In-class discussion questions from Spring 2014
2/26
- Check out BrandYourself
- Discuss presentations
- Final Portfolio
- Discussion Questions
Discussion questions from Adriana
1. Is an internship something you have thought about doing? If so why or why not?
2. In the article entitled "4 internships you can apply for," it states that applying for an internship after college is something that will help you gain professional experience and contacts. Although an internship after college would help you boost your resume and help you gain hands on experience, it is not a forever job. Would you consider a internship after college or would you prefer one that you could gain credits for while you were in college?
3. Internships are meant to give you experience in a field you potentially see yourself working in or to help you gain experience. When applying for an internship would you only consider the ones that pay you? Why or why not?
Discussion questions from Maggie Goncerz
1. What are your thoughts on how social media and personal websites affect you, as a writer? Have you begun to construct your website? As
a writer, have you started to build your platform and started to gather a following? How did you go about it?
2. What are your thoughts on "book accelerators" like WritersBloq?
3. What have you done to make a lasting impression on social media sites? Have you made any special steps to keep your online portfolio
stand out?
4. Have you joined any social media sites specifically geared for writers? If so, which ones? What do you like about them? What don't you like about them? What do you look for in a writing social media/social networking site?
Discussion questions from April Robinson
1. What was your reaction to virtual internships? What benefits do you think can come from a virtual internship? In return, what are some disadvantages?
2. Have ever felt limited by your location to peruse an internship? How comfortable would you be with communication only coordinated through email, phone, Skype and other similar outets?
3. When deciding on an internship, would you access resources on the type of company and the type of work they will have you do? For example, from a trusted source like USA Today College. How else could you research the position?
Discussion questions from Allison Pfander
1. Have you ever 'googled' yourself? What did you find? Would a potential employer view you the same way if they saw that? How do you get rid of that?
2. 96% of job recruiters use LinkedIn to search for potential employee candidates. Why do you think that do not use Facebook? (or do they?)
3. Rumor has it that during your interview, the interviewer will have you sign into your Facebook account and snoop around from a logged on standpoint. Does that scare you? Maybe now is your chance to clean it up. Why do you think a potential employer would invade your personal page?
Discussion questions from Bria Mears
1. In the article, “Take Your Author Website to the Next Level,” Karen Rider states, “the purpose of a website is to inform people about who you are and to market your writing efforts to your target audience.” Do you think it might be useful to read a book on marketing, or taking a marketing or design class to better understand how to properly market yourself? Or, is it your content that should matter?
2. Do you think it’s fair that employees should judge one’s character and professionalism entirely based on their Facebook and Twitter profiles? If you think we should completely monitor everything that’s put online about ourselves (if we could), how much monitoring do you think should be enough?
3. Do you have a LinkedIn account? Do you think everyone looking for a job should have one? Can it take the place of a personal website? If you have a LinkedIn account and a Facebook account, and you Facebook looks a bit crazy (for lack of a better term), should professionals pay more attention to your LinkedIn account? Or, is your Facebook showing your true colors?
2/19
Discussion questions from Mat Machin
1. The average cover letter is read for under 10 seconds since there are so many piled up grabbing the readers attention is imperative. The recipient naturally skims over the header and contact information, and then comes the opening line underneath said opening line is the valuable information for why you deserve the opportunity. It’s taken almost 10 seconds to read this paragraph, luckily you will finish it due to my charming writing. But how will you captivate the audience with your résumé/CV/cover letter before they throw it in the garbage?
2. Recommendation letters are a necessity for a job or a Graduate program we desire. But some professors simply don’t have time to write one and offer the task of writing the letter yourself for them to sign. What do would you write? What lies are worth telling? The same questions to a Statement of Purpose.
3. In “Why optional cover letters aren’t really optional”, I read a comment at the bottom claiming that cover letters are useless and that recruiters seek talent on LinkedIn. If this is true, is a cover letter or a LinkedIn/Web presence more important? Or, is it obvious that both are necessary?
Discussion questions from Sarah Borja
1. In "Why ‘optional’ cover letters aren’t really optional," Lauren Nevidomsky states: " Never miss an opportunity to sell yourself. A resume can only tell an employer so much. The cover letter is the time to sell yourself and prove that you are actually the ideal candidate for the job." What are some things that you, personally, can write in your cover letter to sell yourself? Do you agree that a resume does not give your employer enough information?
