Day 2, Part 3: After lunch was through and the keynote speaker had finished up, I head to my last formal workshop- Creating Time and Place, also led by Tracy MacNish. Very interesting session. Here is what I learned:
#1: Readers want to be taken somewhere...characters aren't enough.
#2: Lure reader into your setting, don't hit them over the head. You don't need to give the entire setting all at once...but the reader won't wait forever either.
#3: Writers put so much time and effort into their characters and need to put that same effort into time and place.
#4: Include specifics- names of places and things, pop culture references, clothes, music, religion, money, entertainment, what they eat and drink, etc... The more truth it contains, the easier it is to believe.
#5: You never know what your readers know that you don't so make sure you get it right. Do your research. If you're using internet sites as references, find at least three websites that give the same information.
#6: Readers want things fast, they're not going to spend a lot of time on lengthy descriptions. Resist the urge to say too much or veer away from the story. These details are not your story, they just enhance it. Give description in small bites.
#7: Clarity-Unity-Brevity
#8: Stress- it is caused by their time and place?
#9: Names, dialect and jargon adds to the time and setting.
#10: Fish out of water- use sparingly in your story. Easy way to show reader without telling...through the eyes of a character who's never been there. People remarking on something is more interesting to read than a long descriptive paragraph.
#11: Can change setting but it needs to have a purpose. Same with weather...needs to have a reason.
#12: For historical stories, easy ways to research time and setting- old magazines, biographies of people who lived during that time.
#13: To research a place you've never been, call the town's Chamber of Commerce for tourism brochures.
This was a great session and I really picked up some great ways to make my stories unique and really pull my reader in...make them feel like they've been transported to another time and place!
After this session ended, I headed to an informal genre chat, also led by Tracy MacNish. It was all about romance!! There were only 4 other writers beside Tracy and myself there, so it was very intimate! We had some great conversations and it was the perfect end to the conference!
I headed to the vendor fair after that where the flash contest winners were announced...I did not place :( I bought one of Tracy's books and had her sign it.
The entire conference was officially over and most participants head for home. We decided to stay the night instead of driving home 5 hours in the dark. We ventured out in search of food, promising to call our new writer friends when we decided where we were eating- they had also decided to stay an extra night. Sarah and I found a great Mexican place but the others had already found somewhere to eat. So it was just the two of us and our celebratory margaritas! YUM! We filled our bellies with salsa and guacamole (so so good!!) and then combination platters filled with our favorite Mexican fare. We spent the rest of the night chatting with the other girls back at the hotel.
We both woke bright and early Sunday morning and took our time packing up. We hot the road by 10:30 and our weekend had officially ended! But I have to say...I have now been bitten by the conference bug! It surpassed every expectation I had and this small intimate conference was perfect for newbies like us! If you ever get the chance to go to one, DEFINITELY do it!! Worth every last penny!!!
Showing posts with label the write stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the write stuff. Show all posts
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Conference Report- Day 2 Continued!!
Okay, Day 2, Part 2: Seducing Your Reader...that was the next session I attended! I had been very interested in this session, since I write romance and often write sexual scenes. I knew this would be a great workshop for me. It was led by Tracy MacNish, a historical romance writer, and she was fantastic!! She had a great way of mixing humor with her lessons and it was really informative!
Here are some of the things I learned:
#1: Get over your inhibitions!
#2: You need to create sexual tension. Nothing gets readers glued to pages better than sexual tension. She mentioned tv shows such at Friends (Ross and Rachel) and The Office (Pam and Jim) and how the back and forth keeps us glued and wanting more. Strive for tension on every page.
#3: Increasing tension. Nothing increases tension more than a character wanting someone they can't have or the feelings are mutual but they can't act on it. Think Romeo and Juliette. Or what if one person doesn't share the feeling but uses it to their advantage?
#4: You lose sexual tension the minute they "do it"...and you need to find some other way to bring the tension back and your readers eyes on the page.
