tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.comments2022-11-09T00:53:03.233-08:00Adventures in MFA LandMelissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-46283187995033028862021-01-01T16:38:55.377-08:002021-01-01T16:38:55.377-08:00Thanks!Thanks!Melissa Ford Luckenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-11309306099547679012020-09-21T18:17:39.983-07:002020-09-21T18:17:39.983-07:00Great advice. Thank you.
Great advice. Thank you.<br />JG BeachHousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13181193009374922543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-64542391804512486732017-09-24T04:43:29.649-07:002017-09-24T04:43:29.649-07:00This is very educational content and written well ...This is very educational content and written well for a change. It's nice to see that some people still understand how to write a quality post! <br /><a href="https://www.kalikardiaapparel.com/" rel="nofollow">Phoenix</a><br />naveedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07158032062765868232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-30400713193275004782012-11-18T20:39:24.009-08:002012-11-18T20:39:24.009-08:00Merci beaucoup, Melissabelle, for welcoming me as ...Merci beaucoup, Melissabelle, for welcoming me as a Guest Blogger on your site again. I appreciate your warm hospitality. Thank you for your encouragement, suggestions, patience and time. I feel honored to read my article on your Blog. Your posts continue to enlighten me as do you, dear Solstice Friend, Writer Extraordinaire, Road Trip Buddy, "A Mom I so Admire," and AWP/Charlevoix/Sheraton Needham Roomie. {{Hugs}}, Carol Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07003475379290683951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-7220289976349395382011-04-10T10:54:24.276-07:002011-04-10T10:54:24.276-07:00This made me giggle, and gave me a breath of fresh...This made me giggle, and gave me a breath of fresh air as I motor through my critical analyses (due tomorrow, eek!). Thank you, Laura! And us YA folks aren't always ridiculously happy ;)elkayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18073113472730654922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-37639884445575303462010-08-29T16:05:23.175-07:002010-08-29T16:05:23.175-07:00Carol, I love your idea of a short reading followe...Carol, I love your idea of a short reading followed by a Q & A or commeentary on the work. While the book *can* be read after the event, that type of interactive exchange can only take occur in the present.<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the support and encouragement!Melissa Ford Luckenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-58467419392070884502010-08-26T18:27:09.522-07:002010-08-26T18:27:09.522-07:00Melissa,
I admire the way you write. Pithy, succi...Melissa,<br />I admire the way you write. Pithy, succinct, brilliant. If anyone has credibility with this topic, you do ~ as Melissa Ford Lucken, literary fiction writer, and as Isabelle Drake, commercial fiction author. I also look forward to the day when self-published/independently-published/non-traditionally-published authors are celebrated for being both literary and commercial. (Of course, Mark Twain is among those writers who defy these labels. He is one of the eminent success stories of this curious "labeling" phenomenon for he is a literary, commercial, self-published and traditionally published writer.) <br /><br />As you know, Jason Pinter's article in today's Huffington Post Books Section (8/26/10) supports your comments, Melissa. He also discusses the role of gender when it comes to literary vs. commercial fiction and New York Times' reviews. I wish he had interviewed YOU along with Jennifer Weiner and Jodi Picoult.<br /><br />In your conclusion, Melissa, I submit you offer an opportunity to merge the labels of literary and commercial by focusing on the reader. I agree with your conclusion. Hearing "literary authors" read their work may feel indulgent to a potential reader who wants only to be "hooked" on the story and snuggling on a sofa to read a great book by a "commercial author" may afford a reader the luxury of time to discover this author's "dramatic question."<br /><br />Ultimately, I would prefer an event where I could hear a three minute reading from an author (similar to the Undergraduate Readings at the Solstice MFA of Pine Manor College residencies), a quick question and answer forum, a book signing, and moments to read a chapter before turning off the light beside my bed. <br /><br />Thank you, Melissa, for your insight and perspective. As a devoted reader of your work ~ both literary and commercial ~, I feel honored to celebrate your point of view.