2. In Vince Gotera's article, he says that "All of us have had some event, some experience… which drives us toward the discipline(s) we inhabit." According to Gotera, you should draw from this experience in writing your "hook" for a statement of purpose. What was it that made writing or teaching so special for you? What are your "true and profound" reasons? Even if they seem mundane, how can you make them sound more interesting?
3. "40 Stunningly Creative Resume Designs on DeviantArt" features innovative, colorful, and imaginative designs for a resume. Do you think these are too impractical, even for more artistic jobs? What are other, safer ways to make a resume or CV stand out to employers?
1. The average cover letter is read for under 10 seconds since there are so many piled up grabbing the readers attention is imperative. The recipient naturally skims over the header and contact information, and then comes the opening line underneath said opening line is the valuable information for why you deserve the opportunity. It’s taken almost 10 seconds to read this paragraph, luckily you will finish it due to my charming writing. But how will you captivate the audience with your résumé/CV/cover letter before they throw it in the garbage?
2. Recommendation letters are a necessity for a job or a Graduate program we desire. But some professors simply don’t have time to write one and offer the task of writing the letter yourself for them to sign. What do would you write? What lies are worth telling? The same questions to a Statement of Purpose.
3. In “Why optional cover letters aren’t really optional”, I read a comment at the bottom claiming that cover letters are useless and that recruiters seek talent on LinkedIn. If this is true, is a cover letter or a LinkedIn/Web presence more important? Or, is it obvious that both are necessary?
Discussion questions from Sarah Borja
1. In "Why ‘optional’ cover letters aren’t really optional," Lauren Nevidomsky states: " Never miss an opportunity to sell yourself. A resume can only tell an employer so much. The cover letter is the time to sell yourself and prove that you are actually the ideal candidate for the job." What are some things that you, personally, can write in your cover letter to sell yourself? Do you agree that a resume does not give your employer enough information?
2. In Vince Gotera's article, he says that "All of us have had some event, some experience… which drives us toward the discipline(s) we inhabit." According to Gotera, you should draw from this experience in writing your "hook" for a statement of purpose. What was it that made writing or teaching so special for you? What are your "true and profound" reasons? Even if they seem mundane, how can you make them sound more interesting?
3. "40 Stunningly Creative Resume Designs on DeviantArt" features innovative, colorful, and imaginative designs for a resume. Do you think these are too impractical, even for more artistic jobs? What are other, safer ways to make a resume or CV stand out to employers?
2/17
Discussion Questions by Rebecca Serad
1) What are your personal fears about the process of getting published?
2) After doing the readings, would you want to either self-publish or submit to a publisher? Why?
3) What kind of publications would you try to submit your work to? Do you know what genre of writing is your strong suit and what kind of publication would suit your personal writing style?
Discussion Questions by Laurie Toich
1. In Johnson’s article “Why we pick ourselves up after getting rejected,” he references Anne Lamott’s notion of writing shitty first drafts. She feels that the first draft is always going to be bad and not to worry about it being the most profound. Do you agree or disagree with this? Why? Do you feel that the most important thing will come out onto the page the way it’s supposed to?
2. Also in Johnson’s article he says “This is a long, meandering manner of saying that writing -- let alone getting published -- is as frightening as it is difficult.” Do you feel that getting rejected would make you want to try harder to get published or would it discourage you? Author Stephen King said in his book On Writing that he kept all of his rejection letters on his wall. Why do you think he did this? Would you ever consider displaying your rejection letters?
3. In Reissenweber’s “When can I resubmit work?” he states “Some journals ask for more rights or give other stipulations for future publications of the material. It's important to know exactly what you're agreeing to.” Do you think that the journals/newspaper gain too many rights when you get published by them? What are some drawbacks to these terms and conditions? What are some advantages?
4. In Shapiro’s article, “Secrets to selling your first book: An eight-time author offers a wealth of tips for clueing in to the right things and landing a publishing contract. (cover story)” she gives advice on how to publish. Her one piece of advice is “12. Quit worrying about rights and lawsuits. If something happened to you, it's your story and you have a right to tell it, usually without anybody's permission.” Would you ever put out a story that was very personal? Would you change the facts so you don’t make someone angry or would you stick with what happened?
