The Loft Tumbles Too

…without realizing you’re the author. Whoa, they’re NOT just saying it to be nice? Inconceivable!

In case you missed it on the Writers’ Block yesterday, teaching artist Charlotte Sullivan shared her Grimm attraction (haha, pun TOTALLY intended) to fairy tales and reminds us why they persist.

“Red Riding Hood” was passed on by peasants, courtiers, philologists, feminists, Marxists, satirists, post-moderns, Joss Whedon…maybe you.

So head on over to the Writers’ Block to check it out. Just don’t tarry along the way…

…unless, of course, it’s to sign up for Charlotte’s classes ”Reading to Write: Fairy Tales“ and ”Finding the Child in Children’s Literature.”

Because what do you do when you need to say a pun again? You say it LOUDER and you say it SLOWER (we totally stole that verbatim from Pundamonium 2’s Facebook page). 

That’s right, in case you missed the premiere of PUNDAMONIUM: Twin Cities Pun Slam, here’s your chance to catch it again…and again…and again! Pundamonium is now officially (or as “officially” as it can get) every fourth Wednesday of the month, which means the next show is this Wednesday! So come to Club Underground at 7:00 p.m. to catch the show.

*insert requisite groan*

…there really isn’t anything you wouldn’t do to get published.

That’s right—today on the Writers’ Block, it’s “Three Things Not to Worry About in Your Writing—and What You Can Do About It if You Are Worrying.”

Sounds reassuring, right? Well, it is. Teaching artist Kate St. Vincent Vogl reminds us of some uncomfortable-but-suddenly-reassuring-truths, like “If you’re getting writer’s block, you’re on the right track.” So head on over to the real Writers’ Block (you know, with the apostrophe at the end) to see what other sage words she has to offer.

Flickr CC: atomicShed

And then you realize it’s more like this…

Hey, chin up—we’ve all been there before :)

You know when you finally complete a draft of your manuscript? And you email all your friends? And pop a (cheap) bottle of champagne? And break into that little happy dance? It’s a wonderful feeling…

…until you realize that the party’s only just begun, because—yes—now it’s the dreaded revision time. On today’s Writers’ Block, Miriam Queensen observes that “revision feels like the scene in Castaway when Tom Hanks’ character has to knock out his own bad tooth.” Yup, that seems about right. Fortunately, she has seven awesome tips on how to make the process a little less painful, and to keep you from doing this:

So to learn more from Miriam, read her tips HERE, and check out the summer classes on screenwriting that she’ll be teaching at the Loft.

…on the Writers’ Block, that is. On our Literary Roundup, we cover what people are saying about boredom and writing (pssst: it’s not all bad). Edna O’Brien claims that all contemporary writing is inherently boring, while Copyblogger lists eleven ways to avoid boring your reader, and Tessa Hadley at the Telegraph reminds writers that tedium can, in fact, be interesting.

Flickr CC: WarmSleepy

*Muah-ha-ha* It’s everybody’s favorite topic. That’s right, people, we wrap up the Top 10 list with the ten worst film adaptations of literature. So get your snark on and head on over to today’s Writers’ Block to see if you agree.

BUT…once the snickering dies down, perhaps we should consider throwing them a bone or two because a lot of things seem like a good idea at the time.

So as fun as it is to bash works of art that take years to reach fruition, it’s also a subject most of us know a little too well. After all, we’re writers.

Oh, okay, you don’t have to feel sorry for Catwoman.

On today’s Writer’s Block, teaching artist Lyda Morehouse confesses that she finally learned the “secret handshake” for getting published. No, it’s not a batch of freshly baked cookies delivered to an agent’s desk (probably wouldn’t get past security, anyway), AND, no, it’s not a Wiccan chant to be performed on every other solstice. As Lyda notes, the answer is “surprisingly easy and accessible.”

Aaaaaaaaand…you’ll just have to visit the Writers’ Block to find out what the answer is.

L