Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Link Corral: Be a More Productive Writer, Job Opportunity in SC, and F. Scott!

Weren’t we just talking about F. Scott Fitzgerald?  And yet there’s always more!

--Here’s a link to a Simon and Schuster, where you can enter to win a complete Fitzgerald Classics Library from Scribner:  http://pages.simonandschuster.com/fitzgeraldclassics

--Here’s a link to the first newspaper advertisement for The Great Gatsby (and it’s worth scrolling through to see the other ads…I especially liked the ad for Joan Didion’s Play It As It Lays):  http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/09/10/read-me-dwight-garner-book-ads/


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I find myself intrigued by this “system” of carving up writing time into blocks.  On Facebook, there were some compelling testimonials from some new believers.  Can you argue with something called “The Secret to Being a Productive and Focused Writer”?

For years I have set myself a goal of writing 2,000 words per day. Sometimes it felt like a prison sentence. I’d keep eyeing my word count, willing it to get larger.

Sometimes I’d be stuck in my office for eight to ten hours, and when I was finished, I’d feel hollowed out and weak, like someone who has given away too many pints of blood. Other times I’d write poor quality filler just to get the job done.

Much too often I’d become distracted; responding to the ding of my email like Pavlov’s dog, surfing the internet whenever I got stuck, hearing the damning words of Jonathan Franzen resound in my mind:

“It’s doubtful that anyone with an Internet connection at his workplace is writing good fiction.”

Luckily, all of the above ceased to be a problem when I found the Pomodoro Technique. An Italian named Francesco Cirillo invented the technique, and it can be used with any task but it works particularly well with writing.
 


(Link via Karin Gillespie)

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Here’s a job for the right person…and it’s in Spartanburg, so I can meet you for lunch at the Beacon Drive-In during the Converse MFA residencies!

The Spartanburg, SC non-profit community program HUB-BUB seeks a dynamic, experienced leader to serve as its Executive Director. The Director will manage the flexible gallery and performance space at the Showroom and conduct innovative cultural programming, including coordinating artists, staff, and volunteers. Qualified candidates will have experience leading non-profit organizations or similar corporate experience and have strong skills in management, program development, fundraising, financial operations, communications, and planning. To apply, please send a letter and resume as e-mail attachments to office@hub-bub.com. Review of candidates will begin October 9 and continue until the position is filled. For the complete job description, go to hub-bub.com/opportunities.