1) What are your personal fears about the process of getting published?
2) After doing the readings, would you want to either self-publish or submit to a publisher? Why?
3) What kind of publications would you try to submit your work to? Do you know what genre of writing is your strong suit and what kind of publication would suit your personal writing style?
Discussion Questions by Laurie Toich
1. In Johnson’s article “Why we pick ourselves up after getting rejected,” he references Anne Lamott’s notion of writing shitty first drafts. She feels that the first draft is always going to be bad and not to worry about it being the most profound. Do you agree or disagree with this? Why? Do you feel that the most important thing will come out onto the page the way it’s supposed to?
2. Also in Johnson’s article he says “This is a long, meandering manner of saying that writing -- let alone getting published -- is as frightening as it is difficult.” Do you feel that getting rejected would make you want to try harder to get published or would it discourage you? Author Stephen King said in his book On Writing that he kept all of his rejection letters on his wall. Why do you think he did this? Would you ever consider displaying your rejection letters?
3. In Reissenweber’s “When can I resubmit work?” he states “Some journals ask for more rights or give other stipulations for future publications of the material. It's important to know exactly what you're agreeing to.” Do you think that the journals/newspaper gain too many rights when you get published by them? What are some drawbacks to these terms and conditions? What are some advantages?
4. In Shapiro’s article, “Secrets to selling your first book: An eight-time author offers a wealth of tips for clueing in to the right things and landing a publishing contract. (cover story)” she gives advice on how to publish. Her one piece of advice is “12. Quit worrying about rights and lawsuits. If something happened to you, it's your story and you have a right to tell it, usually without anybody's permission.” Would you ever put out a story that was very personal? Would you change the facts so you don’t make someone angry or would you stick with what happened?
2/12
1. The first article you read today states, "After four years of trying, I’ve finally gotten it through my thick head that I will not get a job—and if you go to graduate school, neither will you." If her argument has merit, what are the alternatives? What reasons to people choose graduate school beyond finding a job? In 2014, are we beyond higher education for the sake of becoming more educated?
2. Schuman also states, "At this very second, thousands of parents of wide-eyed college freshmen are discouraging them from taking literature, philosophy, foreign languages or history (the disciplines that comprised a college education in its entirety for thousands of years, but whatever), even though quite unlike humanities Ph.D.s, humanities B.A. degrees are actually among the most hirable?" Did your parents discourage you from majoring in Writing Arts? As you near the end of your humanities based education, would you recommend it to others? Why or why not?
3. After reading Donovan's essay, do you feel that it is necessary to earn a creative writing degree to be a better writer? She further asks, "Is it okay to write and publish a book if you don’t have a degree or if your degree is in something other than English or the language arts?" What are your thoughts?
4. In Karen's response to Schuman, she claims that her logic is somewhat false in claiming students should abandon higher education. She lists several conditions that you should meet if you do choose to go to grad school (I've listed them here for you). Which do you meet? Do you agree with these? Would you add others?
If you still feel determined to consider this step, I would advise it be only under the following conditions:
5. In Bridge's Forbes article, she lists most students' post-graduate options as multiple choice:
A. Have a “real” job lined up
B. Look for a “real” job.
C. Go to graduate school
D. Get a random job.
Which are you? How do you plan to get there?
6. The idealist article lists the bad reasons to go to grad school. Can you come up with 3-5 GOOD reasons?
2. Schuman also states, "At this very second, thousands of parents of wide-eyed college freshmen are discouraging them from taking literature, philosophy, foreign languages or history (the disciplines that comprised a college education in its entirety for thousands of years, but whatever), even though quite unlike humanities Ph.D.s, humanities B.A. degrees are actually among the most hirable?" Did your parents discourage you from majoring in Writing Arts? As you near the end of your humanities based education, would you recommend it to others? Why or why not?
3. After reading Donovan's essay, do you feel that it is necessary to earn a creative writing degree to be a better writer? She further asks, "Is it okay to write and publish a book if you don’t have a degree or if your degree is in something other than English or the language arts?" What are your thoughts?
4. In Karen's response to Schuman, she claims that her logic is somewhat false in claiming students should abandon higher education. She lists several conditions that you should meet if you do choose to go to grad school (I've listed them here for you). Which do you meet? Do you agree with these? Would you add others?
