clarion
Preparing to write write write
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 | clarion | No Comments
In a few short days I’ll be writing for the Clarion Write-a-Thon. It turns out this is a necessary act of madness. I’ve been neglecting my novel you see. I’ve had a surge in work – writing websites, communication campaigns and work-for-hire comic books and moving to Seattle AND travelling back to Portland to work with clients. I almost told the folks that made my scholarship possible last year, the Clarion Foundation, that I would have to withdraw from the write-a-thon, too busy you see… then one of my wonderful Clarion instructors, Holly Black, sponsored me. I couldn’t back out after that, let down the team?
Never!
So I shall work on my novel every day during the write-a-thon, plug away at the beasty regardless of other things that suck up my creative energy. This will be an inverse Clarion experience in many ways! At Clarion there is the amazing sensation of being in a place for one purpose and one purpose only. How often do you get to enjoy that? It felt wonderful to me. This year during the Clarion time slot I will be juggling multiple projects (from Indigenous mental health to website copywriting), travelling north and south, east and west, judging Comikaze 24 Hour Comics Challenge and I will be working on a novel, not short stories.
I’ll need your help. This novel is ambitious and a bit scary. I’m exploring many unknowns and taking a lot of creative risks. During the write-a-thon I’m going to post every day, letting you know how I’m going. I need you to nag me, poke me, encourage me, ask questions, be provocative, whatever you will (say ….cash monies to the Clarion Foundation). Neglecting a novel is a terrible thing and I must persevere and push through somehow. Four days to prepare and then it’s Go on June 27.
Lots of love
Liz
Congratulations to Clarion Class of 2010
Sunday, March 21st, 2010 | clarion | 2 Comments
Yes the class of 2010 has been announced.
Dear Clarion Class of 2010,
Congratulations and welcome. I hope you have an amazing time. I can’t believe it’s been a year already! It feels like yesterday I was running round the house waving my hands and opening bottles of champagne.
Here are some things I think helped our year and I adore my year. There are many variables, I hope this is useful.
Rearrange the tables in the cafeteria every day so that you can all sit together. I am so glad we did this and I know for me at least gave me a much stronger feeling of one whole community — a foundation for community without the strange and mysterious logistics of different eating tables.
Make community as a conscious act. Re-arrange other physical spaces to make them seem more welcoming (we did some crafty, collaborative decorating of our common room, goodbye ugly white walls). Have fun together (work hard, play hard) and find out ways to let off steam (remember to buy your water pistols, or like me you will be running around with clumsy plastic cups instead). Do STUFF.
I could go on, but this is your Clarion, have fun exploring it. May your Clarion bring you everything you hope for and more.
Best
Liz, Clarion Class of 2009
—
Jeff VanderMeer, one of the instructors posted his congratulations… squeee, look at the tribe forming in the comments section :-)
Clarion buddy Ken Schneyer posted even better advice on his blog.
This month I’ve added to my Clarion Blog posts collection with
Eugene Fisher – Clarion 2008
- Advice for those who didn’t get in, congratulations to the Class of 2009, reflections and links to Kathleen Howard’s Clarion survival advice
Kari O’Connor – Clarion 2007
Clarion Blogs February Update
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 | clarion | No Comments
Three new Clarion blogs have been added to the collection this month – Random Jane, Artemis Jones and Allan Rouselle. I found these blogs through a lovely e-mail Neile Graham sent me many months ago that I’m slowly working my way through. Thanks Neile!
Clarion collection of posts have been updated
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 | Process, clarion | No Comments
I try to update the collection every month with a slow, catchemall plan (sustainability is crucial). This month my new catch, harking back to 1985, is from The Ferret. Thanks for flinging them my way dude.
William Shunn and Geoffrey A. Landis have been added to the collection.
Other news
The skribit question (see right hand side of the webpage): How to find a comics artist? has been buzzing around in my head a lot. I’ve composed about 20 zillion answers, generally while trying to fall asleep or not wanting to get out of bed. I have finally found an approach that pleases me and a very rough draft has been written longhand (yep, I’m old school). I have a few other things I have to write before I’m allowed to indulge in finishing it off, but it is coming.
Writers Bootcamp – for all funky fiction writers (including folks who want to write comics)
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 | clarion | 5 Comments
This is for everyone who wants to develop their writing, but it’s especially for folks who want to write comics. Please pass it on.
Clarion Writers Workshop was a fantastic experience and really exciting for me. I write across many genres (from ‘literary’ to horror to spec fic) and I write across a range of media (prose, poetry, song and comics) and I felt developed and respected in all my guises. The focus of this workshop is the short story, but the lessons learned go much deeper and broader than that. As someone who has been slogging away at comics career for quite a while now Clarion made me really excited for emerging comic writers.