#5: You need to create characters that your reader cares about, someone they want to root for. You need to create characters that your reader will want to see together. And make them real. You don't need the perfect woman or a man with bulging muscles. They need quirks. Readers identify with real characters and want them to fall in love and live happily ever after.
#6: When writing sexual scenes, you need details. Use your senses- show the reader what's going on by giving them smells and sounds. Be aware of the surroundings, even mid-scene. Use dialogue to show emotion between the couple.
#7: Interruptions during a sex scene can be a great tool...increases tension. But be careful. Too many and the reader will become frustrated.
#8: You are literally "screwed" without honesty!! LOL! You cannot lie to the reader. Sex is not perfect, ever, include your character's insecurities. Carry their personality traits into the bedroom.
I left this workshop with lots of things to think about and I felt very inspired!! Gave me lots of ideas and ways to enhance the scenes I've already written!!
Next up was lunch! I was starved and so thankful! I met up with Sarah and Nicole (she writes YA as well, so they spent the majority of the day together!) The conference organizers arranged a fantastic Italian lunch buffet- YUM! Tortellini, ziti, meatballs, bread sticks, Caesar salad! The key note speaker was James Frey and as in his earlier session, he entertained us along with giving solid writing advice. The main point that stayed with me is to never give up. Keep writing and keep submitting. He recommends getting 84 rejections on a piece before throwing it in the drawer.
Stop back for more tomorrow!
Here are some of the things I learned:
#1: Get over your inhibitions!
#2: You need to create sexual tension. Nothing gets readers glued to pages better than sexual tension. She mentioned tv shows such at Friends (Ross and Rachel) and The Office (Pam and Jim) and how the back and forth keeps us glued and wanting more. Strive for tension on every page.
#3: Increasing tension. Nothing increases tension more than a character wanting someone they can't have or the feelings are mutual but they can't act on it. Think Romeo and Juliette. Or what if one person doesn't share the feeling but uses it to their advantage?
#4: You lose sexual tension the minute they "do it"...and you need to find some other way to bring the tension back and your readers eyes on the page.
#5: You need to create characters that your reader cares about, someone they want to root for. You need to create characters that your reader will want to see together. And make them real. You don't need the perfect woman or a man with bulging muscles. They need quirks. Readers identify with real characters and want them to fall in love and live happily ever after.
#6: When writing sexual scenes, you need details. Use your senses- show the reader what's going on by giving them smells and sounds. Be aware of the surroundings, even mid-scene. Use dialogue to show emotion between the couple.
#7: Interruptions during a sex scene can be a great tool...increases tension. But be careful. Too many and the reader will become frustrated.
#8: You are literally "screwed" without honesty!! LOL! You cannot lie to the reader. Sex is not perfect, ever, include your character's insecurities. Carry their personality traits into the bedroom.
I left this workshop with lots of things to think about and I felt very inspired!! Gave me lots of ideas and ways to enhance the scenes I've already written!!
Next up was lunch! I was starved and so thankful! I met up with Sarah and Nicole (she writes YA as well, so they spent the majority of the day together!) The conference organizers arranged a fantastic Italian lunch buffet- YUM! Tortellini, ziti, meatballs, bread sticks, Caesar salad! The key note speaker was James Frey and as in his earlier session, he entertained us along with giving solid writing advice. The main point that stayed with me is to never give up. Keep writing and keep submitting. He recommends getting 84 rejections on a piece before throwing it in the drawer.
Stop back for more tomorrow!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Conference Report- Day 2!!!!
Okay, let's pick up where we left off!
Day 2, Part 1: Woke at 5:30 a.m., unable to fall back asleep. It had been an awful night. I never sleep well the first night in a new place, but this was horrible. The heater was sooooooooooooo loud and seemed to click on every 5 minutes with a whoosh so loud that it felt like I woke every single time. The night before, when Sarah and I were on our laptops on our beds, the heater was on my side, and if it was on and she said soemthing to me, I had to ask her to repeat it louder. I could not hear her...and she was only about 5 feet away from me!!!
