I am nothing if not a traditionalist. Okay, that's not really true, but this was done last year and I like the idea of making this a tradition.
A few of us posted our application essays on our blogs and/or websites. They made intriguing reading without risking any sort of story rights. (Who would want to buy our essays, really?) It'll give us something to do while we wait or our verdicts...er, results.
I'll start. I should really read this, too, since I don't remember what all I said.
http://scottwbaker.net/2010/03/03/hello-fellow-clarion-aspirant/
Participation is, of course, voluntay. Only four or five of us did it last time. They're kind of fun.
Hi I'm Sara... I've been
Hi I'm Sara... I've been lurking around for awhile... I've been leery of making myself known because I'm certain I won't be accepted, but I was searching for a bit of respite from this stressful article I'm writing right now... so I thought I'd help you get the thread rolling, Oso.
Here's my cover letter, password is Clarion2010.
http://saraveal.com/2010/03/03/clarion-2010/
Good luck to everyone!
http://saraveal.com
Sara, Wow, sounds like you
Sara,
Wow, sounds like you have a lot of perspectives to choose from as a writer. And I had a thing for both Kyloe Minogue and Ally McBeal, too, though I didn't want to be them. :) I wish my background was half that interesting. Thanks for sharing.
-Oso
(http://osomuerte.wordpress.com)
Thank you for sharing your
Thank you for sharing your essays too! They were great introductions to you and your writing. I read both of them, the first awhile ago in lurker mode. I look forward to any others people may be willing to share.
Funnily enough, America and high school remain incredibly exotic to me, so, as an American high school math teacher, you seem incredibly foreign. I mean that as a compliment. I still feel sad that I never managed to go to American high school!
http://saraveal.com
Sara, Have you read any of
Sara,
Have you read any of Geoff Ryman's Cambodian stuff? I finished The King's Last Song recently...It's strange how long it has taken some very real parts of the world to get mapped into SF.
um, sorry, one more
um, sorry, one more question: i was just taking a peek at your website and i kind of got excited to see you were in dar es salaam. did you ever get out to the bagamoyo arts festival???
Vaisoli, I haven't read that
Vaisoli, I haven't read that author! But I'm definitely going to try and get my hands on his book. It sounds fascinating - I'm guessing you enjoyed it? My friend, who is a historian and Sherlock Holmes nut, is developing a mystery series set in the same period.
No, sadly I didn't go to Bagamoyo Arts Festival (just looked it up) - I don't remember hearing about it in the year I was there. Did you go? Were you in Tanzania too?
http://saraveal.com
A couple years ago I was
A couple years ago I was interning in a publishing firm in Tanzania...they did Precision Air's in-flight magazine, among other things. I used it to write about random things here and there. Bagamoyo has a really impressive pool of creative types, but the theatre crowd in particular was impressive. I don't know any Kiswahili so my impression is of course superficial..but it was intensely pleasurable even without the language.
The King's Last Song was both interesting and turgid. I had a prior interest in Ryman's prose and the creative direction his projects take him in, so I had a lot of momentum coming into the book. But I think he has shorter stuff set in Cambodia (Pol Pot's Beautiful Daughter?) that might be a better place to start...but you might have enough momentum if you come in with a prior interest in Cambodia.
*bonk* No more talk like
*bonk*
No more talk like that! You had the courage to send in your application which makes you as worthy and elligible as the rest of us.
Sandra
So glad I'm not the only
So glad I'm not the only non-US type here, Sara. Great essays, both of you; I really enjoyed reading them!
I'd share mine, but I'm waaaay too self-conscious about all the personal stuff I have in there. Maybe if I get accepted, I'll post it somewhere *g*
I can understand that. I
I can understand that. I could have put stuff I wasn't comfortable sharing into mine, but I didn''t see any of that affecting my writing. Maybe if I was applying for a weight loss program...
-Oso
(http://osomuerte.wordpress.com)
I don't have a problem
I don't have a problem sharing...just don't have a web site. Pity me, the electronic age destitute.
Sandra
Thanks for sharing your
Thanks for sharing your essays. Mine seems pretty dry in comparison! http://isthisutopia.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-clarion-essay.html
Tracie, It wasn't dry at
Tracie,
It wasn't dry at all. You expressed your passion, goals, and dreams in a concise, authentic voice.
Everyone has some good
Everyone has some good essays! I just posted mine on my MySpace.
Here's a direct link to the blog it's in.
Not bad at all, J.! S.
Not bad at all, J.!
S.
Thank you! I aim to please!
Thank you! I aim to please! Seriously, i thought very hard about it, for my own clarification as much as anything else.
Reading everyone else's
Reading everyone else's essays makes mine sound like a child's fantasy. I don't belong to a writers group, don't edit, don't do much of anything but write. Yet my fingers are crossed.
Sandra, It takes all kinds
Sandra,
It takes all kinds to make the workshop successful, I suspect. I doubt it's even about polish but potential. They can do the polishing there. Having been through 3 online writing groups (not to mention a period of activity at Baen's Bar) and a forthcoming trophy, C-SD wasn't interested in me. (I'm hoping the powers that be here at CW have better taste.) The background stuff means nothing, just the story or two you sent.
Now does that make you feel better or worse?
-Oso/Scott
(http://scottwbaker.net)
A little of both. One
A little of both. One story is the final edit of the piece that received the HM from WoTF, and the other...well, everything I've heard about CW is that they don't want you to play it safe. The second piece definitely is not safe.
I'd feel better if you shared your trophy, though...
Every dime of prize money is
Every dime of prize money is already spent on Clarion West...if I get in. But the trophy is negotiable.
-Oso/Scott
I've enjoyed reading all of
I've enjoyed reading all of your essays. Thanks for sharing, everyone! I've just posted my own. Better late than never, right? Here's the link:http://frankrayard.wordpress.com/2010/03/09/clarion-west-application-essay/