Writing workshops for the fragile ego

Like most writers I know, I’m a little insecure about my writing. A part of me worries that I’ve been writing drivel all these years and that one of these days, people are going to find me out.

So, I study the craft in hopes that I will improve, and grow. Problem is, I’m an intuitive writer, a seat-of-the-pants writer. I’m no good at analyzing my own work or methods. And I’m a terrible judge of what I’ve written.

So I read books on writing, read blogs on writing and take writing workshops in hopes that some of what I learn will filter down into my subconscious, where the “boys in the basement” can do the heavy lifting when needed.

My next workshop is in April. I’m going back to Lincoln City for an in-person workshop organized by WMG Publishing and taught by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. I’m very excited about this workshop for several reasons:

1. I will learn something new. This one, How to Write Fantasy in all Forms, will be an intensive writing workshop on the various techniques used in the fantasy genre. I write fantasies as well as mysteries and sometimes, I merge the two genres. I know I will leave with some good short stories and a dozen ideas for novels and other short stories. Kristine Rusch is a great instructor and she always inspires me to do some of my best writing.

Many of the WMG workshops have migrated online, and I have to admit that I like the online format a lot. One of the recent workshops I’ve taken was Writing with Depth, one of the best writing workshops I’ve ever taken. So, yeah, online workshops rock. But there are serious advantages to an in-person workshop that aren’t available online. For instance:

2. I will be surrounded by like-minded students, about 25 of them, many of whom I’ve met before in other WMG workshops. I learn almost as much from my fellow students as I do from the instructors. These are all professional writers who want to improve their craft. My kind of people. The informal chats, the lunches, the laughing, the sharing of resources, tips, experiences, the discovery of new friends… that’s hard to get with an online workshop.

3. The workshop will be held at the WMG offices in Lincoln City, Oregon. The WMG staff make themselves available to the students for advice on promotion, audio books, cover design… anything and everything to do with professional publishing. It’s an extremely valuable “perk.”

4. And finally, did I mention that the workshop takes place in Lincoln City, Oregon? Right on the coast? Every time I go there for a workshop, I stay at the Historic Anchor Inn, which is a two-minute walk from the beach. The Anchor is a funky little hotel with a seaside theme and wonderful staff. Every time I go there, I’m welcomed with a hug and a smile. I mean, can you beat that?

These WMG workshops are hard work. Hard work. And yet, I always feel refreshed and recharged after one of them. And I always leave feeling that maybe, just maybe, I am a real writer.

How about you, fellow writers? Any favourite workshops you like to attend?

You can find Marcelle here: web | facebook | twitter

Why it Matters

A few weeks ago, I posted to a local arts list about a free podcast of a short story of mine. The story, The Verdant Gene, is science fiction and part of the Fiction River: Moonscapes anthology. I was very pleased that the publishers decided to feature my story that week, as they had a great selection of stories from which to pick.

A day or so later, a fellow I know slightly wrote to tell me that he had loved the story and that it was “first rate.”

I actually got tears in my eyes. Isn’t that silly?

It was kind of him to take the time to let me know what he thought. We probably wouldn’t know each other if we passed each other on the street, so he needn’t have said anything and I would never have known that he had listened to the story, let alone whether or not he liked it. But he made a point of telling me that he had liked it, and why. That’s true generosity.

Maybe his compliment meant so much to me BECAUSE we don’t really know each other. Does that make sense? Of course your mom will tell you she loves your stories. And co-workers and friends. I mean, what else are they going to say? But when someone you don’t know (or barely know) makes the effort to tell you they liked your story—wow. It matters.

Readers have no idea what power they wield. One sincere compliment can make your month. (And when you’re 60,000 words into your latest novel and they all seem like crap, that compliment can help keep your butt in the chair.)

So, Dear Reader, have you ever told a writer that you enjoyed her story? Why or why not? And writers, do you react differently to a compliment from someone you know, versus someone you don’t?
 
Oh, and if you like great short stories, in all genres, check out the WMG Publishing series of themed anthologies. Highly recommended.

WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION

Most people take vacations to rest. They go to the cottage, a resort or the beach to unwind and relax.

On my vacations, I go to writers’ workshops in Lincoln City on the beautiful Oregon coast. And there’s nothing restful or relaxing about ‘em.

I’ve just returned from the latest one. It was an eight-day “Advanced Master Writing and Business Seminar” and it was—bar none—the most mind-blowing business experience I’ve had as a professional writer. Some of the topics we covered included:

• Selling to traditional publishers in the new world
• Copyright law and contract law for fiction writers
• Cash streams and cash flow for writers
• Accounting for writers
• Advanced audio training for audio books
• How to sell short fiction to traditional publishers
• Advanced cover design

The main instructors were Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Scott William Carter. They were aided by Christina F. York, accountant by day and mystery novelist by night (writing as Christy Fifield and Christy Evans); Jane Kennedy, writer and audiobook producer for WMG Publishing; Allyson Longuiera, publisher of WMG Publishing and professional graphic designer; Lee Allred, writer and all-around cool guy; Matt Buchman, who writes fabulous military romances and was a Project Manager in a previous life; and a surprise guest speaker, Mark Lefebvre, who writes fiction under the name Mark Leslie and whose day job is Director of Self-Publishing & Author Relations, Kobo Inc. I mean, how cool is that?

We had the wonderful Sheldon Mcarthur, owner of North by Northwest Books in Lincoln City, who not only submitted to an interview with Dean Smith about how a bookstore owner does business with an independent publisher (including writers who publish their own books), but who also hosted a group book signing at his store, which included me and my two books, The Tuxedoed Man and TheWeeping Woman.

Not only did we learn a lot from the formal presenters, we learned a lot from each other, too. We were over 30 participants from all over the U.S. and Canada, not to mention the United Kingdom and Germany. I was seated between two fabulous writers, Karen Abrahamson and Annie Reed, both of whom are well published, experienced and very generous with their knowledge.

Can you see why this was exhausting? I filled two notebooks and by the end of the week, I felt like information had to be shoehorned into my brain because it was already so full.

And to top it all off, the participants were invited to submit two short stories for consideration for two Fiction River anthologies edited by Dean Wesley Smith, and he bought my story for the Moonscapes one!

I left Oregon buzzing with ideas, information and plans. And in spite of the fact that it was very tiring and that no lying about on the beach took place, the writer in me is refreshed and recharged, ready to roar!

I don’t think I’m alone, and I don’t think this “recharging the batteries” is limited to writers. I know quilters and knitters who take workshops and come away filled with new energy, new ideas and new friends. How do you replenish your creative energies?

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