Elena, Mel, and Cerid speak with Nancy Noelke and Bryce Painter about unfinished work—those ‘buried’ drafts. They talk about how an idea develops, sometimes over years, and how they decide when a piece is finished or whether it should stay a draft. The group also discusses the vulnerability of sharing unfinished work and how it provides insight into one’s development as a writer.
Author Bios:
Nancy Noelke’s work has appeared in The Physician Executive, HR Magazine, Spirituality and Health Magazine, Global Advances in Health and Medicine, Coulee Region Women’s Magazine and Essential Inklings. Newly retired from a career in higher education and healthcare, Nancy is devoting more time to writing poetry, including a soon to be published chapbook.
Bryce Painter is a percussionist in the indie, folk-rock duo Verdeant and a writer of speculative fiction currently working to record more original songs and complete his MFA at West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Referenced in this Episode:
Not Done Yet by Nancy Noelke on The Metaworker website
Join The Metaworker’s Discord writing group
Marie Howe, New York poet Laureate (2012-16): writing in letter format and writing “all the things you don’t know on a topic”
Joy Sullivan and her Sustenance writing workshop: “Find the ache and name it.”
Annie Lamot and the “shitty first draft”
Nancy’s chapbook of poems “What We Keep”
Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets
Wisconsin Writers Association
Get involved in your local, regional, state, and national writing groups!
Immediate Fiction by Jerry Cleaver
The Art of Fiction by John Gardner
Refuse to be Done by Matt Bell
Episode Transcript:
