Friday, November 16, 2012

Life Writing: A Bridge Between Writers and Researchers

Hello, writers.

If you check this website often, you will undoubtedly noticed a lack in activity. Ryan, Emily and I have been tangled in work and personal obligations, but hopefully as the semester winds down we'll be making more regular posts here.

Anway, on to the post!

As a rhetoric studies person (the only one at 12Writing), I spend most of my time looking at other people's writing instead of creating my own texts. I tend to think less about aesthetics and more the work that writing does in the world. If you think it seems strange that I am working on a creative writing website, you wouldn't be wrong.

Traditionally, the was an invisible wall between rhetoric studies and creative writing studies in the academic world and often this wall extended outside of the university to artist and researchers outside of academia. This wall has been breaking down in recent years as interdisciplinary studies and hybrid writing gains popularity, but old habits die hard, as the saying goes. This habit is the reason for my post today.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Writing Workshops: The How-To of Sharing Your Work

Hey there, Fellow Writers!
Here's a list of blog posts describing the writing workshop process and what to look for as you seek your own workshop.

More Tips for Writers

General Writing Advice and Tips

(Coming Soon!) 

Looking for ways to improve your writing? We have compiled some websites that offer you tips and tricks to make your writing life more productive.

Your Writing: Tips for Getting Started

Hello Writers!

Here are some links to pages with advice for getting started. There is all kinds of different advice from what to eat to be more creative to different writing prompts to get your creativity flowing. Enjoy!

More Tips for Writers

Publishing Your Work

Hello Writers!

This page is dedicated to information about getting published. These links will help you get ready to publish, how to find a publisher, and how to avoid literary scams. Publishing can be a drawn out, ugly process. Let these links be your guide.

More Tips for Writers

Just for Fun

Hello Writers!

Writing is serious business, but sometimes you just want to have fun. Fun is what this page is for! We've collected several quirky, silly, funny, and interesting links about writing and literature. These websites and videos make for quick diversions that not only entertain, but may just stoke your creativity. Enjoy.

More Tips for Writers

Revising Your Writing

Hello Writers!

Revision can sometimes be a difficult and confusing process. Fortunately, we have compiled a list of guides and articles about revising and workshopping. Now matter how difficult the process is for you, remember that revising is just a way of making your work better.

More Tips for Writers

Genre and Literary Elements

Hello Writers!

This page is dedicated to information about genre and literary elements. Not sure how to write a love poem? Or maybe you're struggling to put dialogue in your story. Check out the links below for all sorts of tips and how to's.

More Tips for Writers

How to Teach Creative Writing

Hello Writers and Teachers!

We have collected a few links to provide you with help and inspiration when creating your creative writing curriculum.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Link Review: A.D. Jameson's Teaching Creative Writing

This link review covers an extremely level-headed perspective on teaching creative writing while adding one significant detail that could further this link's useful breakdown analysis a touch beyond its already wonderful quality of discussion.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

What Can Creative Writing Learn From Web Comic Communities?

As of late I’ve been exploring the web comic world. Why? Because there is an artwork being provided to an audience for free and it seems to do well enough to stay afloat. My main resources for this reading and speculation have been from PVP, Penny Arcade, and Questionable Content. The following are three observations that creative writers can note from these web comic communities.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Link Review: Five Winning Habits of Successful Writers

12Writing frequently features links on our Facebook fan page, but why? This is the first of hopefully many future reviews to come that explain what we find so interesting about the pages we share and how we approach these writing resources for ourselves as writers. Not every page is perfect, but many pages are providing amazing information. We hope these reviews will help you get the most out of our featured Facebook posts and be a site for continuing discussion on the writerly subjects that matter most to you.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

And The Big Question Is...


Can good writing be taught? It's a pretty simple question. I mean, it is only five words long. It shouldn't be that complicated right? Unfortunately, there is no simple yes or no answer to this question.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Free Online Feedback! This Week Only!

Do you have a story or poem in need of feedback?  Would you like to share your work online?  Then submit your work for Online Review.  The first five writers to submit their work by June 15, 2012 will receive comprehensive feedback (totally free of charge) to be shared on the 12Writing homepage.  Read On to send us your work!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Jessica Young

Jess has been organizing and arranging 12Writing.com to bring some order to the chaos that is online writing.  You should take a look at the Tips for Writers tab she's been putting together - it's a growing reference guide to the helpful links we're finding online.  If you yourself have a link you'd like us to feature, Drop Us a Line.  And don't forget to read on more more about Jess.

Emily Moody

If you've visited Our Facebook Page lately, then you've already met Emily.  She goes through the internet to find most of the awesome links we have on the page.  But there's way more to Emily than faceless hyperlinks on the Facebook - be sure to Read More!

Ryan Edel

So what is it that really goes on inside Ryan's mind?  No one really knows.  He writes fiction, and he seems to speak it, too.  We aren't entirely certain when he is serious, or when he is trying to convince us of stories that simply aren't true.*

Thursday, May 31, 2012

When You Don't Know Craft...

How important are craft skills when it comes to creative writing? I'm Emily of the 12Writing crew and in this post I'm discussing the value of craft and how much emphasis writers place upon it. Come and join in this conversation by sharing your stories about craft and content and your experiences with what has mattered more to you as a writer.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Write Setting that Matters: Revealing Character and Tone through Place

Do you ever get bored writing? Ever feel as if rodents are chewing through your eyeballs with each word you write? Then maybe it's time to spice up your setting.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Young Writers Workshop Information


Starting Saturday, May 19, we'll be offering a summer writing workshop for young writers in the Bloomington-Normal area.  Students from 6th-10th grade are welcome to join us for a couple hours of writing and inspiration.  Read On for more details.