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />Carol<br />Carol Owens CampbellUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07003475379290683951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-32300940458521443742010-05-26T17:53:13.055-07:002010-05-26T17:53:13.055-07:00No, no one has asked me those questions. I'm s...No, no one has asked me those questions. I'm still waiting...Melissa Ford Luckenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-59132890585731127952010-05-17T19:02:27.474-07:002010-05-17T19:02:27.474-07:00These are great questions for any higher degree (e...These are great questions for any higher degree (e.g. insert History for MFA, and non-fiction for fiction)! Did they ask you these when you began your program? Or did you wish they had? :)Thenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15945179782098934391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-40957710281620944992009-09-03T02:54:11.986-07:002009-09-03T02:54:11.986-07:00Hi Megan, if you have a YA manuscript ready, conta...Hi Megan, if you have a YA manuscript ready, contact Amy Schroeder the inkpop Site Manager, and ask her if you can post it on inkpop>><br />amybschroeder@gmail.comMelissa Ford Luckenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-42973199196677980972009-09-02T09:09:38.596-07:002009-09-02T09:09:38.596-07:00What an intriguing concept! As an aspiring YA auth...What an intriguing concept! As an aspiring YA author, I'm definitely on the lookout for new trends and new markets. I am very interested to see how inkpop works and it's ultimate effect on the YA market. <br /><br />If there's anything I can do to help you get started, let me know!MeganRebekahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03285116194891827858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-25191964387982928672009-08-23T19:02:32.122-07:002009-08-23T19:02:32.122-07:00I know what you mean about the S Meyer. There are ...I know what you mean about the S Meyer. There are many adults who read the her books: I think its great when moms/aunts/even grandmas/ can enjoy the same books as the younger women in the familyMelissa Ford Luckenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-80413159865406959352009-08-23T09:37:37.998-07:002009-08-23T09:37:37.998-07:00Thanks for the nice comments! I do want to add tha...Thanks for the nice comments! I do want to add that I meant Anne Rice, Laurel K. Hamilton and Charlaine Harris start and kept the vampires going for the adults, which then trickled down that topic to the teens. (This trend does go up also, as many adults love Stephenie Meyer the YA author, too.) I do have teens ask for these books, but Laurel especially is geared towards adults! <br />I'm looking forward to having Melissa guest blog on Vintage Cookbooks!Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04200630721904688015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-13993782057759905352009-08-23T02:32:36.725-07:002009-08-23T02:32:36.725-07:00I'll look for Hill's book to add to my sta...I'll look for Hill's book to add to my stack. <br /><br />My thing about Gardner was that he seemed to look for opportunities to "cut down" what he referred to as junk fiction; this seem odd to me, why not just say what you have to say without talking trash?Melissa Ford Luckenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-35513389128838341562009-08-23T02:27:43.134-07:002009-08-23T02:27:43.134-07:00Me too. Interesting about the zombies, I saw a cal...Me too. Interesting about the zombies, I saw a call for zombie romances recently. Thnx for stopping by.Melissa Ford Luckenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-35686351344313710692009-08-22T17:34:26.995-07:002009-08-22T17:34:26.995-07:00Great interview, ladies! I love YA fiction. :)Great interview, ladies! I love YA fiction. :)Bronwyn Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02932056019850822590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-37229840007011473632009-08-22T08:08:50.267-07:002009-08-22T08:08:50.267-07:00Melissa,
This is brilliant. Your metaphor of the...Melissa,<br /><br />This is brilliant. Your metaphor of the cakes at the potluck dinner is spot-on. It's all I can do to concentrate on Gardner, however, after the description of your delicious chocolate cake. (How can I get a piece?) Thank you for your observations about Gardner's artistic elitism. Your perspective is as original as you are and your comments make a lot of sense. <br /><br />I just read Rust Hills' book, "Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular." He was a peer of Gardner's and he, too, references "slick fiction" as anathema. (page 49) His points, however, are not made at the expense of less than sterling characters. <br /><br /> Hills contends that the problem with "slick fiction" vs. "quality fiction" (page 49) is an issue of writing characters that are "moving, not fixed" (page 53), of recognizing that the most interesting characters in the TV equivalent of "slick fiction" are the guest stars NOT the series regulars (page 56). He grounds his comment in a discussion of craft and, while quite a character himself, he seems to take an admirable view of readers and of individuals in all walks of life. <br /><br />I submit the most revered idea of Gardner's in "The Art of Fiction" is his "fictional dream." I appreciate how you've enlightened me about his debatable declarations. <br /><br />Melissa, please know how delightful your blog is. Congratulations on your efforts to start a conversation about art, artists, artistry AND chocolate cake!<br /><br />Cheers,<br />Carol<br />Carol Owens Campbell<br />EnglishDaisy@comcast.netUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07003475379290683951noreply@blogger.com