By Katrin Schumann

Let's say you're going to The Muse & The Marketplace in Boston (May 5 - 7), and you've taken the plunge and decided to sign up for the Manuscript Mart. You're going to meet with an agent or editor one on one to get an unvarnished, professional opinion of your work.

It’s an old adage to “write what you know,” especially in nonfiction. And some writers, such as Natalie Goldberg in Writing Down the Bones, suggest that we write about our obsessions. Personally, those obsessions and my sense of self merged with the industrial city that formed me: Cleveland, Ohio.

When I was a boy, my hometown was a source of both pride and shame

By Katrin Schumann

People tend to think writing is romantic, and they’re not entirely wrong. It’s romantic in the way that being obsessed with someone who kind of, basically, mostly loves you back can be romantic—it’s a compelling, desperate, all-encompassing, occasionally fabulous experience. It’s romantic like starving in a garret is romantic: you’re hungry (which sucks), but at least you’re doing something that feels meaningful.

By Katrin Schumann

Do you hole up in near seclusion like Jonathan Franzen to create your opus? Do you use social media for ideas and encouragement? Do you read fiction while you write fiction? Where do you find your inspiration and your will to carry on in spite of the self-doubt? Do you search for answers in what other fiction writers do?

Ultimately, the only thing that matters is what works for you.

Ready to get serious about your craft? Apply to one of our Spring master classes by December 8th at 5:00pm.

• Master Poetry
• Master Fiction