Meet Emily, the Bivalve Books Instructor

Hey everybody!

So Ryan and I were talking and it's kind of weird to sign up for a writing workshop put together someone you don't know, so I thought I'd take a post to introduce myself.  Read on to learn more about me and my interest in Bivalve Books! (BiBo for short)  Or click the links below to learn more about the course and register.

Emily


Friday, April 27, 2012

Shipping Policy

As a primarily online enterprise, it's very unlikely we will ship anything to you.  However, we do have a shipping policy regarding purchases made through our website using third-party vendors such as Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  In case of questions, please Contact Us.

Terms of Use

Here at 12Writing, we're committed to offered a healthy atmosphere for all writers.  Our Terms of Use describe our expectations of all participants in our programs.  In case of any questions, please Contact Us.

Return/Cancellation Policies

We hope you'll be satisfied with the products and services we offer.  However, in case you do need to cancel, please review our policies

Register for Bivalve, The Book Club for Writers

Starting May 12, Emily will be leading Bivalve, our Book Club for Writers.
Click Here to Register in Three Easy Steps!




Bivalve Books & Schedule

Like bivalves, a class of mollusks whose shells are two pieces hinged together, those who write are hinged to be those who read as well. This course will discuss books in both writerly and readerly fashions. Every two weeks, course participants will read one book, respond to a number of writing directives, and join in discussions that relate the writing directives to their reading experiences.  For those who sign up for the Premium Workshop, you'll also receive instructor feedback on at least four of your response pieces during the course.  Click Here to Register.

Bivalve Book Club

          12Writing happily presents the Bivalve Book Club for writers! This is a 10 week course running from May 12th to July 14th. Bivalve participants will read four books, respond to writing directives correlating to readings, and participate in group discussions on the books and writing directives. Join an online community of writers in growing and thinking as we journey through the works of others!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Fiction Workshop for Adolescents


Attention Readers:

This summer, 12Writing will be offering a special in-person creative writing workshop for adolescents in the Bloomington-Normal area. The main focus of this workshop will be fiction writing, although we might touch on other creative writing genres, such as poetry and creative non-fiction, if the students want to explore those areas as well. As a group, we will be focusing on such topics as: creating relatable, multifaceted characters, turning personal experience into fictional storytelling, and how to write realistic dialogue. In the later sessions, the students will learn about how to be critical readers, as well as how to give and receive feedback on story drafts.

We will be providing your student with worksheets and a storage folder so all he or she needs to bring is their favorite pen or pencil and enthusiasm for learning to be a more effective writer.

Our course will take place every Saturday for eight weeks starting May 19th and running until July 7th. Depending on demand, we may also be adding a second midweek course to this schedule. While registration is not open for this quite yet, keep checking back here to 12Writing for more information.


Friday, April 13, 2012

Bivalve Book Club Writing Workshop

Yes, it's been a while since our most recent workshop, but that's soon going to change!  Coming soon, Emily will be leading our Bivalve, a hybrid book club and writing workshop.  Because let's face it: if you want to be a writer, then you need to be a reader.  And what better way to read than by joining a group of fellow writers, reading some good books, and then writing in response to what you've read?

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Writing Long-Tail SEO: Is It Still Worthwhile?

In this world of internet saturation, how do we write in such a way as to attract readers?  Can we use Search Engine Optimization to help attract readers to our websites?  And should we?  Or do we risk stifling the content of our writing by packing it with words simply for the sake of Google?

Monday, March 5, 2012

Narrative Snapshots: Foreshadowing Memoir and Jesse Rosten's 2011

How do you write a life? How do you fit all the snapshots of memory into a memoir? Most days, I'm not sure. But this video by Jesse Rosten gives a hint at the interest and complexity we live with each day, every year. As writers, we work toward organizing these snapshots, arranging them into a coherent narrative to share not only with other readers, but also with our future selves.


Wednesday, January 11, 2012

One Teacher, Many Discussions: Fostering Independent Student Engagement

How do we balance student engagement with the needs of teaching?  How do we stretch the tight boundaries of classroom time?  Here is one approach which uses online forums and pre-class discussion as a way to prepare students.

<--Proposal - Facebook Gallery: In the Classroom-->

Friday, January 6, 2012

Student Engagement: Proposal for Center for Teaching and Learning Symposium

One Teacher, Many Discussions: Fostering Independent Engagement Among Students Inside and Outside the Classroom



In this presentation, we'll talk about how to foster more discussion between students both inside and outside the classroom as a way to enhance classroom cohesion and further students's intellectual engagement.
CTLT Panel Description - Presentation-->

Workshops: An ISU Writing Program Spring Summit Presentation

Title: "Forty-Six Students, Sixteen Weeks, and Eight-Point-Nine Billion Genre Conventions: Using the Writing Workshop to Provide Personalized Feedback for Each Student"



Recognizing the limited time we have with our students and the multiplicity of written and multimedia genres, it's essential that we find effective ways to provide helpful feedback without limiting our own comments to preconceptions of specific genre forms. The writing workshop provides an ideal forum for the instructor to foster a class-wide conversation regarding the writing process and the specific composition decisions made by our students.