Ned Vizzini – Alumnus, 1996
“It's not my advice, it's William Faulkner's (variously attributed to many other writers): ‘kill your darlings.’ It means go into your writing and get rid of all the inside jokes / cutesy parts that are only interesting to you. What you'll be left with is writing that has the ability to affect other people. It's the toughest thing in the world to do, but that's what makes it good advice.”
The Inside Story
I took to writing in childhood because it was the easiest, most direct kind of rip-off I could find. When I enjoyed movies and wanted to create one, I found I needed a video camera. When I enjoyed video games and wanted to make one, I found I needed…jeez, I didn’t know what, a “computer language.” But if I liked a piece of writing, all I needed was paper and a pencil to make something of my own. I started doing that in second grade; and by high school I was fashioning tidbit short stories like “The Bagel Man,” which won me Honorable Mention at the New York City region of The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in 1996. I turned the account of that awards ceremony into my first published piece in New York Press—all of a sudden I was ripping myself off! I discovered then that good writing focused not only on the unique, (which always gets the credit,) but on the common—those things unsaid but true, picked up on by an artist, that make an audience nod and think “Hey, I can do this too.”
Advice to Young Writers:
The key is, don't write a book. Especially if you're young, you're not going to have the discipline to follow through on a complete work of fiction, which has to be on your mind all the time for months. Also don't write poetry or short stories, unless you've got one really good short story—there's not much of a market for that. Cut your teeth writing for newspapers and magazines. The key here is this: At the front of every newspaper and magazine in America (sometimes on page 2 or 3) is something called a masthead. The masthead lists the names and occupations of all the writers/artists/editors who work for the paper. At the bottom of the masthead is an address called the slush mail address. (You will probably see it in tiny letters down there and really have to struggle to read it.) This is the address that unknown writers can send their work to! Whatever you enjoy reading, you should send your writing to. If you like cars, send to Road and Track. If you've got a crazy story about homeless people or music, look for a local alternative paper in your city (like New York Press, it'll come out every week and have listings for all the concerts/parties going on.) You will, at least, get a response and get an idea how good your stuff is.
Career Highlights (So far)
To find out more about Ned, visit his website: http://www.nedvizzini.com
Recognition through The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
“It's not my advice, it's William Faulkner's (variously attributed to many other writers): ‘kill your darlings.’ It means go into your writing and get rid of all the inside jokes / cutesy parts that are only interesting to you. What you'll be left with is writing that has the ability to affect other people. It's the toughest thing in the world to do, but that's what makes it good advice.”
The Inside Story
I took to writing in childhood because it was the easiest, most direct kind of rip-off I could find. When I enjoyed movies and wanted to create one, I found I needed a video camera. When I enjoyed video games and wanted to make one, I found I needed…jeez, I didn’t know what, a “computer language.” But if I liked a piece of writing, all I needed was paper and a pencil to make something of my own. I started doing that in second grade; and by high school I was fashioning tidbit short stories like “The Bagel Man,” which won me Honorable Mention at the New York City region of The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in 1996. I turned the account of that awards ceremony into my first published piece in New York Press—all of a sudden I was ripping myself off! I discovered then that good writing focused not only on the unique, (which always gets the credit,) but on the common—those things unsaid but true, picked up on by an artist, that make an audience nod and think “Hey, I can do this too.”
Advice to Young Writers:
The key is, don't write a book. Especially if you're young, you're not going to have the discipline to follow through on a complete work of fiction, which has to be on your mind all the time for months. Also don't write poetry or short stories, unless you've got one really good short story—there's not much of a market for that. Cut your teeth writing for newspapers and magazines. The key here is this: At the front of every newspaper and magazine in America (sometimes on page 2 or 3) is something called a masthead. The masthead lists the names and occupations of all the writers/artists/editors who work for the paper. At the bottom of the masthead is an address called the slush mail address. (You will probably see it in tiny letters down there and really have to struggle to read it.) This is the address that unknown writers can send their work to! Whatever you enjoy reading, you should send your writing to. If you like cars, send to Road and Track. If you've got a crazy story about homeless people or music, look for a local alternative paper in your city (like New York Press, it'll come out every week and have listings for all the concerts/parties going on.) You will, at least, get a response and get an idea how good your stuff is.
Career Highlights (So far)
- 2006: It’s Kind of a Funny Story, a novel, to be published by Hyperion
- 2005: NYC Student Writing Showcase, a series of in-school workshops and a publication developed by Ned in conjunction with the New York City Department of Education, the New York City School Library System and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. http://www.nycsws.org
- 2004: Be More Chill, a novel, published by Hyperion and chosen by Judy Blume as a Today Show Book Club selection.
- 2003: Graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Hunter College of the City University of New York
- 2000: Teen Angst? Naaah..., a collection of essays, including “Horrible Mention,” published by Free Spirit Publishing
- 1996: “Horrible Mention,” about Ned's experience with The Scholastic Writing Awards ceremony, published in New York Press
To find out more about Ned, visit his website: http://www.nedvizzini.com
Recognition through The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
- Honorable Mention, Short Story, New York City region of The Scholastic Writing Awards while at Stuyvesant High School
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