So we got dressed, primped and preened, then headed to breakfast, after dropping off my entries for the flash contests. I wrote a couple things to enter, fiction and non-fiction, 100 word max. That was incredibly tough!!
Breakfast was typical continental fare- muffins, danishes, bagels, fruit, juice, coffee, tea. But it was tasty! We chatted with some writers while we ate then went our separate ways.
Sarah and I ended up at only two sessions together...we write different genres, so there were sessions that appealed to each of us differently.
At 8:50 was the Agent Panel. It consisted of Kim Lionetti, Michelle Humphrey, Eddie Schneider and Jessica Papin. The moderator led off with some questions and each agent answered, stuff like trends and demystifying the publishing industry. The floor was then opened to the rest of us and there were some great questions. It was quite informative.
Next at 9:50 was The Power of Knowing Your Premise by James Frey. This was quite interesting. He is very entertaining and basically he tells it like it is. I guess I had never really given thought to my premise...I mean, I know what my books are about, but to simplify it into a few words.....seemed impossible. He really seemed to resonate with me when he said "Shit doesn't just happen." Something leads to something that leads to something. Our characters need to be dramatic, extreme of type. They need to have a grueling passion, but it can change. There needs to be a dramatic change in your character, a struggle, high stakes, whether it be love, relationships, honor, money, family.
In the end, I discovered my premise for A Bitch Named Karma is this: Selfishness leads to self discovery and true bliss.
For Spellbound, it's this: Love defeats family loyalty.
I had to miss the last 15 minutes of this session to make it to my pitch appointment on time. It was set for 10:30. I left, arms and legs shaking with fear, and took my place outside the meeting room with a few other writers waiting for their 10:30's with their selected agent. One of the women asked who I was seeing- I told her. She was also seeing Kim...at the same exact time. Yikes! We were escorted in, informed the moderator of our problem and she approached Kim and told her of the mix-up. She agreed to meet with one of us immediately and the other, right after, even though pitch sessions were over for the morning. The other woman went first, leaving me 10 more minutes to freak out inside. I decided to get my mind off of it for at least a few minutes and went to the table displaying the flash contest entries and made my votes. I headed back and waited, insides churning. I went in and shook Kim's hand, hoping she didn't hear my thundering heart. I introduced myself then fumbled with my bag and yanked out my notebook with the notes I had prepared. I started talking and didn't once glance at my notebook. I did relax after that first sentence and Kim was easy to talk to. I felt like I was jumping around in the book, but it was more of a casual conversation so I didn't think too much of it. Kim asked a few questions, the resolution of course, and also how my MC's mother felt about the events that were transpiring. Then she asked me who's work I compared myself too. I was never so thankful in my life than I had been in that moment for taking a minute to ponder that simple question the night before. I was 100% prepared and that feeling felt GREAT!! I'm hoping my confidence shined then though I did honestly tell her that I had been prepared from the moment she mentioned it in her pitch workshop the night before. I told her I compared my writing to Emily Giffin's and her ability to write characters that the reader can't help but root for and want to know more about. She smiled and seemed pleased with the answer (Kudos for me!!) She asked to see a partial and slid her business card across the table!! I thanked her, said my goodbyes, and tried not to skip out of there.
The rest of the day, I floated through. The weight had been lifted and I felt great. I thought my pitch went decently well and I was pleased with how relaxed I did feel when I went in there and just let it flow from my mouth. I didn't try to organize it and I hope my passion for the story shined through.
I met up with Sarah and another writer we had met, Nicole. There was a short break before the next sessions started. I relayed my experience then parted ways with them to attend Seducing Your Reader!
Check back tomorrow!!!
