Hello!  I have so much to tell you all that I hardly know where to start.  You know when you have a bazillion ideas for blog posts and not enough days to write them so you try to cram it all into one post?  That’s this post right here.

That said, I’ve decided not to fight the random today and share all my crazy thoughts with you all at once.

Random Thought #1:  I am sorry to say I will be leaving the blogosphere for a short vacation starting the second week in August because… I’m going to Ireland.  SQUEE!  For years I’ve had visions of frolicking in verdant fields, stocking up on tons of wool and maybe even hugging a sheep.  Still, it means fourteen days of limited internet.  I’m thinking of trying to sneak my laptop with me so I can get my internet fix, but I don’t want my hubby to go all gregzilla on me.  So, the way I’ll leave it is this: if I can post while I’m away, I’ll post, but if I can’t you’ll know it’s because I’m getting my knit on.

Random Thought #2: DIY MFA
As most of you already know, I’ve become intrigued (READ: obsessed) with this idea of a Do-It-Yourself MFA.  I’ve since come up with this crazy (READ: utterly insane) idea of doing a month-long blog extravaganza on this topic.  I’ll be challenging myself to post an article on this topic every day for a month, with the idea that by the end of it, I should have touched on all facets of the DIY MFA.

September is the month when most people start back at at school so it seems fitting that iggi U should open it’s (virtual doors) at that time.  The idea is to create a space where writers can find as much information on this topic as possible in one place so that they may put together a program of study that fits their own writing needs.  The plan: I’ll be posting every day on some aspect of the DIY MFA through September, the idea being that by the end of the month, you should have all the info you need to put together your own personalized writing plan.

My question for you all is this: is this idea completely crazy?  Is this topic something you’d be interested in hearing more about?

Random Thought #3:  Last, but certainly not least, is a quick reminder.  The Writing Through the Senses challenge ends tonight at 11:59pm EST.  If you’re doing the challenge, please check to make sure I’ve got you on my list so you’ll be included in the contest.  And don’t forget to read the Writing Through the Senses posts and give your comments.  Thank you to everyone who has participated!  I’ll be posting the winner tomorrow.

The way I see it, there are three basic types of writing books.  You have books on craft, books of writing exercises and prompts, and books about the writing life.  A well-balanced writing library should probably represent all three types.  Yet, not all writing books are created equal and as someone with limited shelf-space at my disposal, I’ve had to pick and choose which writing books I add to my collection.  That’s when I came up with this list of The Essentials.  If I had to pick only one or two books in each category, these are the books I would choose.

Craft

 If you must own only one book on the craft of fiction, I would recommend Gotham Writers’ Workshop Writing Fiction.  This book gives you the basics on character, plot, dialogue and description.  There are many books on craft that are similar, but I’m partial to this one because each chapter is written by a different author.  This means that as a reader you gain a variety of perspectives and approaches to writing, rather than just one author’s view.

Similarly, if poetry is your preference, the book on craft that I would  recommend is Kim Addonizio’s Ordinary Genius which I reviewed previously on this site.  This book explains the craft of poetry without losing the beauty of it as well.  In addition, the writing is so fluid and engaging that we don’t even realize we’re learning about craft.  This is the sort of book you could read cover-to-cover, like a novel.

Writing Exercises

There are lots of great books with writing exercises and prompts, some of which I’ve already reviewed on this blog.  I find, though that if I were forced to choose only one, it would be The 3am Epiphany by Brian Kiteley.  While there are many other books that offer interesting exercises, this one is my favorite because the prompts not only get you writing, but they force you to consider elements of craft as well.  In fact, you could learn as much about craft from this book as you would from the craft books listed above.  There is also a sequel to this book called The 4am Breakthrough, but considering that there are 201 exercises in The 3am Epiphany, I suspect this book alone could keep a writer busy for a very long time.

Writing Life

This category was the most difficult one for me to limit my choices, but I have managed to trim down my selections to two books.  The first, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, is one of my favorite books ever.  This book gives a warm and honest view of the writing life as experienced by Lamott.   

 
Writing down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg is my other favorite in this category.  Though a little more didactic than Bird by Bird at times, this book guides writers through all aspects of their writing life.  Topics range from writing in restaurants to writing marathons to fighting tofu.

In the end, The Essentials may vary from one writer to another.  If I had to limit my writing library to five books, these would be the ones I would choose.  What books do you consider your Essentials?

Last week I started writing about this idea of a DIY MFA.  As I gear up for my super-secret, super-exciting fall surprise, I wanted to talk about who would be the perfect candidate for the DIY MFA.

Qualities Necessary for the DIY MFA

• Be a Self-Starter:  To follow a plan like this on your own, you need to be the sort of writer who can motivate yourself and keep yourself going.  While it’s great to ruminate and let the muses work their magic, a DIY MFA doesn’t do itself.  You need to be good at pushing yourself because no one will be there to do it for you.
• Honor Self-Imposed Deadlines:  Nothing imposes a healthy dose of fear in a writer like a deadline.  Problem is, you won’t have class deadlines to motivate you so you need to be good at scaring yourself into getting the work done.  Self-imposed deadlines are very easy to ignore because no one is there to tell you your work is overdue.  You need to come up with ways of giving your self-imposed deadlines enough weight that you get the work done.
• Reach Out:  Writers need support from other writers.  Conferences and readings are great places to meet other aspiring writers, so don’t be afraid to approach other writers and speak to people.  If you’re shy about meeting people in person, start with reaching out to other writers via blogs, twitter or online writing networks.

Think you’ve got what it takes to do a DIY MFA?  In the fall we’ll be doing DIY MFA extravaganza with weekly themes, a twitter chat and a daily plan to help you set up your very own DIY MFA.  Stay tuned for more about the DIY MFA and in the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts below or tweet your comments using the #diymfa hashtag.

Back in 2008, my writing space was a sore subject for me, mostly because I didn’t have one.  Every time I wanted to write, I had to clear off the dining table, lug my laptop over there, collect any papers or materials I needed, and then settle myself down to write.  OK, so maybe it took only a few minutes to do all of that, but all that extra effort seemed like an enormous obstacle.

That was when I decided to create a special writing space for myself.  I converted my drafting table into a workspace and decorated it with all the mascots and creative thing-a-ma-jigs I felt were necessary.

A tour?  So glad you asked.  Hop in!  For your safety, please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times and lower the safety bar.  Oh, and no flash photography please.

First stop, the desk.  As you can see, the laptop gets the place of honor in the center and to the left and right are all my mascots and totems that keep me company while I write.  The lamp itself doesn’t work as a lamp anymore but it makes for a great spot to hang things (I’m a big fan of leis and mardi gras beads).  Perched on the topmost spot we have my CTU hat that I wear when I’m doing revision.  I pretend I’m Jack Bauer shooting down all the stupid ideas and cliche phrases in my writing.

I’d like to turn your attention to the handy-dandy hangy-thing on the wall.  This is where I keep lots some of the writing exercises or materials that don’t fit in the ORACLE (my box of writing magic tricks).  I also keep index card notes on my characters or the plot arc of the story.  (These date back to before I started using Scrivener and had to use real index cards.)

Finally, we have the magnet/bulletin board.  Right now there isn’t much on it, just a few images that stay there regardless of which project I’m working on (the purveyor-of-wool picture and the don’t-forget-to-write postcard.)  At certain points in my creative process this board becomes much more cluttered.

There you have it, my special writing space.  Do you have a special writing space of your own?  Please do share.  I love to hear about writers’ processes and writing habits.