FWA puts the Dazzle in Shimmer

Congratulations, group! Bev Browning, ghostwriter from Gainesville (and professional writer for 25 years), told me that our group offered greater responses to her Shimmer workshop prompt than any other she has taught. She was impressed with your capabilities! (I am, too, and honored to know so many of you.)

Her unique approach to creating subtext, to building depth in our words, enlightened everyone who attended in the refreshed atmosphere of the remodeled library. I shared with her later that I had never come across someone diagramming sentences the way she did. It gave a visual sense to the rhythm and cadence, clarifying something that we sometimes think of only with our ears, and not our eyes.

I know she was excited to be here, and I mentioned that I felt the same that she would come and share her knowledge with us from that far away. Her bonus material on the law was also well-received, generating good questions and forcing me to trash a couple of ideas that were floating around in my library of story ideas.

As we close out the year next month I am grateful for all that I have learned from you, the members of FWA, and our guests, through your generosity of spirit and insightful analysis of my work. I hope everyone feels they have grown stronger this year as a writer, love the process and the time spent writing, and find continued and greater success next year. Every time you put fingers to keys, pen to paper, in my mind, you are successful.

Thanks!
John

We're Moving Back!

Greetings!

As you'll notice at the top of this page, we are moving back to the Main library for the next 6 months. Renovations have been completed and the library opens on the 9th. Our first meeting is on the 12th, featuring that bubbly, crazy, celebrity ghostwriter, Bev Browning. She's coming from Gainesville, and will present a workshop on subtext, the art of how to put things between the lines. Her workshop is titled 'Shimmer' and everyone who experienced it at the Anhinga Summer Workshop gave it rave reviews.

I'm starting NaNoWriMo in a couple days (Sunday, to be exact), and my name is JohnnyStPete. If you join the national novel writing month website to keep track of trying to write 50,000 words in a month, look me up!

Hope to see you soon, and keep on writing,

John

Final Day!

The final day is here, but hasn't yet begun. I'm exhausted, but had a great time getting to know old friends better, meet new people, create scenes here and there. Just having fun. I won't name all those who made this conference one I'll remember, that would probably be as interesting as the Oscar acceptance speech for best gaffer. There is one workshop left. I am skipping the one that started 25 minutes ago, a choice between two different writing prompts. I've written enough, revising my first page each night, completing 3 more reflections (poetry) to finish November, and adding posts here when I could.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the November meeting. I will begin email reminders mid-week once I've established our meeting place. I intend to have that task completed by Wednesday night.

Keep writing, and keep talking to writers!
John

Saturday Evening Post

Oh man! What a blast this conference has been. Not only have some of the workshop presentations been very good (though way too short, but it's a conference, not a workshop!), but meeting all the people has been a blast. I think that's one of the most valuable if not the most valuable things to take away from a conference. It's about meeting people, listening to them, figuring out what the current trends are or how people view their jobs (in the publishing business), and just getting to a certain comfort level around those you want to be able to impress when the time comes. (For me, that's not quite yet here.) Gotta get ready for the dinner. I'll squeeze one more in if I can. Post, not dinner. There's too much food here! (Not enough water/soda.)

Later!
John

Night Before Conference and all through the hotel...

The volunteers were getting instructions on what to do, which should make this conference the smoothest running! Preparations sound really great, and I hope it will contribute to a great experience for everyone.

Note for next month! I've been in touch with Bev, who is following our blog from New York (where she is currently working), and she's excited to be presenting her Shimmer workshop here, a hands-on workshop on creating subtext. (The underlying ideas and messages in your story.) She is bringing another member of Anhinga with her, whom I'm sure you'll enjoy meeting, a girl named Sue. (That's right, not a boy!)

And lest I forget, she sends cream cheese greetings! This lady is phenomenal, and someone from whom I think you would learn so much. (I hate those kinds of sentences, but hey, I think that's grammatically correct.)

