Some years, I hit the jackpot for what I need at the moment!
At Storymaker:
- An inspiring and uplifting keynote from Martine Leavitt - her intensive where she taught us (Cliff Notes version) what her MFA students learn.
- The Power of Deep Editing by Margie Lawson (I'd love to take one of her longer classes).
TAKE HOME: Emotional hits add power to your story and you do that by powering up the emotion. She compared emotional hits to drink sizes at your local Stop N Go. Save your Big Gulp for that important moment. No more than one or two in an entire book.
- Making the most of your writing time by Tracy Hunter Abramson.
TAKE HOME: Begin your day with writing something creative, even if it's only a few minutes. It will get your creativity going and fuel you for the rest of your day.At IAH (this was a much smaller and more intimate setting--it was fabulous!):
- Great keynote and classes by Michaelbrent Collings. He has a great sense of humor and really got into a game.
TAKE HOME: "Being an author is one of the hardest and most frightening jobs in the world." - Michaelbrent Collings
"If I was good at regular life, I wouldn't be a writer." - Michaelbrent Collings
- Christine Kiersey did a class on doing newsletters. I'm dreadful at them, so I found this very useful
TAKE HOME: Once you have enough books, use a permafree book as reward for signing up for your newsletter. Tell them about it in the front of your other books and then remind them about it at the end.
- The Power of Four by J. Scott Savage. Oh, my heck! This was a class about pacing and just what I needed.
TAKE HOME: You can take your story and break it into four parts. He reviewed what should be included in each of those four parts. I came home and immediately implemented it in the ghost story I was editing.I gleaned a lot more at the conferences, but those are a few of the highlights. I feel so armed now and ready to battle on!
I've been critiquing and getting ready for family who will be moving in with us. What did you do for the weekend?