Day 2, Part 1: Woke at 5:30 a.m., unable to fall back asleep. It had been an awful night. I never sleep well the first night in a new place, but this was horrible. The heater was sooooooooooooo loud and seemed to click on every 5 minutes with a whoosh so loud that it felt like I woke every single time. The night before, when Sarah and I were on our laptops on our beds, the heater was on my side, and if it was on and she said soemthing to me, I had to ask her to repeat it louder. I could not hear her...and she was only about 5 feet away from me!!!
So we got dressed, primped and preened, then headed to breakfast, after dropping off my entries for the flash contests. I wrote a couple things to enter, fiction and non-fiction, 100 word max. That was incredibly tough!!
Breakfast was typical continental fare- muffins, danishes, bagels, fruit, juice, coffee, tea. But it was tasty! We chatted with some writers while we ate then went our separate ways.
Sarah and I ended up at only two sessions together...we write different genres, so there were sessions that appealed to each of us differently.
At 8:50 was the Agent Panel. It consisted of Kim Lionetti, Michelle Humphrey, Eddie Schneider and Jessica Papin. The moderator led off with some questions and each agent answered, stuff like trends and demystifying the publishing industry. The floor was then opened to the rest of us and there were some great questions. It was quite informative.
Next at 9:50 was The Power of Knowing Your Premise by James Frey. This was quite interesting. He is very entertaining and basically he tells it like it is. I guess I had never really given thought to my premise...I mean, I know what my books are about, but to simplify it into a few words.....seemed impossible. He really seemed to resonate with me when he said "Shit doesn't just happen." Something leads to something that leads to something. Our characters need to be dramatic, extreme of type. They need to have a grueling passion, but it can change. There needs to be a dramatic change in your character, a struggle, high stakes, whether it be love, relationships, honor, money, family.
In the end, I discovered my premise for A Bitch Named Karma is this: Selfishness leads to self discovery and true bliss.
For Spellbound, it's this: Love defeats family loyalty.
I had to miss the last 15 minutes of this session to make it to my pitch appointment on time. It was set for 10:30. I left, arms and legs shaking with fear, and took my place outside the meeting room with a few other writers waiting for their 10:30's with their selected agent. One of the women asked who I was seeing- I told her. She was also seeing Kim...at the same exact time. Yikes! We were escorted in, informed the moderator of our problem and she approached Kim and told her of the mix-up. She agreed to meet with one of us immediately and the other, right after, even though pitch sessions were over for the morning. The other woman went first, leaving me 10 more minutes to freak out inside. I decided to get my mind off of it for at least a few minutes and went to the table displaying the flash contest entries and made my votes. I headed back and waited, insides churning. I went in and shook Kim's hand, hoping she didn't hear my thundering heart. I introduced myself then fumbled with my bag and yanked out my notebook with the notes I had prepared. I started talking and didn't once glance at my notebook. I did relax after that first sentence and Kim was easy to talk to. I felt like I was jumping around in the book, but it was more of a casual conversation so I didn't think too much of it. Kim asked a few questions, the resolution of course, and also how my MC's mother felt about the events that were transpiring. Then she asked me who's work I compared myself too. I was never so thankful in my life than I had been in that moment for taking a minute to ponder that simple question the night before. I was 100% prepared and that feeling felt GREAT!! I'm hoping my confidence shined then though I did honestly tell her that I had been prepared from the moment she mentioned it in her pitch workshop the night before. I told her I compared my writing to Emily Giffin's and her ability to write characters that the reader can't help but root for and want to know more about. She smiled and seemed pleased with the answer (Kudos for me!!) She asked to see a partial and slid her business card across the table!! I thanked her, said my goodbyes, and tried not to skip out of there.
The rest of the day, I floated through. The weight had been lifted and I felt great. I thought my pitch went decently well and I was pleased with how relaxed I did feel when I went in there and just let it flow from my mouth. I didn't try to organize it and I hope my passion for the story shined through.
I met up with Sarah and another writer we had met, Nicole. There was a short break before the next sessions started. I relayed my experience then parted ways with them to attend Seducing Your Reader!
Check back tomorrow!!!
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