I'll bring a copy of the Collections book to our next meeting if anyone would like to see what it looks like. I'd like to set up some kind of group to help those interested in submitting for next year that would offer guidance and critique prior to the submission deadline. It would be great to see more of us get published!

I'm also bringing back information on Margie's offerings, which I'll share at the next couple of meetings.

Gotta grab some sleep before the early start. Registration opens at 6:30am!!!

Later!
John

Margie Lawson Afternoon Impressions

Margie Lawson's workshop wrapped up this afternoon, and tomorrow begins the conference. She whipped through the material like a whirling dervish, trying to cover as much as possible while still giving the attendees the understanding needed to use her tool, the EDITS system.

I think there are several important things I took from this workshop. Any tool you find, if you want to see if it's for you or not, you have to USE it. You can't just look at it and say, 'oh, maybe, maybe not.' So I've tried the snowflake method, I've tried several other things, and have come to understand what works for me. With this understanding I can say that Margie's tool looks very good, and is something I will use, at least on some scenes or chapters.

I've already discovered I need to rewrite my most important scenes, in order to ramp up their emotional impact. It reminded me of what some of my readers (editors, critiquers) have said. 'You just did something major to a character and the character didn't respond. Huh?'

Margie took a passage from a well-known author's book and went over it showing how she would use her system of highlighting on it. Someone looked for a 'hard and fast' rule, but she demurred. There is not right or wrong pattern of highlighting. It's purpose is for you to discover the tone of your story, and whether it makes sense the way you've written it.

Based on what I've seen from her, I'd recommend getting more of her information. It could definitely help!

Tomorrow starts the conference, and I'll post as I can, outside of my volunteering duties. I also took a first look at the FWA Family Collections book (Chrissy let me take a look), and I found it to be very professional. I highly encourage everyone to take a shot at next year's collection, and will do something with our group for those that want to work on a submission.

Later!
John

Margie Lawson mid-day 1st Impression - She rocks! Hits the nail on the...!

Oh, that's so cliche! And she'd be the first to point it out to me. The morning of this session has been filled with great information, and in looking at the first page of my story for maybe the hundredth time, I still found it woefully weak! (Alliteration, a tool that can be used to good effect, sometimes.) She has promoted her work during this time, and I intend to take a closer look at it. Based on Sam's recommendation, she is everything promised, and more.

Of course, implementing her system, even part of it, requires work. Are you up to it? Or do you like to just write and think, it's really good just the way it is. She mentioned a technique I first learned at Anhinga, that of recording your reading so you can listen to it. I think it might make all the difference to listen after the fact rather than while you read out loud. So, I'm going to try it.

Check out her website and sign up for her newsletter. It also comes with good tips, as some have mentioned in the class today just by pointing things out to everyone.

Later, and keep on writing!
John

FWA Conference Blog! Margie's Day

Greetings, members!
I apologize for getting Molli's review up so late, right as the workshop prior to the conference begins. But, as always, I want to send out blogs while I'm here for those who can't make it. For those going to the Times Festival and/or Necronomicon, I'd love to hear about those, too.

Today is Margie Lawson's workshop, which begins in a few short hours. I'll send updates, maybe at lunch and the end, as to how it goes, and how it compares to some other things I've come across. (Though to be fair, it's difficult to compare something you've read with someone you hear. They are two different types of learning experiences.) Chrissy mentioned we have 100 people attending the workshop, so that in itself will make it interesting. Sounds a little bit like a college class!!!

Later!
John

Synopses Dissected by Molli

Molli Nickell dissected the synopsis for an enthusiastic crowd at the October 8th meeting, going over the requirements, showing us a method to make it easier to write them, and tearing apart, gently, our own struggling attempts at this most dreaded part of the writing process. Did we sweat? You bet! (Okay, now I'm picking up phrases from Sunny Fader!) Molli's clear directions were a big help and everyone raved about the benefits of having had her go over their first or second or third paragraphs. Why is this so hard? We write tens of thousands of words to a story, then can't seem to condense it into a single page. I boggles my mind, but also reminds me that when we get into the detail of our story, we tend to have difficulty pulling back to describe the forest.

