由雷切尔权力
“泡菜成为一个大流行的消遣。”无论如何,这就是Gotham老师Rachel Simon。为瑞秋 - 副编辑你好咯咯笑以及包括该出版物的自由作家纽约时报那魅力, 和秃鹰-Writing是关于找到意外连接。“我在大流行中写的第一个故事,这是为了纽约时报,是关于泡菜。When I published that piece, I had a ton of people reaching out and commenting on the article: ‘I thought it was just my family!’ and ‘I didn’t realize other people had been doing this recently.’ Then there were other people who started doing it once they read the article.”
“我总是,总是知道我是一位作家,”雷切尔说。作为一个孩子,她写道“绝对是真正可怕的书”。在大学时,在学习写作,文学和出版 - 熙熙攘攘的实习帮助她在毕业后,编写名人概况,趋势件和其他特征文章后,为公司确保了全职职位。“我真的发现自己特别倾向于娱乐新闻,”雷切尔补充道。“我一直痴迷于杂志,读我能够的每一件事,真的很喜欢事物的一面,所以我的重点是我的职业生涯的开始。”从那里,她继续为许多其他杂志和网站写作,现在为Gotham教授各种形式的非小说。但是,无论他们采取什么类型,所有它仍然会回来找到这些令人惊讶的,引人注目的叙述。
“我知道我擅长非小说。“这就是我所做的。这就是作为作家所人所知道的。我应该坚持这一点,“雷切尔会告诉自己。然而,她的最新项目是一部小说。“我所学到的最大的事情是你无法自己忍受。这是生活建议 - 但尤其如此。You have to get out of your own way because if you’re telling yourself ‘I’m not this kind of writer,’ or ‘I’m not good at that stuff so why bother trying’ you’re pigeon-holing yourself before anyone even has. That’s so much of how I felt before I started writing fiction. I’m giving myself the freedom to try.”
然而,对于雷切尔来说,寻找新的写作形式只显示了她的讲故事原则。“When we’re writing nonfiction we use so many of the same tools as fiction: scenes, dialogue, getting from Point A to Point B to Point C. Ultimately, it’s about creating a story that’s compelling, that’s going to keep people’s attention, that’s bringing them into your world—whatever that world may be.”
She adds that “Programs like Gotham—anywhere you can find a community of people who can not only give you criticism and feedback but help you grow as a writer and truly understand what you’re doing and support those visions and those goals—that’s not easy to find. Surrounding yourself with people—whether it’s through classes, workshops, or even just friends youmake—can make such a massive difference when you’re writing to not feel so discouraged and have that accountability instead of that feeling of solitude.”
作为老师,雷切尔的灵感来自她的学生。“我喜欢看到他们的动力和他们的承诺,”她说。通常,雷切尔的学生不会在他们的专业生活中写作,但他们总是把她推向一个重要的问题:“为什么我不采取同样的风险?”