week. (Yes, that’s how bad things were going.)

One of the things I found helpful was focus@will’s new setting “Cafe focus Beta.” A few months back, I reported that researchers released data indicating that writers are more productive in cafes than sitting in a quiet office at home. Well, I guess the folks at focus@will read the same study, because not only can you use the site to enhance your creativity with baroque or ambient music — or to white noise — you can now listen to a re-creation of a busy cafe full of people.

And yes, I did indeed find it helpful.

I also relied on the advice of other writers today in order to increase my productivity. Continue reading →

Analysis: My first writing workshop for adults

May 26, 2014beccakinla authors, teachers, writer, writing, writing groups, writing process Tags: book, california, coaching, crash course, creative, hobby, how to, jewish, juvenile, kid, kid lit, Klempner, learn, learning, magazine, middle grade, picture book, skill, teen, training, tween, workshop, write, writer, writing, writing workshops Leave a comment

Along with writing and editing, I’ve coached writers one-on-one off-and-on for the last couple years. I’ve presented writing workshops and made author visits to groups even longer than that, but those groups always consisted of school children. Yesterday, for the first time, I combined the two and taught a writing workshop for fledgling writers aged 15 and up. Actual grown-ups attended!

The Crash Course

Since my greatest area of expertise is writing for tots, tweens, and teens, I decided to offer a three-hour crash course in writing for those groups. My husband agreed to whisk away the kids who weren’t in school (some Jewish day school kids attend on Sunday mornings), and I prepared materials and advertised.

Overtime

I thought three hours would be enough, I really did. 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.

Reading books on writing–STORY by Robert McKee and how writers cope with limits

February 12, 2014February 12, 2014beccakinla advice, writer, writing, writing process Tags: challenge, conventions, creative limitations, genre, limit, Robert McKee, screenwriting, story, theme, write, writer, writing Leave a comment

“But it’s about screenwriting!” I said.

Story, by Robert McKee is a book that has come up again and again with my writing friends. A colleague even coached me in some of McKee’s techniques. And I’ve recommended it to random people in the library looking for books on screenwriting. But it was not something I’d ever actually read.

I think my block was this: I’m not planning to write a movie. I haven’t even seen one in a theater for (it’s now official!) ten years. Why would I read a book about screenwriting?

Taking the Plunge

After listening to so many novelists and other writers praise the book, I finally decided to read Story.

It’s fascinating so far.

One of the issues that came up in the bit I read today was about the conventions of genre. Continue reading →

Rebecca Klempner

Author page of Rebecca Klempner

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Sometimes it pays to be a fan…

A discovery! And what happens when you follow other writers’ advice.