The life of an aspiring comics writer can be lonely, frustrating and it can be very difficult to get access to tha constructive criticism that will help you develop your craft. I see enormous potential for comic writers to deepen their storytelling craft through this writing workshop. I also see how comics writers can give different approaches to the craft of short story writing -> the discipline of writing comics schools you in different ways.
Clarion 2010
Friday, September 4th, 2009 | clarion | 5 Comments
The instructors for Clarion and Clarion West have been announced.
Clarion will have the pleasure of:
Jeff and Ann VanderMeer will be the bring it home team for the last two weeks. I’ve just finished reading Delany’s essay on Clarion, I’m so excited for next year.
Clarion reading list
Friday, August 14th, 2009 | clarion | 3 Comments
Updated 5 September – as I go through my notes and find more recommendations.
One of the many joys of Clarion was to get recommendations for good reads from wise teachers and co-clarionerds. This is an incomplete list, I forgot to jot down the list on the fridge and I’m sure there are ones mentioned in passing that I neglected. My dear co-clarionitics, if you read this and see absences and would like to recommend… or indeed other wise minds who read this and want to add to my enormous reading list please make some suggestions. It’s delightful to have such a rich and diverse list.
Little liz – the accident prone years
Sunday, May 3rd, 2009 | News update, clarion | No Comments
… no the accident prone years would mean just about any year. I am writing this with a strapped finger after getting a deep slash in my finger while examining suitcases.
I wrote up this anecdote to share with my Co-Clarionaters, we’re getting to know each other and Mr
The scene. Midnight, an eight year old Liz is cutting up a chocolate syrup bottle with stanley knife (box cutter). The plastic is really hard and I am tired and impatient and get careless. The stanley knife suddenly swishes really smoothly through plastic and over one of my fingers.
There’s a lot of blood. Everyone is sleeping and I know I shouldn’t be up and I don’t want to bother anyone and I don’t want to get into trouble so I stifle any kind of sound and try to apply first aid.
My parents, woken by random sounds and movements late at night find a bathroom with blood splats and a messy pile of bandaids that keep floating off.
My parents say “What’s going on?” with some urgency.
I hide my hand behind my back and say “nothing” convinced I am going to be in the biggest trouble ever for being so stupid with a knife.
I don’t get into trouble at all and am whisked off to hospital where I get a tetanus shot, many local anesthetic injections and get two stitches. I watch with fascination as the thread passes through my flesh and somewhere in the back of my head I’m thinking “Wow this will make a great story.”
I’m particularly pleased that I will remember this as I’m still cross that I don’t remember breaking my leg when I was three ’cause that was really cool and my leg bent at a funny angle. It’s very unfair I don’t remember breaking my leg especially because my brother says that when you break a limb it heals to be stronger and so my chances of ever having a broken leg again have been reduced by 50%.
I get a day off school to recover and I traumatise my little sister for years and years with slow graphic descriptions of watching needle and thread go through flesh.
Even at eight everything was material to observe and absorb to use for later and my technique for any kind of trauma or scary thing is “this will be useful material”.
Wonderful scholarship news
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 | clarion | 5 Comments
I just got some great news from the good people at Clarion. I have received some scholarship support from the following organisations/groups/foundations:
- Walter and Marjorie Farrell Scholarship
- The Farrell Scholarship in Honor of Tina Spell
- IBM
- Clarion Foundation and UCSD Knight/Wilhelm Endowed scholarships
You can find out more about the scholarships on the Clarion Sponsorship page.
I feel honoured that they’ve deemed me worthy. Excuse me while I do a happy dance.
I feel so fortunate, going to Clarion is a scary financial commitment, especially on the variable wages of a freelancer. Since my acceptance the Australian dollar has rallied and improved, saving me a considerable amount of money. I have sold my car for a good price and earlier than I thought (saving money on servicing and insurance, not to mention parking and petrol as I have no choice but to walk, bus or car pool). I have got several chunky projects that have also helped to bring in the dollars as well as give me amazing life experiences and see more of Australia before leaving my homeland.
The life of a freelancer can be financially precarious and as a person of relatively modest spending (or at least no regular expensive habits) one of the psychologically difficult things about shifting to a freelancer has been the struggle to save money. I discovered how much of my self esteem is tied into being able to put a little away each fortnight and being able to pay off debt quickly. Now the struggle is more epic, clawing ahead, then taken out by unexpected bills and the grind of a morgage, a quiet spell or some surgery. The joy of money and the sorrow of payments more profound, it reminds me of being a uni student.
The scholarships do not pay for all of my tuition, but it makes such a difference. I can feel my mind expanding, knowing that I have more savings to cushion me during the ups and downs of a freelancers life. A few more dollars to support my ongoing creative development and the scary adventure of living in a new country.
I am filled with gratitude.
