Philadelphia Stories Weblog

‘Wacko Wednesdays!’ Each Wednesday, Christine Cavalier, a Philadelphia area writer with a Masters degree in Educational Psychology, outlines a different personality quirk for you to consider. Infuse these personality aspects into your characters and bring your writing to a whole new level. Make your characters memorable by adding a little wacky flavor!

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My husband Gary and I have a friend (who we haven’t seen in a while) named Dave. We met Dave in college. Dave was a very short and slight guy with a personality bigger than a house. Dave was bubbly and he loved everything and everybody. Besides the incredible penchant for enjoying life, Dave seemed like your typical college student. He hung out with us, drank beer, played pool (and lost miserably but never cared) and stressed over term papers. Everything was copacetic.

Until one day Dave announced that he was getting a part-time job at the McDonald’s on campus. That in itself didn’t seem so bad, but then Dave enthusiastically announced that he asked for the first shift. A cry of disbelief rose from the room of friends. “DUDE! That means you’ll have to get up at like, 4 AM in the MORNING!” Dave brushed off our warnings of sure failure and happily started his job at MickeyD’s, sometimes leaving the house before the sun rose. We all gave him a week.

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Someone asked in a post if we know of any writers’ groups in the area. We get this question all the time. We aren’t in a position to recommend any specific groups (although we’ve heard good things about Alison Hicks’ Wordshop Studio), but – basically all you really need to start a writers’ group are good readers and committed writers. Don’t just get your friends to sit around and talk about how great everyone is (or worse — how terrible everyone is). We’ve found the best formula to be inviting a group of careful readers willing to commit to a regular meeting (once a month, every other week) where they discuss and critique each other’s work. It helps to have one experienced facilitator in the group (maybe a teacher or experienced writer, or someone who just manages the meeting to keep everyone on task). Carla and I have had a group that has ebbed and flowed over the years (from as few as three to as many as 12), and being forced to submit work on a regular basis really is helpful. The experience of discussing what works and what doesn’t in a story/poem/essay can be a valuable tool to writers of all ability levels.

Any other feedback on writers groups out there?  

I almost forgot to mention that we had a great open mike that followed yesterday’s reading. You never know how open mikes will go, but we all enjoyed poems by Ruth Rouff and Bob Finkelstein and a novel excerpt by Jacob Russell. Carla also read from her recently rediscovered novel, Stoney Creek. Good fun.

Jacob asked if we’ll do links to literary blogs, and yes — send things along! Our blog gal Cecily can take a look.

Today, we held our quarterly reading at Robins Bookstore, which we do to launch a new issue (the summer issue is hot off the presses now – click HERE to find free copies). It was a small group of readers, and they were all great.

Poet Eileen Moeller kicked off the reading. We’ve published her three times (no small feat with our particular poetry board!), and her reading was great, as always – funny, smart, insightful.

Next up was David Harris Ebenbach. We published David’s story “Shot” in our third issue, and we’re honored to publish another piece of his in our online issue (“The Forum” will be our July featured story). David managed to turn the story of a triple-X theater owner into a moving tale of loss and redemption. He’s working on a pornography-themed collection of stories, so stay tuned for steamy details.

I was happy to introduce Bill Connolly (whose poem “Highlights” appears in the summer issue) with the humble bio: Bill is an administrator from the Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District. Bill climbed on stage, saying how he was under-whelmed by his simple bio and he was honored to be included among such accomplished writers. That’s one of the things I love most about PS – when we have the chance to showcase both emerging as well as established writers. We’ve had many examples of writers whose work was first featured in PS, and they went on to great accomplishments. Our review system may not be perfect, but it’s so cool when we find gems like these.

Last up was poet Jason Jones, who said he liked his simple bio (Jason Jones is a graduate of Temple University. He lives and works in Philadelphia as an Editor for Taylor and Francs Group). Jason read his poem, “Physics“ from the magazine, then recited three impressive works from memory.

I got home to some nice emails:

“What a great reading today — thanks so much for including me! Philadelphia Stories has now twice accepted some of my edgiest work, and I think it’s great you’re open to such things.” – David Harris Ebenbach

“Many thanks to all for your contributions to a wonderful event.  It was a honor to be included and share the microphone with such talented writers.” — Bill Connolly

I have to say – these are the kind of things that keep me going. It’s not always easy to find the 10-20 unpaid hours a week to keep PS alive, but when I go to these events, and people come up and thank Carla and me for the work we do (how often does THAT happen at your day job?), I remember that this is the most rewarding thing I do. Sure, not everyone’s so generous, and we get the occasional nasty emails (the most recent favorite: “take me off your fricking list you linguistic twit”), but for the most part, I’m proud to promote local writers and artists. Too often, Philly is lost in the cultural shadow of New York, and that’s a shame. We have some kick-ass talent here.