Thanks to all those who attended, and I hope to see some of you at the conference!

Viewpoint Workshop by Diane Marcou

I attended the Viewpoint workshop sponsored by PINAWOR today, led by Diane Marcou (one of our presenters earlier this year). I thought, if I'm promoting these workshops, I ought to try one out to see how they are.

The workshop ran 2 hours for $10. Diane covered the topic well, and though I had heard some of this before in conversation with her, it was good to hear it in a group setting, where a lively discussion took place. In addition, she ran us through an exercise for the last quarter of the meeting that was very informative. (It also revealed to me how slow I first begin to write when presented with a topic!)

Based on my experience, I recommend these workshops for anyone who wants to get a good grounding in the topic, and get feedback on things they may be unsure of. Here's the schedule for the remaining three:

10/10	Dialogue	Susan Adger and Barbara Schrefer
10/17	Character Development	Ann O'Farrell
11/14	Editing	Elenora Sabin

You'll recognize Elenora as another one who has presented to our group earlier this year on revising and editing. If you missed that, or would like a refresher, this promises to be a good one.

The classes are held at the Highland Rec Center in Largo from 1:30pm to 3:30pm.
For more information, visit their website: http://www.pinawor.org/classes.htm

Happy writing!
John

Diane Sawyer Locates Dead Bodies

Mystery author Diane Sawyer (her 5th Avalon mystery will be coming out soon), presented ways to dig up stories for mysteries at the September 10th meeting. In a very entertaining and enlightening presentation Diane covered not only mysteries, but also magazine stories in several genres, including children's and romance. The multi-talented author had a quick wit, engaging style, and answered attendees' questions readily.

She talked about naming characters, using settings she was familiar with, (changing for her needs), dealing with editors and submitting work. She talked about research and how valuable it was to her stories and how she is always thinking of ideas for stories by observing her surroundings with the provocative question, 'Where would I hide a dead body here?'

I think everyone enjoyed her talk and the insights she shared.

Until next month,
John

This Year You Write Your Novel

Mosley, Walter. This Year You Write Your Novel. Little, Brown Company, 2007.

I have a weakness for "How to" books from my favorite authors, so I was happy to discover Walter Mosley’s This Year You Write Your Novel. This slender volume (128 pages) doesn’t break new ground in advice on the general mechanics of writing. Mosley provides generally the same advice on the elements of fiction that are found in most books on novel writing, such as the various points of view, showing vs. telling, and so on. But his advice still worth reading, both for the value of reinforcing the fundamentals and also for Mosley’s characteristic poetic style. In discussing the need to chose the right descriptive details to advance the story or characterization, he advises, "Details will devour your story unless you find the words that want saying." On the need to write daily to maintain momentum and keep the story from slipping away, he writes, "[A] novel is larger than your head." On making writing a first priority: "Let the lawn get shaggy and the paint peel from the walls."

All of Mosley’s advice is delivered in the gentle but insistent tone of the best teachers and coaches. For me, the most valuable chapter was the one dedicated to "The General Disciplines That Every Writer Needs." In particular, a section on "Avoidance, False Starts, and Dead-End Thinking" contained a wealth of wisdom on overcoming a persistent problem with self-restraint. "If you want to write believable fiction," he urges, "you will have to . . . revel in the words and ideas that you would never express in your everyday life."

Other than his insistence that you must write every day, there is little of the strident, dogmatic tone I have found in similar books by other authors. Mosley gives advice but does not, for example, insist that you must use an outline--or that you must not. He encourages writers to find their own methods of writing, and to persevere in those methods until the first draft is complete. He has extensive advice on revision, which in his view is where the real act of writing begins. A first draft, he says, "is little more than an outline of the novel you wish to write." Once you have finished that draft, "you are ready to write it."