If you still feel determined to consider this step, I would advise it be only under the following conditions:
- You do not have substantial debt from your undergraduate degree, that is to say, debt above $15,000-$20,000.
- You are offered a full funding package that includes tuition waiver, all fees, and a stipend.
- You take out absolutely no new debt to undertake the degree. This means that you must either be prepared to live on a stipend of approximately $15,000-$20,000 a year, have a partner/spouse/family member who can augment that stipend, or work a second job to augment the stipend yourself.
- You go to one of the very best programs in the country, judged by funding available, prestige, and job placement rate. This is not because of elitism, but because only these programs deliver the financial support and connections that give you a fighting chance of a debt-free degree and permanent employment at the end.
- You avoid any second or third tier Ph.D. program like the plague, regardless of what they appear to offer by way of programs in your area of interest. Your Ph.D. will not be competitive for a wide enough range of jobs at the end. Online Ph.D.s are beneath consideration.
- You align yourself, before signing on, with an advisor who is well known, who is at the peak of his/her career (no asst profs, no emeritii), who has recently placed other Ph.D.s in tenure track jobs before you, and who is genuinely and personally invested in your arrival to the program.
- You understand that the system is entirely hierarchical and productivity-based, and you will be judged by your high-status output (publications in major journals, national grants, high profile conferences, famous recommenders) more than by the inherent “brilliance” of your ideas.
- You approach academic pursuits as a job, not a calling.
- You approach graduate school as vocational training for a job.
- You do everything I say in the column, Graduate School Is a Means to a Job, religiously and without excuses.
- You are under 35, and ideally, under 30. If you fail to find permanent employment within 3-4 years after completion of the Ph.D., this outcome will be far less disastrous if you are still in your thirties and can reinvent yourself for a different career track. The financial stakes for middle-aged people are exponentially higher, the risks exponentially greater, than for younger people.
5. In Bridge's Forbes article, she lists most students' post-graduate options as multiple choice:
A. Have a “real” job lined up
B. Look for a “real” job.
C. Go to graduate school
D. Get a random job.
Which are you? How do you plan to get there?
6. The idealist article lists the bad reasons to go to grad school. Can you come up with 3-5 GOOD reasons?
In-class discussion questions from Fall 2013
If you are a discussion leader, please email me your discussion questions by 3:00 on the assigned class day.
Tuesday, February 19:1. So, what are you “war stories” What has kept you from writing that novel? What has killed momentum, what are your excuses? Or, if you’ve never attempted a novel, what’s stopping you? Do you think you ever will try it?
2. What is your avoidance technique of choice? Are you aware of any/ how they relate to your writing experience?
3. What do you think your strong suit is? Love of words? Sense of humor? Sense of drama? Structure? What are your weak points? Like John Robinson, do you fear plot or character? Do you use description to mask your weak points?
4. As Craig English put it (check out his site), have you ever invited your demons in for tea? What are your biggest fears as a writer? Are you conscious of them, or do you try to walk them off, write through them? Try to think of a list of all of your demons, both original and intimate.
5. Have you ever taken part in a writing marathon? How did it feel? How did it affect your writing? If you have not, would you like to? What do you think you could get out of it?
6. Even if you have never taken part in an official writing marathon, do you set similar goals for yourself? Do you set deadlines, time limits, daily word counts, etc.?
7. Rochelle Melander (view her writing coach page) asks herself ‘what is the one book I want to write before I die?’ Do you have an answer?
8. What keeps you going? Is it the simple things, the atmosphere of writing, the ritual?
9. Unlike John Robinson, we have a community of writers in the writing arts program as well as the ability for social networking. Do you think this is beneficial to you as a writer? Or do you prefer to go it alone like Robinson?
10. Do you think participating in a writing marathon would be beneficial to your writing career?
11. Would you be willing to do a writing marathon for a non-profit organization? Why or why not?
12. Do you monitor your demons? What are some of the personal writing “demons” you may have faced when trying to complete a draft on time? What are some of the ways you overcome/avoid these problems to get your work done within the amounted time?
13. Are you planning on contacting some sort of editor with your work(s)? If so, how do you plan to sway this editor to look at you in a favorable light?
