Hello World!
What a month! It started with my second Marketing Yourself and Your Work class, included over a week off the grid at remote Holden Village in the North Cascade Mountins, and ended with preparation of a short story for a writing contest.
I put the fiction entry into the mail today. Taking the story of two secondary characters from my book, The Game, I stripped out the parts that were only necessary to the longer story, and shortened up the remaining 3,500 words into a 1,500 word story that (I thought) read quite well (entitled "Defining Love" or DL). Part of my process included thinking I had DL finished and having Tom read it and do a copy edit for me. He told me it was good, but not very good. As a rather common human story, it needed more color and descriptive language to make it unique. That set me off on an additional day of further rewriting that moved it up in both his and my ranking system. By the time I sent it in, we agreed that I had added a "very" to my good story.
I'm certain that two excellent stories will win the prizes, but I don't mind. As I take parts of DL and weave it back into The Game, I know some important scenes will sparkle from the work I completed. The competition results won't be anounced until October at the "Write on the Sound" (WOTS) conference. I look forward to reading the winning stories and discovering what it would take to move a short story up in the ranks another notch.
I also will be attending a half-day workshop at WOTS where 10 of us with a local writer/professor will critique one anothers' writing. My next project is choosing and spiffing up (a technical term!) another section of The Game for submission to that class. I get to send in just 10 double spaced pages of text, so I'll have to skim through and find an appropriate segment.
The other presentations at WOTS look very helpful as well. Even though this conference is a local Edmonds, Washington affair, it appears that some talented people will offer invaluable assistance. I have to admit, I'm excited.
Showing posts with label workshops. Show all posts
Showing posts with label workshops. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Port Townsend for July 4th
Hello World!
I just returned yesterday from a recuperative four-day weekend in Port Townsend. (Ahhh.) While there, tucked above a bookstore, I came across an informative, petite shop on Water Street, "The Writers' Workshoppe." In my many trips to P. T., I'd never seen it before. My conversation with the owner, Anna Quinn, was full of interesting information.
For those close enough to benefit, she and guest speakers offer regular workshops for writers at various stages in the process. Check her website at http://www.writersworkshoppe.com/. I am seriously considering one in late summer or fall, as Anna and her guest speakers offer fascinating topics of study. If I go, I'll let you know about my insights.
One thing Anna told me stands out above the others. Most people never finish their books. Only a fraction of those who do finish continue into the labyrinth of submission for publication. Consequently, only about 1% of writers get to the point where they receive those tedious piles of rejection notices that we all dread. (At least the piles are fine fire starters for cold feet in the winter, I hear.)
For some reason, my heart feels lighter knowing this. Can I make it into the 1%? Certainly. I have no doubt. From there, with so much of the competition already fallen by the wayside, I feel I will have a better chance than I'd feared I might. I shall enter the Labyrinth.
Anna also complimented me for taking on the difficult job of carefully rewriting each scene. I'm making certain that character development, drama, and tension occur in each scene and goals, changes and themes are clearly mapped, as suggested by Martha Alderson (see previous blog). From Anna's comment, I feel reassured that I am still journeying along the right path, slow and rocky though it may be.
I have enrolled in a two-day writing class here in town led by two successful writers. It concerns marketing your work. For awhile, I put on blinders so I wouldn't become discouraged by what I heard about publishing and marketing. Now, I'm finally ready to hear about what I imagine will be the toughest steps. After my classes, I'll share a few high points with you.
Meanwhile, I hope I'll find some of you traveling through the labyrinth when I arrive. Wouldn't it be fun to journey together? If we combine our piles of rejection slips, we can keep our feet warmer than if we travel alone.
I just returned yesterday from a recuperative four-day weekend in Port Townsend. (Ahhh.) While there, tucked above a bookstore, I came across an informative, petite shop on Water Street, "The Writers' Workshoppe." In my many trips to P. T., I'd never seen it before. My conversation with the owner, Anna Quinn, was full of interesting information.
For those close enough to benefit, she and guest speakers offer regular workshops for writers at various stages in the process. Check her website at http://www.writersworkshoppe.com/. I am seriously considering one in late summer or fall, as Anna and her guest speakers offer fascinating topics of study. If I go, I'll let you know about my insights.
One thing Anna told me stands out above the others. Most people never finish their books. Only a fraction of those who do finish continue into the labyrinth of submission for publication. Consequently, only about 1% of writers get to the point where they receive those tedious piles of rejection notices that we all dread. (At least the piles are fine fire starters for cold feet in the winter, I hear.)
For some reason, my heart feels lighter knowing this. Can I make it into the 1%? Certainly. I have no doubt. From there, with so much of the competition already fallen by the wayside, I feel I will have a better chance than I'd feared I might. I shall enter the Labyrinth.
Anna also complimented me for taking on the difficult job of carefully rewriting each scene. I'm making certain that character development, drama, and tension occur in each scene and goals, changes and themes are clearly mapped, as suggested by Martha Alderson (see previous blog). From Anna's comment, I feel reassured that I am still journeying along the right path, slow and rocky though it may be.
I have enrolled in a two-day writing class here in town led by two successful writers. It concerns marketing your work. For awhile, I put on blinders so I wouldn't become discouraged by what I heard about publishing and marketing. Now, I'm finally ready to hear about what I imagine will be the toughest steps. After my classes, I'll share a few high points with you.
Meanwhile, I hope I'll find some of you traveling through the labyrinth when I arrive. Wouldn't it be fun to journey together? If we combine our piles of rejection slips, we can keep our feet warmer than if we travel alone.
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