There are more comprehensive books on writing, and if you’ve read any of them, you won’t find a lot of new ideas in This Year You Write Your Novel. But if you’re a fan of Mosley’s style or if you need a little encouragement to motivate you, it’s worth picking up.

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

45 Master Characters

Schmidt, Victoria Lynn. 45 Master Characters. Writer’s Digest Books, 2001.

The "Hero’s Journey" is a common archetype in storytelling. Mythologist Joseph Campbell’s book The Hero with a Thousand Faces remains popular with fiction and screenwriters sixty years after its first publication, and classes and books on using the hero’s journey in fiction abound. Most of the time, treatment of the hero’s journey is limited to the masculine perspective, and the archetypal hero is of course only male. In 45 Master Characters, screenwriter Victoria Lynn Schmidt balances the situation by presenting both the feminine and masculine hero’s journey and character archetypes of both sexes.

Schmidt presents eight feminine and eight masculine character archetypes, drawn from Greco-Roman and Egyptian mythology. For each archetype, she first discusses the character’s positive, heroic form and then its negative, villainous form. For example, Aphrodite is shown in positive form as "The Seductive Muse;" her flip side is the "Femme Fatale."

For the heroic form of each archetype, Schmidt discusses:

• General character traits and appearance.
• What the character cares about.
• What the character fears.
• What motivates the character.
• How other characters see the character.
• Developing the character arc, including other archetypes that pair well with this one to spur the character’s growth.
• Summary of the character’s assets and flaws.

The negative form of each archetype is treated less thoroughly. Schmidt gives only a general description and a bullet-list summary of character traits for the negative archetypes.

Each section concludes with examples from TV, film, and then history and literature. Literary figures tend to be thinly represented vs. TV and film. Most of the "History and Literature" examples are historical rather than literary figures.

Sixteen archetypes with two forms of each makes 32 characters, but the title promises us 45. Those extra 13 characters are provided in a separate section on supporting character archetypes. Schmidt classifies supporting characters into three categories: Friends, Rivals, and Symbols. Each category is further divided into a number of types, covered in less depth (naturally) than the main character archetypes. Again, examples are drawn almost exclusively from films. Some of the distinctions in the types are thinly drawn: The rival types "Jester" and "Joker" are almost the same thing, as she admits, and the "Symbol" character archetype is oversimplified. However, that doesn’t mean that this section of the book isn’t valuable. Each of the thirteen supporting characters can be useful in fleshing out a story’s cast.

The last section presents an overview of the mythic journeys, both feminine and masculine. Of course, given the book’s focus, the journey as plot isn’t developed as thoroughly as the characters that go on the journey, but this section provides an acceptable introduction to the concept. There are plenty of books on the journey structure if you need more information than is provided here. Of course, if you’re writing the feminine journey, there is less material out there for you, so this might well be the best you can find. An appendix provides some helpful worksheets for constructing the journeys using the three-act structure.

The book has its flaws. Chief among them is the screenwriter’s perspective. Although lip service is paid to fiction, most of the examples are drawn from film and television rather than literature. Often, the film version of a story is privileged over the book. For example, Cora in The Postman Always Rings Twice is cited as an example of the Femme Fatale, but it’s the movie version of Cora, not the book, that Schmidt is talking about. The screenwriter’s perspective, with its emphasis of what can be shown on screen, is also evident in the section on "Working with an Archetypes." The first thing Schmidt suggests that you do when creating a character is to picture what the character looks like, including her body type and style of dress. The character’s personality and motivations are a runner-up.

The book is also plagued with numerous instances of awkward writing such as this one: "The male hero was just learning to descend on his inner journey, and it would take him much later to do it." The quality of writing is uneven throughout, and the book is also rife with clichés, like this one in the description of the Ares archetype: "He lives on eggshells, as if everyone were out to get him. He’s like a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off."