14. Do you have a piece of writing you are working on (or plan to work on) that you wish to be published into a book? If so what is your motivation for writing this book? Do you believe you are “realistic” about the certain outcomes of selling your first book?
Tuesday, February 12:
1.What would be your own personal opening line of an application essay?
2.What qualities do you think makes up an effective query letter? If you are trying to get published, have you written a query letter? If so can you please share with us some of the tips on you went about writing it?
3. How many of you have a résumé you have been working on already? What do you think makes up a résumé that can help you stand out among others? Are there any aspects of your résumé you wish were "better"? How can this be achieved?
4. How would you handle it if your carefully crafted résumé was sent out to employers and there was no response?
5. In your opinion, what is the hardest task when creating a résumé /cover letter? What's the easiest?
6. Other than what we read, are there any tips you could give to a graduating senior about their personal statement for college applications?
7. What do you think was the most important concept/theme/tip we read about?
--
February 5:
Red for blog response; purple for small group discussion.
1. Have you had any particular successes in your trials and tribulations with online networking? Any failures? Do you have any particular concerns regarding developing a professional online presence? If so, what are they? If not, what factors contribute to your comfort?
2. Are you involved with any form of professional networking? If so, which one/s?
Are you a member of any social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter? If so, do you use it for personal or professional use? How much do you rely on it for information?
3. In regards to online writing communities, are there any in particular that you favor? Any that have failed you? What factors do you contribute to said successes and failures; what makes a site worth your time?
4. If you belong to multiple sites, what was your reasoning behind joining more than one? Do they each serve a unique role in your professional presence? Are they mutually exclusive or do they share certain characteristics? Is the information that you provide on each consistent with the next?
5. In regards to non-professional networking sites, keeping in mind that all information on the internet is ultimately public regardless of your selected privacy settings, do you censor what you post? If an employer requested access to your Facebook account or other social profile, would you grant it to them? Why or why not?
6. A lot of students have had Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and personal blogs for several years, meaning most of the earlier (or current) content may not be what we want future employers or job prospects seeing. Should we create new accounts that are more professional or is it acceptable to move forward with our own accounts but in a more professional tone?
7. In what ways do you market yourself as a writer? It seems like most of the authors use social media in the business end of their writing, as a way to turn a profit and market themselves and their work after the work has been completed or published. Is this the best route for us to take? Is there any way to use Twitter and Facebook for something like finding freelance jobs or discovering new topics for articles?
8. Many of the authors say that they use social media to develop friendships or more casual business relationships with editors, publishers, and others. Does anyone have any experience doing this? How do you get the ball rolling with such professionals?
9. Do you have your résumé available online? If so, on which site?
10. What if you don't have any work that has been published? Is it still expected that you have your own website or should that come later?
11. Adam Penenberg states, "While it may seem that you can't beat New York Times, some day soon you will." How soon do you think this will happen? Are the most connected authors destined to be the best-selling?
12. If you are yet to develop an online presence in the realm of professional networking, what has been holding you back from doing so? Do you resort to more traditional forms? Is it something that you would be interested in?
13. Do you believe that online networking will eventually take over professional relations much like online publication has trumped the written word? Do you think that our generational reliance on online communication is hindering our ability to succeed in face to face conversations and interviews?
Tuesday, January 29:
Group 1 Questions-- Questions from Alexis
1. Do you see yourself doing the same job for the next five years? Ten? Indefinitely?
2. Do you have any "backup" plans for your career? (not so much a backup, more like multiple goals)
3. Are your goals too big? Are they too narrow?
4. How would you handle rejection from a publisher? (again, hard to say until it actually happens)
5. "Why we pick ourselves up after being rejected" points out an interesting notion: as writers we're supposed to write delicately and emotionally to move our readers. We need to have the emotional capacity the likes of Nicholas Sparks (maybe not to that degree) and make our readers feel what we want them to feel. On the other hand, personally we're supposed to be emotionless and thick-skinned so that when we get rejected, because it will likely happen at least once, we know how to handle it without feeling as though our hearts have been ripped out and chopped to bits. How exactly do we go about this? Is there a proper balance between hormonal and heartless?
Group 2 Questions: From Greg
6. From "Are You Ready For a New Direction"
What kinds of changes in direction have you taken in your writing career? Were they by choice or necessity? Was it a comfortable transition? (etc.)
