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98 views26 pages

Wechat Talk

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api-506518528
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PAINTING WITH

WORDS:
How to Become a Reader,
Creative Writer, and Journalist

By Taylor Fang
* Why write? Real-life benefits

* My background and personal inspiration

* How to write?

Reading and book suggestions

Finding mentors

Finding (or building) a writer's community


Introduction
Getting feedback and critiques

Poetry-specific advice

* Contests, competitions, and publications

* Summer camp opportunities

* Contact Information

* Q&A

2
“
Building a company and writing a
book are similar. Anyone who creates
anything—business, policy,
empire—starts with the same goal,
which is to create something real out
of what doesn’t yet exist

Copyright Taylor Fang 3


Writing = Storytelling
Examples:

Paying attention to details -> entrepreneurship

Writing essays for class, for contests, for summer camps, for
college, for scholarships

Reading quickly for test-taking (SAT/ACT), debate team, even


math word problems

Empathy

Copyright Taylor Fang


◦ Reading a wide range of work
◦ Writing in different styles

Deliberate ◦ Editing
Practice ◦ Getting feedback and
mentorship
⬆ All connected

Copyright Taylor Fang 5


My Background
● Reading @ library from book lists
● Writing diary entries and stories ->
essays
● Writing poetry in 7th (?) grade
● Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship in
9th grade + Scholastic Art & Writing
Awards

Copyright Taylor Fang 6


Qualifications
● National Student Poet of the West (1 of 5 - readings @
Smithsonian, TX Book Fest, upcoming Carnegie Hall)
● Published in New York Times, Pulitzer Center, MIT
Technology Review, MSN
● International Hippocrates Young Poets Prize, Bow Seat
Gold Award, Scholastic National Gold Medal
● National Merit Scholar, perfect score on SAT
● Coca-Cola Scholar, Ashoka Young Changemaker
● Telluride Association Sophomore Seminar Summer
camp (also at Apple and Stanford AI Lab)
● Founded high school creative writing club and literary
magazine
● Accepted into Harvard and Yale

Copyright Taylor Fang 7


Copyright Taylor Fang 8
How to write?
First: READ

Online Journalism: New Yorker, NYT, The Atlantic, Brain


Pickings, Medium, Smithsonian Mag, Scientific American,
Nautilus, The Guardian, BBC, McSweeney’s (humor)

Creative writing (my picks): Poetry Foundation, poets.org,


Kenyon Review, The Paris Review, Adroit Journal, AAWW
The Margins, Lightbox Poetry, Winter Tangerine, Dialogist,
Guernica

Newsletters: Poetry Daily, poets.org, The Guardian,


Submittable, Pocket, Austin Kleon

Copyright Taylor Fang


BOOKS: What do you love and what do you hate?

Books specifically about writing (& art & creativity):

Art & Fear, David Bayles and Ted Orland

Becoming a Writer, Dorothea Brande

Bird By Bird, Anne Lamott

Zen in the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury

Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon

The Triggering House, Richard Hugo

Copyright Taylor Fang 10


Write down favorite passages and quotes from books

Copyright Taylor Fang 11


Keep a list of “Media Consumed”
Reverse chronological order with title, author, date

Books and Poetry

Newsletters

Articles

Music

Film

(Pro-tip: Also helps with summer camp and college apps)

Copyright Taylor Fang 12


Carry a journal everywhere! So much of writing is
observation

-Anything you notice or words/quotes you like

-What you want to remember

-Schedule, contacts, dates, sketches, homework

(Pro-tip: Also helps with summer camp and college apps)

Copyright Taylor Fang 13


Look Locally Use the Internet Start Your Own
Local university, ◦ Adroit Creative writing
Community ◦ Poetry club, literary
writers/poets Society UK magazine,
Young Poet’s
Finding (or groups,
Network poetry slam,
Clubs/newspape community
building) a r/lit mag at
◦
◦
Teen Ink
Write the writing space
writer's school World
◦ NaNoWriMo
community ◦ Wattpad
◦ Social media

Summer Programs

Mostly at universities/colleges

Copyright Taylor Fang 14


Look Locally Use the
Internet
Cold-email
introductions, Online
Finding attend writing programs,
mentors events/lecture older peer
s/conferences, writers
English
teachers

Copyright Taylor Fang 15


Sharing Work
Understand that
what you’re sharing Dealing with
Getting isn’t perfect, be Failure
feedback & open-minded for
Necessary part of
critiques improvements (but
journey! Be patient
also consider all
feedback before
implement)

Copyright Taylor Fang 16


“Rejection is quite healthy and important. It pushes us
to return to our works in progress with renewed
energy and purpose. Rejection allows us to see that
we are capable of the better story, the better poem,
the better play. If you are a teen writer who is just
beginning to send your work out, I would encourage
you to embrace rejection. You have so much time and
space to hone in on your craft, to become more sure
of your voice. Continue to write, to revise, to submit
work and to grow and the rest will fall into place.”

-Sojourner Ahebee

17
Adroit Journal Summer
Mentorship Program
(https://theadroitjournal.org/about/mentorship/)
◦ Completely online
Summer
◦ Poetry, fiction, CNF
programs
◦ Paired with professional
writer
◦ Tuition: $295
◦ Application due April
15th (2 weeks!)
Copyright Taylor Fang 18
Telluride Association
Sophomore Seminar (TASS) /
Summer Program (TASP)
(https://www.tellurideassociation.org/our-programs/high-
school-students/)
Summer
programs ◦ Not focused on creative
writing
◦ Attend 6 weeks of
college-level seminar w/ 2
professors
◦ Free
Copyright Taylor Fang 19
Other creative writing summer
programs:
◦ Iowa Young Writer’s Studio
◦ Kenyon Review Young Writer’s
Summer Workshop
◦ Interlochen Creative Writing
programs Summer
◦ Between the Lines @ U of Iowa
◦ Kelly Writer’s House @ UPenn
Varying tuition costs/dates
Complete list on my website

Copyright Taylor Fang 20


Contests, competitions, and
publications
● Google searches and organize in a
bookmarks folder
● Recommend spreadsheet for tracking
submissions
● Write due dates on calendar

Copyright Taylor Fang


Submission Date Submitted Piece(s) Prev Published? Simultaneous? Fee Status

Copyright Taylor Fang 22


Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
YoungArts
Poetry Society of the United Kingdom
Foyle Young Poets Award
Gigantic Sequins Teen Sequin
Critical Pass Junior Poet
Hippocrates Young Poet’s Prize
Adroit Prizes
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest
NCTE Achievement Awards
Poetry Society of America Student Poetry Award
Rattle Young Poet’s Anthology

Copyright Taylor Fang 23


See
taylorfang.weebly.com/
resources
For longer list of reliable
publications, contests,
camps, & readings

Copyright Taylor Fang 24


Reach out to me!

taylorfang.weebly.com
Email: [email protected]

25
Q&A

26

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