Wednesday, June 19, 2013
by lexiconia
My company has a specific tool for developing and analysing long-term career goals. They call it a Career Development Plan, and it asks all kinds of incisive questions such as: What type of work do you like? What are your short term goals? What are your long term goals? What skills and experiences do you need?
It also allows you to add actions you can take to develop your career. This week, my manager decided it was time we had a discussion about my career. But when we sat down to talk through the Career Development Plan, I honestly couldn’t think of what I wanted out of my day job. I simply see it as a way to make a living while I get on with the real business of writing. (Obviously, I had enough discretion to keep that to myself–if you’re reading this, I’m sorry! Or at least I will be…)
But it got me thinking about my writing career. Beyond “write a book that’s so awesomely awesome it takes the world by storm,” what were my goals? And just as importantly, what did I have to do to get there? read more »
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Monday, June 17, 2013
by kathronan1
Finally a day on which I could stand in my backyard with the first item of clothes in my hands and some clothes pins in my teeth! A day when I could take in a deep breath of warm air, and not even try to keep from grinning like a fool. You see, Mother Nature has been in a bit of a mood disorder here in New Jersey this Spring. Seems like every day brings an unexpected shift in the weather, from freezing to broiling, and back again. The upshot has been a delay in one of my favorite warm weather rituals, the laundry.Wait, what? I can almost hear the collective cyber-gasp. You did in fact read both the title and the introduction correctly. You see, I don’t mean just doing the laundry any old way. When the warm weather arrives, I relish the day when I unplug the dryer and go au natural. (Not that kind of au natural! Heavens, I don’t live in a nudist colony. I can’t believe I just wrote that, though what with the interwebs’ penchant for all sorts of odd fetishy things I am not a bit surprised that you slipped into the gutter on that.) read more »
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Friday, June 14, 2013
by Neil Fein
All good things eventually must end, but change can be good. You may have noticed that, sadly, Steven has decided to leave the Nose. Luckily, Kathleen Ronan, who’s started writing here over the past few weeks, will be taking over for Steven on Mondays.
We’re also looking to expand the site. We’d like to update more often–and with a more diverse range of topics. So please keep those writing applications coming, we read and eventually respond to every one. You can reach it on the “write for the Nose” tab on top of every page, or by clicking on this link.
I’d also like to ask: What do you like best about the site? Those of you who’ve subscribed by email, what made you click that “subscribe” link? I know you’re reading these posts, but what’s causing you to keep coming back? read more »
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Wednesday, June 12, 2013
by lexiconia
I’m an attention whore. There, I said it. I’m the one who puts up a post on Facebook then checks back every half hour to see how many likes it got. Or after I write one of these articles, I’ll be back every few hours to check on it. Did people like it? Did anyone share? How many views did it get? Oh man, no one liked it, what did I do wrong now?
I know, it’s kind of sickening–like a dog begging for attention from strangers in the park. The thing is, much as I say that I don’t care about the response, or as much as my logical mind tells me I’m being ridiculous, it matters to me. read more »
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Monday, June 10, 2013
by Steven E.A.
Three years ago I was picked up at a Korean airport in the middle of a rainstorm. My friends Kate and Chaz had already been there for a year and they took us on a combination bus and taxi ride to their apartment. The lights in Busan shone red and orange and yellow and reflected like glowing shadows off the glossy water glazed streets. I knew then what it must be like to be illiterate, the words nothing more than geometric dashes. The taxi’s window was streaked and speckled with rain as I watched the passing buildings and people. There was more of everything. Advertisements, people, cars, and even the apartment complexes were put together en masse along the mountains’ edges like rows of giant legos. I kept thinking to myself that if I were ever to navigate this city on my own, that in itself would be a miracle.