7. "Published Authors Reach Out to Aspiring Writers"
When introducing myself on the first day of class, I mentioned that my dinner with Scott McCloud was one of the greatest experiences of my entire life. Have you ever spoken at length with a published author--particularly one writing in field that you are aiming for? What kind of advice were you given? In what ways was the experience valuable or not? And if you haven't had this kind of experience, what kinds of questions would you like to ask your favorite writers if given the opportunity?
8. The Road to PUBLICATION
Publication of memoirs has a number of genre-specific concerns, and chief among them for many writers is the fear of backlash from friends and family. Were you surprised by what any of the four memoir writers discussed in this article said about "personal considerations" before and after the work's publication? Do you have any interest and/or experience with memoirs? What kinds of "personal considerations" do you take into account?
9. Why We Pick Ourselves Up After Getting Rejected
Bret Anthony Johnson uses a recurring metaphor with skateboarding throughout this article to describe a writer's need to risk rejection. Drawing from your own experiences, especially when it comes to writing and rejection, try to create your own metaphor. For example, I, rather embarrassingly, cannot help but compare the experience of being rejected as a writer to the experience of being rejected by women that I am romantically interested in.
10. Room Offers Space for Women Writers
This article describes a publication exclusively for female writers called "The Room," named after, and inspired by, Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own." Perhaps I am not part of the intended demographic for this article, but I've always been intrigued by the suggestion that there is some sort of intrinsic difference between men and women when it comes to writing, as Woolf does in her book. What, if any, stylistic differences do you believe exist (or tend to exist) between genders? And on a more business-related level, do you think that readers and/or the industry regard female writers differently than they do males? What may have evolved or changed since Virginia Woolf's time?
Group 3 Questions: Questions from Jane
11. Have you ever thought of freelance writing as a business? As your business? Do you think that in order to become a successful freelancer, being knowledgeable in marketing could be more (or equally) important than being a skilled writer?
12. Have you ever considered going to a casual writing workshop? If you were to start one in a Facebook group, where would you look for members? Do you know of any social networking groups specifically for Rowan students?
psssst.... check out this group that's just starting.
13. Writing, like mastering a musical instrument, takes a lot of practice. What kinds of tips (or goals) do you have for writing every day?
14. George Burden’s article illuminated the advantages of seeking out groups who need publicity. Keeping your personal interests in mind, what are some organizations that may jump at the chance to have you write about them? Or, better yet, what groups might benefit from publicity across genres? (For example, military physicians wanting exposure in medical journals)
January 24:
1. From “Welcome to the Real World”: Which of the “things they should have told you in college” surprised you the most? Why? Do you disagree with any of these? Have you already found any of these to be true?
2. Jot down (as a group) the things you are considering or would consider when choosing a graduate program. Then, see if your group can agree on a priority ranking (I’m not expecting consensus here).
3. Which of these terms are you already familiar with and which need more explanation?
· MA
· MFA
· Low residency
· Research Assistantship
· Teaching Assistantship
· Graduate Assistant
· Tuition remission
· Query letter
4. Revisit the glossary of writing careers. Which had you never considered? Did any stand out to you? What would you like to learn more about?
5. One by one discuss which additional readings you chose—choose a fact from your reading to share with the rest of your group or the rest of your class.
Tuesday, February 19:1. So, what are you “war stories” What has kept you from writing that novel? What has killed momentum, what are your excuses? Or, if you’ve never attempted a novel, what’s stopping you? Do you think you ever will try it?
2. What is your avoidance technique of choice? Are you aware of any/ how they relate to your writing experience?
3. What do you think your strong suit is? Love of words? Sense of humor? Sense of drama? Structure? What are your weak points? Like John Robinson, do you fear plot or character? Do you use description to mask your weak points?
4. As Craig English put it (check out his site), have you ever invited your demons in for tea? What are your biggest fears as a writer? Are you conscious of them, or do you try to walk them off, write through them? Try to think of a list of all of your demons, both original and intimate.
5. Have you ever taken part in a writing marathon? How did it feel? How did it affect your writing? If you have not, would you like to? What do you think you could get out of it?
6. Even if you have never taken part in an official writing marathon, do you set similar goals for yourself? Do you set deadlines, time limits, daily word counts, etc.?
