Taylor Carani

Professor Furuness

EN410

April 18, 2022

Guide For My Future Self

Where will I be next year?

(My wish in the beginning of the semester): Hopefully East Lansing, Michigan

(*As of 4/18): I have an apartment in East Lansing on the border of Michigan State
University. I am not going to school there; I’m just going to find a job when I get there
and leave plenty of time to write on the side.

What kind of writing communities are there already?

- MSU Community Writing Center MSU Community Writing Center | East

Lansing Public Library (elpl.org)
o Online feedback/ tutor option
- Community Writing Center (Through East Lansing Public Library)
https://elpl.bibliocommons.com/events/61fc295023ce763600f95204
- Free Write Free Write, Sat, Jan 22, 2022, 1:00 PM | Meetup
o Online writing group specific to Lansing

Virtual options not related to MSU

- Virtual writing center CNM Virtual Writing Center | CNM

- 10 online writing communities Top Websites for Writers: 10 Online Writing
Communities - Writer's Digest (writersdigest.com)

Most promising?

- The MSU Community Writing Center

 - My first step toward that community is learning more about what/ how I can
submit my work there and if community members are allowed to submit.
o *Community members are allowed to submit and workshop their writing,
so this is a solid resource for me to exploit
o I can easily contact someone from the center for more information or once
I live near campus, I can go in and check it out for myself

Graduate non-degree work: opportunity to sample university classes (at a major

discount) without working towards a degree, so you get to take classes for fun basically
which can help you with your writing (could potentially do at MSU)

I definitely liked the idea of going to a writing center to get feedback on my work
from other writers. If I do go to MSU I know they have a writing center on campus, so I
have been thinking about that one a lot since I wouldn’t have a writing community
anymore after graduation. Another promising option was the graduate non-degree
work. Again, if I live near MSU then I could potentially take these non-degree classes
which could help keep my creative juices flowing and make me feel better that the
classes don’t count toward anything. It also sounds like a major perk that they are given
at a discounted rate.

* I am still potentially interested in doing graduate non-degree work but I am a

broke boi so who knows if I can even pay for the discounted rate. That being said, the
workshop on campus is there specifically for students, therefore, it should be free of
charge which would be the best option overall for me.

Grad School:

My initial idea of grad school and questions:

I don’t know much about grad school other than it being an opportunity to
further my education. I think I can get my masters or a Ph.D. in creative writing but I
don’t necessarily know how that works. What are some grad school options and what
do they entail? How many extra years of schooling is it? How does further my
education set me up for future jobs? Does it give me a leg up over others? Is there any
use in it at all or is it just for people who want to stay in school longer and avoid the real
world?

My thoughts on grad school:

I am not too interested in grad school seeing as I don’t like being in school. The
non-resident MFA (master’s in fine arts) did seem a little interesting since you only visit
the campus for two weeks in the summer and two weeks in the winter and correspond
with a single professor throughout the rest of the year. During the whole other time,
you live your life and write. I could maybe see myself doing that, but I don’t think I
would want to be a resident for 3 years at some other school, that is just too much
commitment and work.

On Publishing:

What do you do when you have a solid draft of a story? Who do you contact? How and
where do you find them? Are they legit? What process do you take to getting a book
published? Agent then editor then publisher???

- For stories: look at literary magazines

o Newpages.com (they publish stand-alone stories, can look through
magazines for details and what they accept or how to send them stuff)
THIS IS FOR A STORY NOT WHOLE BOOK
- For fiction book:
o Write the whole thing as good as it can be
o Publish through traditional means:
 Press (only agented submissions and have more money (marketing
the book)) or
 Self-publish (no agent, do it yourself through Amazon) or
 Small press (have editors, don’t accept everyone, smaller budget,
will take agented or submissions directly from writers without
agents)
 - Finding an agent:
o Write whole book, write query letter (specific and highly formulaic) (go
on blog: queryshark.com (an agent who reads query letters, very savage
and will help)
- To reach out to agent:
o Read books similar to yours and make a note of the agent (usually in
acknowledgements), (AgentQuery :: Find the Agent Who Will Find You a
Publisher, contact information for agents)

What I must to do be a successful writer:

- WRITE!!!!!!
- Carve out time (no matter when or how long) and just write
- Find a peaceful place away from everyone
- Don’t make it a chore
- Have fun
- Read books!!!
- Take yourself seriously (You ARE a writer)
- Don’t be afraid of failure
- Remember it takes time
- Know when to be brutal with yourself