As another step in my writing career, I attended the three-day conference in Pittsburgh, PA. I went with specific goals in mind. If I could accomplish X, Y, and Z, I’d call the conference a success.
Advice Every Beginning Writer Should Heed
The good advice that every writer should heed.
Writing with the Grain
Every day I see articles like The Worst Ways to Begin Your Novel: Advice from Literary Agents on Facebook or in email. Mostly, they’re useful. More so with this article–it drives home the point. There are many ways to fail, and here’s a list of the popular ways. Don’t do this!
Aeon Timeline: A Review
The authors, specifically Mary Robinette Kowal, at Writing Excuses mentioned Aeon Timeline as useful for creating and tracking story plot points. I’ve been looking for something like this for years.
The only feature that Scrivener lacks is timeline functionality. Don’t misunderstand me, Scrivener is a game-changer for writers. For what it does (and it does a lot), it’s top shelf. But, I still needed to create timelines.
Mars in 39 Days
In my novel, Shifting Mars’ Sands, set 200+ years in the future, I rely on the ability of people traveling from Earth to Mars in 30-40 days, depending on Earth’s relative position to Mars. I didn’t want it to be too long, so no one would want to do it, but not too short, so anyone could take a long weekend trip, either.
Pennwriters Mini Conference in Leesburg
Yesterday, I attended Pennwriters‘ Writers Project Runway — Fashioning Your Story in Leesburg, VA.I arrived at the Ida Lee Rec center and found the main entrance locked. Huh, a test to start off the day. I walked to the left and found a second entrance, this one to the ground floor. Balloon festooned the stairs’ railing. This was the correct entrance.
After registering, I ran into Pat DiCesare. Growing up in the Pittsburgh, PA area listening to rock radio, you couldn’t help but hear his name. He promoted all of the rock concerts in the area. The commercials either began with “DiCeasare-Engler presents” or ended with “a DiCesare-Engler production.”
Writers and Critique Groups
For a writer, a critique group can be invaluable. Fundamental, it’s designed for other writers to react and provide feedback to a work. Some groups have strict rules where the author must sit quietly until the critique ends before asking questions. The weekly group I’m in is less formal, allowing and encouraging a back and forth between author and reader.
Three parts are necessary for critique group: The author (critiquee), the readers (critiquers), and the work. The author produces the work and the readers read it and comment.
Latest Writing Activities
Lately, I’ve been doing several different writing activities. I’m planning to attend the annual Pennwriter’s conference in Pittsburgh in the middle of May. There’s the logistics of travel, hotel reservations, and picking the talks. With this conference, though, opportunities abound, such as pitching a novel to agents. I’m reading (more like studying) Shifting Mars’ Sands, and preparing an elevator pitch as well as being able to discuss it in detail when I hook an agent. (Yeah, I used “when,” not “if.”)
Also, I’ve been critiquing pieces for my Saturday writers’ group. The pieces range from obvious first drafts to fairly polished drafts. I see a variety of issues. Some are overwritten, providing description of the ordinary, yet ignoring details to further understanding. Others exhibit structural issues from a vague protagonist story goal to extraneous scenes detailing secondary character background that dubiously relates to the story. Still others, plod along, seemingly not advancing the plot or advancing it at a snail’s pace.
The Who 1989
On July, 7 1989, I went to RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. to see The Who on their 25th Anniversary Tour. The concert was incredible. I was high up on the opposite end of the stadium from the stage and still left with buzzing in my ears.
I bought this t-shirt at the concert:
Fripp Island, SC 2014
My wife and I vacation on a private island on the South Carolina coast named Fripp Island. For two weeks, there’s no commuting through D.C. traffic or hearing user complaints. It’s days filled with fresh sea air and nights under a clear, star-filled sky.
One evening, we watched the Orionid meteor showers from the beach access stairs. Another evening, we watched a spectacular lightning storm over the ocean.
Over the two weeks, I enjoy taking photographs. One of my favorite times is sunrise.