7. Rochelle Melander (view her writing coach page) asks herself ‘what is the one book I want to write before I die?’ Do you have an answer?
8. What keeps you going? Is it the simple things, the atmosphere of writing, the ritual?
9. Unlike John Robinson, we have a community of writers in the writing arts program as well as the ability for social networking. Do you think this is beneficial to you as a writer? Or do you prefer to go it alone like Robinson?
10. Do you think participating in a writing marathon would be beneficial to your writing career?
11. Would you be willing to do a writing marathon for a non-profit organization? Why or why not?
12. Do you monitor your demons? What are some of the personal writing “demons” you may have faced when trying to complete a draft on time? What are some of the ways you overcome/avoid these problems to get your work done within the amounted time?
13. Are you planning on contacting some sort of editor with your work(s)? If so, how do you plan to sway this editor to look at you in a favorable light?
14. Do you have a piece of writing you are working on (or plan to work on) that you wish to be published into a book? If so what is your motivation for writing this book? Do you believe you are “realistic” about the certain outcomes of selling your first book?
Tuesday, February 12:
1.What would be your own personal opening line of an application essay?
2.What qualities do you think makes up an effective query letter? If you are trying to get published, have you written a query letter? If so can you please share with us some of the tips on you went about writing it?
3. How many of you have a résumé you have been working on already? What do you think makes up a résumé that can help you stand out among others? Are there any aspects of your résumé you wish were "better"? How can this be achieved?
4. How would you handle it if your carefully crafted résumé was sent out to employers and there was no response?
5. In your opinion, what is the hardest task when creating a résumé /cover letter? What's the easiest?
6. Other than what we read, are there any tips you could give to a graduating senior about their personal statement for college applications?
7. What do you think was the most important concept/theme/tip we read about?
--
February 5:
Red for blog response; purple for small group discussion.
1. Have you had any particular successes in your trials and tribulations with online networking? Any failures? Do you have any particular concerns regarding developing a professional online presence? If so, what are they? If not, what factors contribute to your comfort?
2. Are you involved with any form of professional networking? If so, which one/s?
Are you a member of any social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter? If so, do you use it for personal or professional use? How much do you rely on it for information?
3. In regards to online writing communities, are there any in particular that you favor? Any that have failed you? What factors do you contribute to said successes and failures; what makes a site worth your time?
4. If you belong to multiple sites, what was your reasoning behind joining more than one? Do they each serve a unique role in your professional presence? Are they mutually exclusive or do they share certain characteristics? Is the information that you provide on each consistent with the next?
5. In regards to non-professional networking sites, keeping in mind that all information on the internet is ultimately public regardless of your selected privacy settings, do you censor what you post? If an employer requested access to your Facebook account or other social profile, would you grant it to them? Why or why not?
6. A lot of students have had Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and personal blogs for several years, meaning most of the earlier (or current) content may not be what we want future employers or job prospects seeing. Should we create new accounts that are more professional or is it acceptable to move forward with our own accounts but in a more professional tone?
7. In what ways do you market yourself as a writer? It seems like most of the authors use social media in the business end of their writing, as a way to turn a profit and market themselves and their work after the work has been completed or published. Is this the best route for us to take? Is there any way to use Twitter and Facebook for something like finding freelance jobs or discovering new topics for articles?
8. Many of the authors say that they use social media to develop friendships or more casual business relationships with editors, publishers, and others. Does anyone have any experience doing this? How do you get the ball rolling with such professionals?
9. Do you have your résumé available online? If so, on which site?
10. What if you don't have any work that has been published? Is it still expected that you have your own website or should that come later?
11. Adam Penenberg states, "While it may seem that you can't beat New York Times, some day soon you will." How soon do you think this will happen? Are the most connected authors destined to be the best-selling?
12. If you are yet to develop an online presence in the realm of professional networking, what has been holding you back from doing so? Do you resort to more traditional forms? Is it something that you would be interested in?
13. Do you believe that online networking will eventually take over professional relations much like online publication has trumped the written word? Do you think that our generational reliance on online communication is hindering our ability to succeed in face to face conversations and interviews?
