Geek’s Guide to the Writing Life

Stephanie Vanderslice is Professor of Creative Writing and Director of the Arkansas Writer's MFA Workshop at the University of Central Arkansas, USA and is the Chairperson of the Creative Writing Studies Organization. Her column, The Geek's Guide to the Writing Life appears regularly in the Huffington Post. She publishes fiction, nonfiction and creative writing criticism including Can Creative Writing Really Be Taught?: Resisting Lore in Creative Writing Pedagogy, Teaching Creative Writing to Undergraduates: A Guide and Sourcebook Rethinking Creative Writing.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The geeks and the cool kids1. Making the commitment2. Doing the work (and, sometimes not doing the work)3. Connecting with readers: Publishing4. Writing geeks unite: Finding your tribe5. Continuing your education: What makes sense for you?6. Making a living: Careers that support the writing life7. Being teachable8. Writing 2.0 or, platform-building can be fun9. Traditional book publishing today: Finding and working with an agent10. Making the show: They said, “No.” Now what? Or, they said, “Yes!” Now what?11. Non-traditional book publishing: What you need to know12. Before you go: Why we do thisAppendixIndex

A successful writing life is what all writers want to pursue, and it can be difficult to obtain, but Vanderslice’s guide shows that it is possible to have it. She focuses on how to establish this by considering a writer’s personal and career life. The author even gives insightful commentary on being an effective literary citizen and options in different careers.