A couple weeks ago I wrote about Jennifer Weiner’s blog. Today I want to go in a totally different direction and talk about a blog called “Anything for Material: This Writer’s Life” by Julie Ackerman, who is currently writing her first novel. She hasn’t been blogging for all that long–just since February of this year–but reading her blog has been fascinating for me as a writer. Especially as a writer who is intimidated by the novel form.

Julie left a high paying job as an attorney to stay home and write a novel. This fact completely blows me away, even though a year ago I quit a great job to stay home and be a freelance writer myself. I write articles and get paid for it. She’s writing a NOVEL and is willing to put herself out there and get it published. I realize that hundreds of writers do the same thing every day, but that doesn’t–for me–discount her bravery and courage in any way.

Julie uses her blog, it seems to me, almost as support for herself as a writer. She addresses the challenges she faces in writing her novel on her blog, and you can actually watch her work through a hurdle as she blogs. Julie writes a great deal about her process. She was inspired by Julie Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way,” and often utilizes some spiritual tools to help discipline herself. She speaks frequently of her “internal editor” and how hard she has to work to ignore that voice and plunge forward anyway. One of my favorite posts of hers is titled, “Creator Vs. Editor: The Smackdown” and she starts it like this:

Today my novelist friend said writing a book was like raising a child, because just when you learn how to handle a 10 month old, you have to learn how to handle an 11 month old, and just when you figure out one aspect of novel writing, a new challenge appears.

This has certainly been true for me. In writing my first draft, I edited what I had written the day before, then wrote at least 1,000 new words. But since finishing the draft, I’ve struggled to create reasonable daily goals for editing, and without them find it hard to feel satisfied, know when to quit for the day or to measure my progress. Also vexing is learning how to both create new work and edit existing work, tasks that use different parts of your brain and require different kinds of focus and energy.

The post goes on to talk about the different time of day her creator prefers, and how much she hates and resists the editing process. As all writers know, the editing can be the most critical step (my husband used to say to new writers when they read at the open readings we hosted, “Tell me about you editing process.” To which they universally replied, “Editing process?”). Watching Julie learn to trust herself as both a writer and an editor is the key strength of her blog.

I often say to my writing friends that you are shooting yourself in the foot if you don’t blog. For me, blogging has not only been a rewarding way to learn about myself and my writing, but it’s actually the place I found my voice. And it sure doesn’t hurt that more people read my blog in an hour now than read my entire collection of published poems–ever.

Julie’s blog is the perfect case in point of how writers can use blogs to improve their writing, and support themselves through the process. I find her blog deeply inspiring as I just now begin to contemplate putting together my own book. If you check it out, I’m sure you’ll be inspired too!

‘Wacko Wednesdays!’ Each Wednesday, Christine Cavalier, a Philadelphia area writer with a Masters degree in Educational Psychology, outlines a different personality quirk for you to consider. Infuse these personality aspects into your characters and bring your writing to a whole new level. Make your characters memorable by adding a little wacky flavor!

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Researchers love to look at deviant behavior.  These are the things we do that fall outside the “normal” range of how most people usually act.  Sociology and Psychology scientists eat up odd human behavior like the desert does rain: they can’t ever get enough of it.

Sometimes your fiction needs a character with a secret.  Deviant behavior is a great place to start building that secret life for your character.  A deviant behavior with a lot of potential is Body Modification.  An abundance of research exists about body modification, so there are many different character traits to consider.  Many forms of body modification can stay hidden to your character’s family and friends.  The modification can add a plotline that can go many different ways.  E.g., if you are stumped because your choir girl Bess is too straight-laced (and boring) to steal the church collection plate (which you need her to do), then give her a secret life (a.k.a. subplot) filled with tattoo parlors and hidden piercings.  An Iron Maiden tattoo just above her genitals would add a bit of flavor to Miss Frumpy Solo Soprano now wouldn’t it?

Originally used solely for tribal rituals around the world, tattoos and piercings have leaked into the mainstream culture.  But it’s still a minority of people in that avidly participate in the sub-culture surrounding body modification.  This makes tattoos and pierces perfect fodder for secretly scandalous Bess.
People who engage in body manipulation are saying something about who they are and how they want to be seen, even if the tattoo or pierce is in a place where the sun don’t shine.  Bess knows the story behind the Maiden tat and it’s up to you, the author, to decide whether or not she reveals it to Reverend Bobby (who was *ahem* expecting a virgin) and your readers.

