By Christine Thackeray
Next week I am going to my very first writer's conference with LDStorymakers. I so wanted to attend ANWA's and hope that next year I'll be able to do it. But my mother lives in Pleasant Grove so I could use the excuse of visiting her to justify the travel expense to Utah.
I'm really looking forward to the different topics that will be discussed and the idea of learning from the "pros" because I'm so NOT. The only thing that has me a little nervous is boot camp. We have each been asked to bring nine copies of six examples of our writing including the following elements:
Balancing Your Writing
Showing Emotion
Believable Antagonists
Choosing Your Words
Dialogue vs. Narrative and Exposition
Creating Lovable Characters
Now this has been a huge challenge because I haven't written that much. My first completed manuscript was just sold and my other work has been non-fiction. But I've started my next two projects and have been trying to create something sort of in that category. My original plot was much more subtle having the protaganist be merely the angst of trying to live through a very stressful life. Because of Boot Camp I've adjusted the plot to intensify the nosy neighbor into a women trying to get her house condemned. I do think it will make a better story- and isn't that the point of these writers conferences, to improve your writing?
See, it's working already and I haven't even gotten there yet.
It does sound like you are on target for boot came. Have a wonderful time and learn and share... with us who can't go.
ReplyDeleteWow, Christine! Do have a great time. I will even be in town during the Storymaker's conference, on my way home from Laramie...and my daughter-in-law will be at the whitney's...but alas...I can't wait to hear about the other things you learn.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Christine. I wish I could join you and the rest of the ANWA crowd at the conference. I hope you'll blog about something you learn so we can all share.
ReplyDeleteI'm eager to hear more when you blog again this Saturday. I'm thinking I'd have a hard time with that list, too. At first look, anyway. Some of it sounds almost like a foreign language to me, still. But even a pro was once a novice.
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