The book is not without strengths, or I wouldn’t have bothered to tell you about it. The information on each archetype is very valuable. Even if you’re not consciously using the mythic journey as a plot structure, thinking about your characters in terms of these archetypes can give you ideas you might not have thought of otherwise. And Schmidt provides plenty of good advice for thinking deeply about character motivation, fears, and concerns.

45 Master Characters isn’t a must-have book, but for the writer who is struggling to develop larger-than-life characters or wants an introduction to the hero’s journey that covers feminine and masculine archetypes, it is worth checking out.

Vicki Taylor talks dialogue

Vicki Taylor, one of FWA's founding members, presented a workshop on dialogue on July 9. (My deepest apologies for reviewing this so late! I will add a picture later.) Reading from several of her works, she demonstrated the use of dialogue in moving a story forward and adding tension. At the end of her presentation everyone was asked to write a piece of dialogue, and many shared what they had written. She offered 2 of her books as door prizes to conclude the evening.

John

Anhinga: It's a Wrap!

Wow, what an exciting final day! I spent 2 sessions with Victor Bockris, a very interesting character. His first session dealt with minimalist poetry, and I don't think anyone was successful in generating a poem he thought met the criteria. His later session involved human speech, and he recorded and played back our readings, which is something I'd recommend to everyone, to see how your work sounds. It's a step up from reading out loud, as you can listen after the fact to see how it really sounds!

Several panels filled out the day, another one with Anne Hawkins, the literary agent, and the author-agent relationship (Mary Anna Evans is one of her clients) with Mary Anna, also. Publishing contracts were reviewed in the other panel presented by the 3 ladies who make up the Anhinga Writers.

Hopefully we'll see some new faces in the coming months. I met several from St. Petersburg and hope they find time to join us for our meetings, and ultimately become members.

See you soon!
John

Anhinga: The Third Day

DO YOUR HOMEWORK! I can't tell you how many times I heard that remark during this workshop/conference. Anne Hawkins, (left) a literary agent, gave some excellent advice on finding an agent, querying an agent, and working with an agent. I'll be updating our web blog with more sections for publishing based on what I heard from Mary Anna Evans and Anne, and several others.

Peter Meinke is a gem! Our very own laureate had some great advice, which I've passed on periodically. Poetry can strengthen your prose. Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Faulkner all wrote poems, as have Oates and Updyke. Rhythm, imagery, and sound--elements of poetry, can help you in your writing. (It also works the other way, for those of you who are poets!)

Finally, returning to the publishing and marketing side, it's important to realize that the process should not be traveled in a serial fashion, performing one step at a time (book, synopsis, query letter, get agent, come up with marketing plan, etc.), but rather simultaneously. While you are writing you should be preparing your synopsis, a query letter, a marketing plan--I know, it seems overwhelming to me, too. But it makes sense, if you don't want the whole thing to stretch out for decades! (Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration.)

Another great day topped off by a dinner with new friends from Columbus Ohio, Ocala, Sarasota and High Springs. More great news to share at the next meeting!

Tomorrow's a wrap,
John

Anhinga: The Second Day

Great second day to the workshop. Listened to Rick Campbell, who heads up Anhinga Press, which publishes poetry, analyze some poems. He shied away from having us write anything, which disappointed me. But I learned a lot from what he showed us in his analysis (of his and others' poetry). Plus his sense of humor was fantastic.

I then attended Roxanne St. Claire's class on plotting and pacing. That was enjoyable and she brough along a 'plot board' to demonstrate how she works on her books. This reminded me of Julie Czerneda at Necronomicon last year, who uses a similar technique. She reviewed things that killed pacing, plus several standard plot outlines.

The big event for the day was the conversation with Charlaine Harris, which attracted a crowd of almost 200 (about double the number of workshop attendees). Once the fans started asking about their favorite characters I decided to leave, as I don't have cable tv and so am not familiar with her stories.