Tuesday, January 29:
Group 1 Questions-- Questions from Alexis
1. Do you see yourself doing the same job for the next five years? Ten? Indefinitely?
2. Do you have any "backup" plans for your career? (not so much a backup, more like multiple goals)
3. Are your goals too big? Are they too narrow?
4. How would you handle rejection from a publisher? (again, hard to say until it actually happens)
5. "Why we pick ourselves up after being rejected" points out an interesting notion: as writers we're supposed to write delicately and emotionally to move our readers. We need to have the emotional capacity the likes of Nicholas Sparks (maybe not to that degree) and make our readers feel what we want them to feel. On the other hand, personally we're supposed to be emotionless and thick-skinned so that when we get rejected, because it will likely happen at least once, we know how to handle it without feeling as though our hearts have been ripped out and chopped to bits. How exactly do we go about this? Is there a proper balance between hormonal and heartless?
Group 2 Questions: From Greg
6. From "Are You Ready For a New Direction"
What kinds of changes in direction have you taken in your writing career? Were they by choice or necessity? Was it a comfortable transition? (etc.)
7. "Published Authors Reach Out to Aspiring Writers"
When introducing myself on the first day of class, I mentioned that my dinner with Scott McCloud was one of the greatest experiences of my entire life. Have you ever spoken at length with a published author--particularly one writing in field that you are aiming for? What kind of advice were you given? In what ways was the experience valuable or not? And if you haven't had this kind of experience, what kinds of questions would you like to ask your favorite writers if given the opportunity?
8. The Road to PUBLICATION
Publication of memoirs has a number of genre-specific concerns, and chief among them for many writers is the fear of backlash from friends and family. Were you surprised by what any of the four memoir writers discussed in this article said about "personal considerations" before and after the work's publication? Do you have any interest and/or experience with memoirs? What kinds of "personal considerations" do you take into account?
9. Why We Pick Ourselves Up After Getting Rejected
Bret Anthony Johnson uses a recurring metaphor with skateboarding throughout this article to describe a writer's need to risk rejection. Drawing from your own experiences, especially when it comes to writing and rejection, try to create your own metaphor. For example, I, rather embarrassingly, cannot help but compare the experience of being rejected as a writer to the experience of being rejected by women that I am romantically interested in.
10. Room Offers Space for Women Writers
This article describes a publication exclusively for female writers called "The Room," named after, and inspired by, Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own." Perhaps I am not part of the intended demographic for this article, but I've always been intrigued by the suggestion that there is some sort of intrinsic difference between men and women when it comes to writing, as Woolf does in her book. What, if any, stylistic differences do you believe exist (or tend to exist) between genders? And on a more business-related level, do you think that readers and/or the industry regard female writers differently than they do males? What may have evolved or changed since Virginia Woolf's time?
Group 3 Questions: Questions from Jane
11. Have you ever thought of freelance writing as a business? As your business? Do you think that in order to become a successful freelancer, being knowledgeable in marketing could be more (or equally) important than being a skilled writer?
12. Have you ever considered going to a casual writing workshop? If you were to start one in a Facebook group, where would you look for members? Do you know of any social networking groups specifically for Rowan students?
psssst.... check out this group that's just starting.
13. Writing, like mastering a musical instrument, takes a lot of practice. What kinds of tips (or goals) do you have for writing every day?
14. George Burden’s article illuminated the advantages of seeking out groups who need publicity. Keeping your personal interests in mind, what are some organizations that may jump at the chance to have you write about them? Or, better yet, what groups might benefit from publicity across genres? (For example, military physicians wanting exposure in medical journals)
January 24:
1. From “Welcome to the Real World”: Which of the “things they should have told you in college” surprised you the most? Why? Do you disagree with any of these? Have you already found any of these to be true?
2. Jot down (as a group) the things you are considering or would consider when choosing a graduate program. Then, see if your group can agree on a priority ranking (I’m not expecting consensus here).
3. Which of these terms are you already familiar with and which need more explanation?
· MA
· MFA
· Low residency
· Research Assistantship
· Teaching Assistantship
· Graduate Assistant
· Tuition remission
· Query letter
4. Revisit the glossary of writing careers. Which had you never considered? Did any stand out to you? What would you like to learn more about?
5. One by one discuss which additional readings you chose—choose a fact from your reading to share with the rest of your group or the rest of your class.