Now I find myself in anticipation mode. Korea has been a fabulous home to me. The experiences and lessons will stay with me for the rest of my life. But now I’m headed back to my home country, and not just for a short visit, for an indefinite amount of time. My wife and I have already sold and gotten rid of a large amount of what we’ve collected over the years. We’ve been cleaning, organizing and packing our suitcases. Anytime Kimmy and I go out, we look at our surroundings fully aware that this could be our last time seeing this area or trying that type of food. America calls to us like an old, favorite sweater you’ve discovered buried in the attic. Just the sight of it reminds us of all we’ve missed and forgotten the last trio of years. read more »
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Friday, June 7, 2013
by kathronan1
There are some seriously bookish, utterly geeky friends who populate my little corner of the world. As you might imagine, this tends to lead to some rather odd discussions. There are probably not too many groups of people who would consider parsing when and how they use possessive terms as casual discussion over drinks. It may be even less likely, that you could find a group somewhat heatedly dissecting the impact of using those words in general speech. Just such a conversation took place in my home one afternoon not long ago. Lest you think this conversation hearkens to your college days and everyone was stoned, I assure you we were not.What exactly do I mean by “possessive”? I mean the words we use to indicate our belongings: my, mine, our, and so on. Stop for just a moment and consider how we use them in everyday exchanges with others. We are cavalier in referring to our stuff: my house, my car, my clothes, my dishes, my computer… on and on. Framed this way, the impact of word choice becomes much more clear. Mine, mine, mine. What a lot of weight to carry around! I don’t only mean the physical weight. I also include the psychological (even spiritual?) weight of keeping up with all that stuff. read more »
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Wednesday, June 5, 2013
by lexiconia
I was a pretty terrible child. Spoiled, impatient and easily annoyed, I can’t imagine I was all that pleasant to put up with. (My family still hasn’t disowned me, so I assume I turned out relatively okay.) But worst of all–and one of my biggest regrets still–was how I treated my little sister.
Before she grew up and stopped seeing everything through innocent kid glasses, she really looked up to me. She followed me around, tried to imitate my tastes, and was everything you’d expect an adorable little sister to be. So what did I do? I made her life miserable. read more »
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Monday, June 3, 2013
by Steven E.A.
During my university years, a writing instructor made certain to drive home the point that it’s extremely important to find someone you trust to read your work. Luckily for me, I married that person. Kimmy is not one to shy away from a harsh critique. After finishing a novel shortly after college, I printed it off and loaned it to anyone who would take it. My wife (then girlfriend) was one of those unlucky victims of my coma-inducing writing. I had to prod and prod her to read it, and since I was wearing some pretty blinding pride goggles, it took me much longer than it should have to realize she didn’t like it. No, no–she hated it. If I had covered it in gasoline and set it ablaze, I imagine she’d have applauded, her hand claps fanning the flames. That novel has become the Voldemort of our household. It is the novel whose name we do not speak, and in those rare moments when it is spoken, Kimmy lets loose an audible groan to remind me of my malfeasance. read more »
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Friday, May 31, 2013
by Neil Fein
The evening was hot, even stifling. The three of us had been recording our first studio album for the past half-year, but those months of mandolin and microphones, and vocals and cables had come to a close. We were done recording, and it was time to see what we had accomplished. Roger Noguerol, our drummer from Barcelona, has produced albums in the past, so he was the natural choice to take charge as producer. And on this May evening, our producer invited us to his living room to hear the album in full. read more »
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Wednesday, May 29, 2013
by lexiconia
Where do I start a story about the end of the journey of my first novel? I could start it a few months back when I received the last of a final trickle of (admittedly encouraging) rejections from agents. I could go all the way back to last year, when I first joined up for an online critiquing community, Critique Circle, and promptly forgot about it. Or perhaps two months ago, when I started getting involved by giving a few critiques to others.
It’s a scary thing, putting the baby you’ve laboured on for so long into the public eye. It’s different from your friends and friends of friends who beta read, because this is a test run where you ask, Will it read well? Will it attract readers? read more »
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