Is one of your characters a closeted body manipulator? Perhaps a tattoo scene is warranted in one of your plotlines. It can be humorous or serious, just make sure it gives your reader some insight into your character’s views of herself.  Even a slight mention of a tattoo or extra pierce when you are describing your character’s physical appearance may lend just enough mystery and depth to your character to keep your readers engaged.  Everyone loves to hear a good tattoo story, so they’ll keep reading if they think one is coming.

But be warned: If you mention the tattoo, you MUST tell the story behind it.  There’s an old adage credited to the Russian writer Anton Chekhov: “If in Act I you have a pistol hanging on the wall, then it must fire in the last act.” A character’s tattoo is the present-day version of Checkov’s gun.  In other words, don’t focus your reader’s attention on something unless they need to know it in order to figure out the story (or psychoanalyze the character).  Disobey this law and your deserted inbox will be drowning in aggravated reader emails for 40 days and 40 nights.

Speaking of which… Bess’s Maiden tattoo: what do YOU think the story is? 

Well I’m back from the Rosemont Writer’s Retreat and feeling unbelievably energized and crazy exhausted at the same time. How is this possible you might ask?–It’s a bizarre phenomenon that happens at writer’s retreats. I wasn’t sure how I would feel when the retreat was finished or how much, if any, work I would get done on my own writing while I was there. This was our first stab at such an event, and as such there were lots of reasons to be completely stressed out. Not that I need much of a push in that direction. If I’m not feeling anxious about something, I’m either on the treadmill or asleep.

All I can say is that the retreat completely exceeded all my expectations–and you really can’t ask for more than that, can you? The students and faculty were fantastic and made my job as program director very easy. The group was small but energized and I know everyone got so much writing done–I managed to crank out about 25 revised pages of work–much more than I had hoped for! One of the students, Aimee LaBrie, www.butcallmebetsy.blogspot.com (her blog is fantastic, and she’s posted some really great stuff about the retreat) started a group story that was hilarious and full of the kind of insidery stuff you hope people come away with after a week of intense togetherness. Courtney Bambrick read the piece at the closing supper and I laughed until my face hurt.

Charles Holdefer, one of the fiction faculty, came all the way from Brussels Belgium to teach! I first met Charles in 2001, the first time I went out to the University of Iowa Summer Writer’s Festival. I loved his workshop so much that I went back the next summer and dragged Christine (Weiser) with me. She fell in love with Charles too. CW and I kept in touch with him (I saw him again the next summer but took someone else’s workshop) and when we launched the retreat, he was the first person I asked to come teach, never dreaming that he would want to come, or be able to get away from his job teaching at the University of Poitier in France. Having these kinds of long distance, work related relations can be really interesting, and I have to say, I was so happy to actually be able to hang out with Charles. We talked about politics and books and religion–it was great.

Liz Abrams-Morley taught poetry for us this summer and although she’s on the standing Rosemont faculty I never had her for class–she was wonderful and funny and generous. If you ever have the opportunity to hear her read, you should go–she’s local and fabulous!

Curtis Smith, who taught Creative Non Fiction, was a blast. Curt, who grew up in Ardmore but lives in Hershey, has read for PS on several occasions, but again, it was one of those things were we never really got to socialize. Curt is an amazing reader, and is one of those writers who approach being published like machine–we were all in awe.

And Elise Juska, again, just a really wonderful, gracious person. We kicked off the Writers and Readers series with Elise, and she set the bar high and me at ease. Elise is moving back to the area in the Fall, her boyfriend will be a poet-in-residence at Princeton, so again any chance you get to hear her read, or take one of her workshops–don’t think about it–do it!

We had some fantastic guest authors make it out to campus too: Greg Frost, Anne Kaier, Catherine Stine, Beth Goldner, Christine Weiser, Denise Gess, Liz Corcoran and Marc Schuster. After the closing dinner on Friday, a group of students and faculty headed over to Gulifty’s–a big Villanova hangout–drank some cold beers and then finished the evening sitting on Marc and Kerri Schuster’s porch, petting their pooch Pete and talking.

We’ve already received the go ahead for next year and should have some preliminary information for folks in the fall–so stay tuned.

From Words Mean Things:
Do you tend to be late or on time? I am pathologically on time – even when I don’t try, I’m there five minutes before I’m supposed to be. My friends, on the other hand, are almost always late. This infuriates me.

From PE Online:

Perennial lateness inhibits success. It’s annoying. It slows progress. And yes, it is disrespectful. Someone once told me: “Being late is one of the most selfish things you can do.” Many people share that opinion. And if it happens to be someone you work with, work for, or sell to—you’re doomed.

