PSU Magazine Fall 1999

he difference between a word nd the right word, Mark Twain nee said, is the difference between ligh tning and a lightn ing bug. That difference is what university writing programs around the country traditionally seek to teach their students. But in a bold departure, PSU's new Center for Excellence in Writing aims to teach students not only how to find the right word but how to steer the right course- in forging a career as a writer. Starting this fall, the master's program in writing will be the first in the region-and one of a handful nationally-to place a particular emphasis on making a living as a writer, according to the English Department's Tracy Dillon, the new director. The program brings together three distinct types of writing: creative, liter– ary nonfiction, and technical writing. In most schools, these different genres are often taugh t in completely different schools: literary nonfiction in journalism, creative writing in English , and technical writing in engineering, Dillon says. Imagine a graduate student in English trying to get credit for a class in engineering and you begin to see the bureaucratic hurtles to this approach. Yet it is just such an eclectic mix of courses that would-be writers need to take, according to Dennis Stovall, the Portland publisher of Blue Heron Press, who will be teaching a course for the Center. "In most writing programs, the issue of earning an income is rarely addressed," he says. "That leaves a lot of strong voices without the means to mature through everyday practice." 12 PSU MAGAZINE FALL 1999 The result?Too much navel gazing or art for art's sake or writers who resort to teaching as their only recourse for making a living, he says. "Even worse, writers set themselves up for serial rejection. Often they get discouraged and give up." Stovall speaks from his own hard– earned experience starting out as a writer, which he dubs a "litany of errors." Like many "green" writers, he sent h is manuscripts off to the kind of classy magazines least likely to publi h them– not only because he lacked a reputation as a writer but because such markets are flooded with unsolicited work. "I was the victim of berserk notions, like thinking that certain types of writ– ing were beneath my dignity," he says. Today, he sums up what he learned by turning Nancy Reagan's motto on its head. "If someone asks you to polish an article on electronic engineering, just say yes. Could you do a brochure bn a new seed drill for an agricultural company? Just say yes." Even writing a message for the humble grocery bag or for an ad on a bus is an opportunity to apply your craft , he ays. "In aUthese arenas, a writer has an opportunity to use the talents and skills of the art of writing, addressing information to different audiences that demand different styles." Starting with modest goals, begin– ning writers can get their work into print and so gain confidence as they go along- as well as earn some casfi, h e says. "There may be no romance to saying you just got an article published in Computer News, but you can buy your friends a drink." By Jack Yost The skills and know-how for a career in writing are coming together in a new center. And no matter what kind of serious wri ting you aspire to, it's going to have a business side, Stovall says. "So a successful writing program needs to give students the tools to hand le finances, negotiate contracts, and understand the publishing business, as well as to intro– duce writers to all the possible venues for creating a livelihood from the wielding of words." 1 n keeping with this philosophy, the new Center will offer classes not only by PSU faculty but also by professional writers from the area, including novelists Ursula LeGuin and Craig Lesley, screenwriter Charles Deemer, technical writer Arlene Drasner from Integrated Measurement Systems, and Jack Hart, managing editor at The Oregonian. The Center also aims to serve the needs of the writing community in general, Dillon says. It will offer train– ing seminars and workshops for people interested in perfecting their craft with– out joining an academic program and help connect writers, publishers, agents and anybody working in the field. A Web site (www .english.pdx. edu/cew) lists upcoming literary activities, profiles new work by local writers, and provides links to other writers' groups, professional resources, internships, employment opportunities, and other tools "that will help students make the leap from college to a career." To ensure that technical writers receive exposure to business practices, as well as real-world experience, the Center will work closely with the University's business and engineering schools, Dillon says.