Clarion blogs, journals, articles and interviews
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 | clarion | 24 Comments
Last updated 13 August 2010
An organically growing collection of blog posts, journals and interviews by people who have attended Clarion. To be included the posts must be specifically about the Clarion experience.
There are some additional links at the bottom for general Clarion stuff (including The Clarion Foundation’s new blog).
The list is updated about once a month. If you add a comment with links and it does not appear within a day please e-mail me, it may have set off the spam filter.
You may wish to begin at the beginning, get cozy with Storyteller: Writing Lessons and More from 27 Years of the Clarion Writers’ Workshop written by Clarion co-founder Kate Wilhelm. I love learning through examples, stories and anecdotes. I must sit down with it again, very practical, very lovely… and, this time round, a little nostalgic.
Direct links to journal entries (or tagged collections of entries)
NEW Michael A. Burstein – Clarion 1994
NEW Andy Romine – Clarion West 2010
NEW John Remy – Clarion West 2010
Tiffani Angus – Clarion 2009
- Week 1
- Week 2
- Week 3
- Week 4
- Week 5
- Week 6
- And a general Clarion tag, for pre-Clarion and post-Clarion briefings
Liz Argall – Clarion 2009
- Congratulations and advice to the Class of 2010
- Post Clarion and moving to the USA reflections – We do it because it is hard
Mishell Baker – Clarion 2009
- Fantasy Magazine article on pregnantly preparing for Clarion
Lee Batersby hosts guest blogs and other juicy Clarion things – Clarion South 2009
- Clarion tagged thingies on Lee Battersby’s Blog
Alessio Bresciani – Clarion South
Philip Brewer – Clarion 2001
Keyan Bowes – Clarion 2007
- Keyan Bowes has created a lovely index page chronicling her Clarion experiences
Aidan Doyle – Clarion South
The Ferret – Clarion
- Collected Journal entries about Clarion (updated to a new and improved launchpad 1 April 09, thanks Mr Ferret)
Eugene Fisher – Clarion 2008
- Advice for those who didn’t get in, congratulations to the Class of 2009, reflections and links to Kathleen Howard‘s Clarion survival advice
Neile Graham – Clarion West 1996
Gavin J Grant – Clarion 2000
Random Jane – Clarion West 2005
- Short and sweet with some unusual metrics (I wonder how the yoga mat is)
Artemis Jones – Clarion West 2002
Jordan Lapp – Clarion West 2009
Geoffrey A. Landis - Clarion 1985
- Survival tips (still relevant today), a few thoughts looking back, and where are they now statistics
David Levine – Clarion West 2000
Rochita Loenen-Ruiz – Clarion West 2009
- In Fantasy Magazine she writes of her anticipation
- She wrote many blog posts in her Livejournal, this is when she arrives at Clarion and you can trace her steps from there
Suzy McKee Charnas – A tutor’s perspective
Steve Mitchell, Clarion South 2009
Kari O’Connor – Clarion 2007
Pamela Rentz – Clarion West 2008
Shauna Roberts – Clarion 2009
- Shauna reflects on the process on her personal blog
- Shauna writes about it in Novel Spaces
Ben Rosenbaum – Clarion West
- http://www.benjaminrosenbaum.com/journal/2001_06_20.html
- http://www.benjaminrosenbaum.com/journal/2001_07_12.html
- http://www.benjaminrosenbaum.com/journal/2001_08_17.html
Allan Rousselle – Clarion West 2001
Rudy Rucker – Clarion West 2009
- Some sage words from an instructor How to write
Ken Schneyer – Clarion 2009
- Ken’s congratulations and advice to the Class of 2010
- Index of posts relating to Clarion (some of his posts even have pretty pictures!)
Wendy A. Shaffer – Clarion West 2002
William Shunn – Clarion 1985
Angela Slatter – Clarion South
Clarion South on Tor.com – an overview
Clarion South on WordPress, including interviews with tutors on the process.
Clarion South Collective of 2007
- What comes first the successful writer or the workshop part one
- What comes first the successful writer or the workshop part two
- Getting creative part 1
- Getting creative aka the physics of unicorn horns part 2
- Quantity versus quality part one
- Quality over quantity part two
- Everything I need to know I learned at clarion south by laura e goodin
- Working-with-the-big-bad-bold-tutors
and the achievements of the 2007 class over the last two years
Jeff VanderMeer, Clarion South 2009
Alex Wilson – Clarion 2006
Clarion related and more alumni
Tina Connolly maintains a lot of knowledge love and linkage love for Clarion West, her year and other years
General blogs and linkage love for Clarion class of 2006
Blog links for Clarion West class of 2006
David Barr Kirtley – After Clarion
The Clarion Actual
The Clarion Foundation & The Clarion Blog
Clarion (San Diego, USA)
Clarion West (Seattle, USA)
Clarion South (Brisbane, Australia)
And down below, that’s my Clarion – 2009, San Diego
Liz is
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