Workshop Review

Just a word on how the summer workshop went. Great!
We had 16 people attend one, two, or all three sessions and covered defining your story, writing scenes, and adding emotion. Handouts were sent to participants and to those who signed up. Feedback has been positive, and the hope is that this can be developed into something to present at future workshops and conferences.
I, personally, had a lot of fun with it and enjoyed the back-and-forth critiques by the writers as they listened to each others' works. I heard some great stories as well, from futuristic fantasy, thriller, personal drama, humor, and more that sounded very solid and promising. I met new and interesting people, including some I had had conversations with through email.
Thanks to those who attended! It was you who made it great.

Lorin Expounds on Scenes

Lorin Oberweger, Free Expressions founder, editor and award winning author, discussed scene structure with an attentive group at the August 13th meeting. Using an example opening scene, she covered the basic building blocks of a scene, including time and place, viewpoint character, and inciting incident. Her handouts included a scene synopsis card, which guides the writer in building a sound scene, and her own Scene Response Sheet, which gives the reader a group of criteria for rating the effectiveness of a scene on a gut level. This is helpful from a critique standpoint as well as a self-evaluation.

Ms. Oberweger's relaxed style and confident command of knowledge made her a big hit with the audience, and many told me afterward how grateful they were for her presentation. I look forward to her return in the future.

If anyone is interested in improving their writing skills through a workshop, which is highly recommended by many writers, editors and others in the business, Lorin hosts several excellent seminars, including those by Donald Maass. (Enthusiastic disclaimer: I attended his High Tension Workshop last year and it was incredible!)

'til next month,
John