Wikipedia writes:

Passive-aggressive personality disorder (also called negativistic personality disorder) is a controversial personality disorder said to be marked by a pervasive pattern of negative attitudes and passive, usually disavowed resistance in interpersonal or occupational situations. It was listed as an Axis II personality disorder in the DSM-III-R, but was moved in the DSM-IV to Appendix B (“Criteria Sets and Axes Provided for Further Study”) because of controversy and the need for further research on how to also categorize the behaviors in a future edition. On that point, Cecil Adams writes:

Merely being passive-aggressive isn’t a disorder but a behavior — sometimes a perfectly rational behavior, which lets you dodge unpleasant chores while avoiding confrontation. It’s only pathological if it’s a habitual, crippling response reflecting a pervasively pessimistic attitude.^[1]

A behavior like habitual lateness seems to divide the populace. Some believe that it isn’t any big deal, that’s why people add (or subtract?) 15 minutes to the REAL schedule, so the latecomers can settle in. Others become supremely annoyed at any sign of tardiness by anyone, no matter what the circumstance. I personally say that flexibility is key, a great personality trait for anyone to have. Some people aren’t capable of returning that flexible favor, though, when you are the late one.

Kids especially. Routine-mongers that they are, any crink in the expected schedule can send almost any child into rage. Thankfully, most of us grow out of it. But what if your character hasn’t gained the flexibility one needs to “roll with the punches” in life? On the other hand, what if your character is habitually late? What if these two polar opposites were related? An on-time employee and an always-late boss? An on-time wife and a lagging husband?

Your personal approach to being on-time to things is fantastic fodder for your character building. Make sure to write the opposite approach into at least one character. Everyone knows this tension; I myself have a friend that I will never drive with again, because she made us to whatever functions we were attending. It’s quite a dodging dance when I think up excuses as to why we can’t carpool. It seems rude and accusatory to actually tell her the truth, so I have to come up with plausible reasons why I want to destroy the environment and take two cars. I’m sure you have similar experiences you can draw upon. The Late/On-Time debate is built-in tension.

Ask yourself, why is my character always ten minutes (early or) late for everything? Are they early because they fear they’ll “miss” something? Doesn’t looking overeager matter to them? Or, is my character trying to avoid a situation? Who at this party does she hate and not want to see and why? Does my character come from a different culture that disregards schedules (Latin America) or sticks to schedules like white on rice (Germany?)

So don’t feel blocked by character traits. As an observant citizen of the world you already have enough knowledge of the inner workings of human personality on which to build great characters.

Sorry for my late post. I’ll try not to make a habit of it!

Hello! I’m Cecily Kellogg, a member of the Philadelphia Stories editorial board (poetry and non-fiction). I’m going to be writing here about blogs by writers, and how writers use their blogs. I’ve been blogging now since 2004, and I have to say, I have never been more connected to my writer’s “voice.” The nature of blogging–basically, keeping a public journal–has given me a real sense of who I am as a writer and what I want to do as a writer.

I won’t lie–all those people that read it every day? Yeah, they help too.

I also read blogs–I subscribe to about 150 blogs currently (I use something called Bloglines to keep track of them all). The blogs I read vary wildly–some are political, some are deeply personal, and some are by other people like me. People that are trying to make their living putting words on a page.

What I love about reading blogs by other writers is the sense of community I get from them. Hearing how other writers handle rejection, cope with writer’s block, or start the process of publishing a book gives me courage and teaches me.

Most of the blogs I read by writers are not famous writers. They are just other folks who either work as freelance commercial writers (as do I), or are aspiring novelists. But I do read several blogs by more well-known authors, and one of my favorites is by Philadelphia’s own Jennifer Weiner.

Jennifer Weiner is well known for her novels “Good In Bed,” “In Her Shoes,” and “Little Earthquakes.” She’s also published a mystery novel and a collection of short stories (which I just finished–it was excellent, but I wanted each story to be its own novel) called “The Guy Not Taken.” In her blog she often discusses publishing foibles and challenges, her upcoming events (or her past events and how they went), and all-too-rare mentions of her children.

But where her blog really shines is when she unleashes her considerable wit and irony on the publishing industry at large.

Because she’s a female novelist whose books often have pink covers (these are her words), she is cast into the category called “chick lit.” She both bemoans this fact but also embraces it, because so many women authors are labeled with this rather dismissive term. She often mentions books she’s reading, and authors she loves. She discusses the hypocrisy of book reviewers, and gently admonishes other writers for their egos (particularly those authors that both court attention and revile it). Reading her blog can often feel like a ring-side seat into the deep, dark world of book publishing and all that goes on there. When I keep up with her blog, I feel much more connected to the world of publishing–even though I don’t yet have a book to publish.

If you are interested in reading more, check out Jennifer’s blog here. You won’t be sorry.