Writers About Town

It was great to see Kristine, Robine, Buck, and Donna at the Grub Street South seminar, "Plot Sprints and Other Ways to Get Your Page-Turner Mojo Working," with novelist Chris Abouzeid (see book cover and link, right). I'd be interested to hear what they thought of the ideas Chris presented...(please comment below)

I found his points and suggestions to be very instructive. I especially liked how he made plotting seem so easy, using the example of the 104-year-old man who's going out on a date for the first time in 60 years. It made me realize that plot is the first aspect of a novel that comes to me. (Conversely, I have a good friend who discovers a character first -- someone interesting who just pops into her head and refuses to be ignored.) Some critical question or situation will crop up and I'll wonder: what would happen? Usually, there's at least one character attached to the idea, and then others fall into place according to how they fit into the scenario as it plays out. What's your experience?

Chris also offered a handout of "plot-building exercises" designed to challenge our creativity, to help us "ride the edge of your imagination," as he put it. That's what writing's all about, after all -- isn't it?

Enjoy the ride...

Off to a Good Start in 2010

I don't know about you, but I really enjoyed the January Writers Workshop. Definitely a bright spot on such a dreary winter day and night.

It was so great to hear about how Sue went home after the December Writers Workshop and just kept writing for hours! And listening to Buck talk about his writing project and progress -- you can tell he's energized. Plus: that huge, majestic, colorful butterfly on the wall, conveying its transformative powers to all of us aspiring writers!

Thank you, Denise, for sharing your excellent work that night. I hope the comments everyone offered during the critique session were helpful to you, and I hope we'll see some additional chapters in the near future.

Okay -- this blog post is a bit all over the place. I guess I'm having that kind of day, so I'll just go with it...

Here are some other random thoughts bouncing around inside my brain:

- I just got my much-anticipated copy of The Murderer's Daughters, by Randy Susan Meyers (star of our first Author Series on 2/27)! Here are the first two sentences: "I wasn't surprised when Mama asked me to save her life. By my first week in kindergarten, I knew she was no macaroni-necklace-wearing kind of mother." Love it! If you want to read the rest, we'll have books available for purchase (at a discount) at the Author Series event, and Randy will gladly sign copies...

- I'm also reading a book called Your First Novel, by Ann Rittenberg (an agent) and Laura Whitcomb (a writer), with a foreword by bestselling novelist Dennis Lehane. It seems to be just what I need right now, as I wait to hear from the agents who are considering my manuscript, and as I embark on book number two. (And it really does feel like I'm "embarking" on a voyage...I guess, right now, you could say I'm in "packing mode," figuring out exactly what I'm going to take along for the ride. Next, I will start to map out my course.) I will try to keep you posted along the way. And please feel free to share your own updates with us as well.

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