PSU Magazine Fall 1999

SU's program answer a deeply felt need among the Portland ea's literary community, accord– ing to Julie Dixon Strasser, who played a key role in getting the Center off the ground. A community activist, head of a local foundation and author of the best-seller Swoosh- the story of the rise of Nike Corporation---Strasser drummed up financial support for the Center. She also helped put together a prestigious advisory board that includes the editor of The Oregonian, Sandra Rowe; animated filmmaker Will Vinton; well-known writers; and the directors of communications for promi– nent local companies. Many will teach courses for the program. "Why houldn't a city like Portland offer generous support for the literary arts, as well for music and dance and visual art ?" asks Strasser, who contributed $100,000 toward a fund to hire professional writers to teach at the Center. "Good writing affects every company and every activity in our community- we all benefit from it." And Portland State, with its mission as an urban university, is the logical place for a career-oriented writing program, she says. "It's a fit." Proof of how well it fits is already apparent, Dillon says. The Center has sparked a firestorm of interest from students, community members seeking to improve writing skills, and local busi– nesses- so much that the three degree tracks are already at near capacity. And it's one more impetus to a region already boasting a flourishing writing community-one that aims to enhance a writer's ability to earn his keep while exploring the different worlds writing opens up. "Writing is a wonderful refuge for the intellectual generalist," Stovall says. "You can tell your mother you are doing something, while doing anything that catches your fancy-like a butter– fly going from flower to flower. And all the while, you can rely on everybody else's expertise." Would-be poets and novelists who think mundane journalism isn't worth their while should think again. "You can use something you learned about farming or engineering in a poem or short story to achieve verisimilitude," he says. "A profile on a real person can give you invaluable insight into creating a fictional character." And though you need to learn the difference between a word and the right word, you don't have to know how to spell, he adds. You can just look it up. D On 'Becoming a Writer Whatever kind of writing you aspire to, here are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind: • Start with modest steps. Aiming to sell a short story to the New Yorker or a screenplay in Hollywood when you just start out is usually a short-cut to ongoing rejection. Instead, get your work into print, however humble the publication. It's a great tonic for further efforts. • Just say yes. Every type of writing, from the message on a grocery bag to a VCR manual, offers a chance to hone your skills: learn new techniques, target different audiences, practice different styles. Think of an artist learning to sketch with pencil, char– coal, ink or colored crayon using all kinds of different mediums and materials. • Be open to the unexpected. Good writing springs from an act of the imagination, from seeing the familiar in new ways, the universal in the particular. As you train your eye to notice connections in dissimilar things and differences in the similar, keep the same open-minded approach to your career. You may start out wanting to be a poet and discover that writing chil– dren's stories is your real passion. • Don't consider yourself above it all. No subject or venue is beneath your dignity as a writer. Each is an opportunity not only to perfect your craft but to learn something new– material which can later be mined for use in more "creative" writing. That stuck-up vice president of a classical music label you did a puff piece on might turn into a perfect character for a novel or film. • Get real about business. Unless you crave a day job in the sales or service industry, take the business side of writing seriously. You can earn a living as a writer, but it means learning the tricks of the trade: how to write query letters, analyze writing markets, use the same material for a number of separate pieces, negotiate a contract. • Realize the market value of your art. Because so many high-end literary publications pay little or nothing-just the privilege of appearing in their lofty pages-you may undervalue the real financial worth of your talent. Good writing is essential to every facet of business and society, and they will pay you good money for it. • Remember that language is power. We live in a world constructed of words. Great good or great evil-or more commonly, little goods and little evils-are wielded through their power. Writers have a particular responsibility to use their powerful tool to benefit society. The mythologist Joseph Campbell had this advice in choosing a career: follow you bliss. PSU's new Center for Excellence in Writing aims to help you find your passion as a writer-and survive in the real world as you follow your path.• FALL 1999 PSU MAGAZINE 13