I'll take some pictures tomorrow and post them. I think this is more a conference than a workshop, unless you were in one specific fiction track, but I've learned a lot from some of the people here, and have met some good people, too. Peter Meinke, the poet laureate of St. Pete, is a warm and wonderful person. I'll hear more from him tomorrow, and am looking forward to that. The editors panel was insightful, even with some very rookie questions being thrown at the four editors/publishers on stage. Three of the four were literary; I'll bring back information on the fourth, a small independent publisher in High Springs who is expanding from Romance into all genres, and was publishing about 25 books a year but is hoping to double that this year (or go higher).

Later,
John

Anhinga: The First Day

Okay, here's an example of a new gadget I'm using that I hope will improve my 'saves' of workshop and conference information. It's called a digital notepad, and I can show it at the next meeting if anyone is interested. (Though not to interfere with the presenter.) I write the notes down and they are saved electronically, and I then upload them to my computer. Here's my first page from today, to give you an idea of what it looks like. (I can save in several formats, I chose jpeg for this one to be able to upload it here.) It's blurry here but in pdf and at larger size it's clearer.



A short day, starting with registration at 1pm or, for most people, pick up your packet time. I did stop by early and met April Fitzgerald, the FWA leader in Gainesville who is a fantastic person. I've seen several other FWA members here (from around Florida) in addition to April. Total attendance I would estimate at roughly 100.

The initial panel consisted of the three ladies in charge, and they spoke about how they lived the writing life. Very different styles from each of them, which should tell you that there's no one way to write, so be wary of those who want you to conform to one view of successful writing.

I'm attending mostly for the poetry, as I hope to have a collection published next year (I won't have finished the last poem probably until December). The 'name' that got me here is Peter Meinke, the poet laureate of St. Petersburg. My first workshop, however, was with Lola Haskins, who has 8 books on poetry published and teaches in a low residency MFA program and is also a writing coach. What I found interesting was the manner in which she built her poems, which she calls 'Streamlining,' and a technique she sometimes uses where she writes the poem out in a single line, finding that by the end of the line the ending will sometimes suggest itself.

Several attendees told me about Bev's workshop, which she'll be doing for us in November, and from the excitement they displayed I know it will be a good one.

There was a mixer in the evening which included the guest of honor, Charlaine Harris. Though I didn't get to talk with her, I did meet Roxanne St. Clair, a romance writer from Melbourne. Her 23rd and 24th books are coming out this year! Another great person, who was a bit chagrined that I wasn't attending any of her workshops, which she said were not just about romance, but writing in general. Okay, maybe I will jump tracks a bit here!

After the mixer we were treated to a ride to the historic district where restaurants awaited. I'm finding more people who have been here before, and I think that speaks to the quality of the workshop.

Looking forward to tomorrow,
John

Blogging from Anhinga Workshop - before the start

Hi all!

I'm going to blog from the Anhinga Writers Workshop this week, and hope you will follow along and ask any questions if you want me to find out more. Registration begins in about an hour and a half, but I've already met the 3 ladies who are running it, Bev Browning, (who visited us in May), Mary Anna Evans, and Diana Tonnessen. As I find at all these things, everyone is very nice and welcoming.

While I ate an early lunch, several people sitting nearby came up to introduce themselves. They are from Tennessee and are returning for the workshop a second time. (Maybe more, but they mentioned they were here last year, when it was under the Rawlings title.)

I'll set up the FWA room shortly and make sure all the supplies are there. I brought some extras in case of need or if something wasn't ready when Chrissy sent them.

I'm really excited about this, and can't stress enough how valuable it is to get to a workshop to help strengthen your writing skills and expand your contact list. I know it's difficult, especially during this economic downturn, but later I'll put together a list of the opportunities in our state, as that can reduce travel expenses. That's why the Margie Lawson workshop just prior to the state FWA conference in the fall is so valuable. It's short (1 day), cheap ($50 member price), and will be packed with great information. (Ask Sam - he can vouch for it!)

Okay, stay tuned, I'll begin posting in the evening after each day's work is complete.

Keep writing and dreaming!
John