Long Strange Trip

I started writing this entry yesterday still under the influence of drugs. I was a cranky, unhappy character yesterday, full of little aches and pains. Today=much better, and you will reap the benefits of a much more lucid entry. And no, we don’t know anything about the mystery belches. My personal belief is since we didn’t find any clues in my digestive system, that somewhere inside of me a mystic portal opens to the Hindenburg dimension. Those are my bad days…

What an interesting couple of weeks! This is the first Friday in two weeks that I have not been traveling to or been in Las Vegas. I know that you’re thinking my life is pretty rough, right? Well. you know I like travel, but you do have to recover from it. Two trips to Vegas in a row might not have been the smartest plan. Two trips to Vegas, each one followed by a massive snow storm or a medical test respectively, was really not the best plan.

I’m back, I’m over being exhausted, and I’m ready to talk about the first meeting of the Sin City Scribblers, which may or may not be the name that holds.

Before I do that, however, a couple of links to set the stage.

Gregory Frost on taking your workshops with a spoonful of sugar.

And the Donald Maas workshop that has suddenly appeared close to me in Madison, Wisconsin, which is very tempting, even though I am saving my pennies for Norway. Note that there’s also a master class with Nalo Hopkinson. VERY tempting.

Just how was that workshop in Vegas anyway?

For me, the first place that comes to mind when talking about holding a writing workshop is NOT Las Vegas. I was skeptical about the locale. To be honest, though, it’s a great locale. One of us rented a suite, and the rest of us contributed toward that cost. There were lots of options of hotels to choose from, and there were many after hours activities to participate in. It was the right mix of work and play. If I can make my budget stretch to it, I’d consider doing it again.

The workshop was small. Originally, the planners had extended the invitation to around 20 people, hoping for 14. We had 7. This was a very good number. Not only did each member of the group give critiques of the others works, but we also had time to brainstorm and ask questions.

My critique piece was The Were-humans. It will probably end up becoming a novel now, based on the workshop advice (good-bye Writers of the Future entry! Sob!), but thanks to the contributions of my fellow writers, I have learned what works, and what needs to be deepened.

The advice gained at a workshop can be invaluable. It MUST be looked at through the filter of your own goals and ambitions as a writer, but on the whole you need people to read your work who aren’t steeped in it. I find writing buddies with whom you exchange pieces as also very helpful in this regard. What meeting face-to-face gets you is synergy as well as exciting comments. Sometimes you’ll get someone who misfires on your story. In general, multiple readers help pinpoint and triangulate what works and what doesn’t.

It IS nice to have people who are excited about your work, especially in the world of the emerging writer. Like my colleagues, I hear no a lot more than I hear yes, so it’s great to know that there are people who are reading your work and are excited about it and are honest about it at the same time.

It is a challenge to meet writers with whom you can workshop. The pre-requisites as I see them are 3.

1. Find writers who are at your level of ability. In my case, entry into a workshop helped me find the right folks. Being on-line involved in the writing community is also helpful. It’s a little trickier otherwise, but there are writing buddy matching services, groups you can join on-line, and local groups. This requires some leg work, but it is essential. Too low, and you’re the teacher. Too high, and your lost.

CAVEAT: If you need to improve your skills, don’t be afraid to find a teacher. Just be clear that is what you are doing. And don’t be afraid to improve your skills. That’s what I’m all about right now.

2. Find writers who are at your level of career. The concerns of a published writer are not my concerns yet. They will be some day. Right now, the writers who want to be pros, but are still on the bus are my peers, and we can talk about our issues at this stage clearly.

3. Find writers who have similar career goals. Some writers want to stay with small presses, indie presses, or literary presses. Some authors want to self-publish, either in ebooks or in other venues. Some writers want to try to make it in the current industry. Many writers make the mistake of shooting arrows in the dark and seeing if they can hit any target. (Me, for example. I did this.) Like any career, think about what you’re shooting for and find out from those in the know how to make this happen. And then find some like-minded people at the same spot in the journey.

CAVEAT: While you can set goals, realistically what you control is the writing, obviously with the notable exception of self-publishers who have to control everything, and even self-publishers can’t control who buys or doesn’t buy their book. Set goals you can accomplish, like–I’ll be writing this novel from one POV. I’m going to economize words. I’m going to market my book in this many places. Be realistic about your career goals as a writer by choosing goals you control.

I know writing groups don’t work for everyone. At this stage in my career, until I have my skills feet better under me (trying to leave the land of the good writer and move into the land of the memorable writer), I need them and appreciate their advice.

Since I enjoyed Viable Paradise, and I felt that this workshop also worked (which makes sense, because these were VP people I knew and people vetted by those people), I intend to look out more similar experiences, perhaps in lieu of less conventions, given that these are what I need more right now.

And that’s the workshop report. I’m fired up, ready to continue, and really appreciative of the feedback I received at the workshop, as well as grateful for the extra advice some writing buddies have sent along.

Catherine