The Lab is back!

October is the perfect month to give you all a good scare--

The Lab is coming back!

Yes, Cheri Pray Earl has accepted the call of the masses and will be presenting the Lab Workshop at the 2014 WIFYR Conference.

To any and all who dare enter their manuscripts into the grinding mill that is Cheri in the capacity of Lab-meister, they will soon discover that there is no hiding, no shirking, no flinching, as she tears apart your manuscript in order to help you get it in shape and submission worthy.

!!WARNING!! 

The Lab is not your everyday workshop

It is a full week of intense MFA level work. In that regard, it is much like the rest of the morning workshops available at the WIFYR Conference. But wait--not so fast there--in The Lab, you will not be priming your pumps by working on the first chapters of your manuscript, no. In The Lab, victims (excuse me--I mean attendees) will be honing their manuscript middles.  

Yes, that murky, muddlesome, maddening middle where many a writer has been lost--it has been said for years, even decades--before they either stumbled out, only to find themselves back at the beginning, or alas, have emerged with nothing but wisps of age old writerly dreams long given up.

Prevent this from happening to you! Watch for WIFYR sign-ups to begin soon, select The Lab, and get to work on that novel--may I suggest the NaNoWriMo to get you started, so you have a middle to work on--and get ready for one of the hardest, most satisfying, stressful, and rewarding weeks or your authorial life.

I here-to-fore swear that the contents of this blog post are a true representation. If you doubt me, do ask The Lab Rats of 2013 to tell their tales of pre-conference work overload, the over-abundance of reading resources, and--horror of horrors--HOMEWORK that was required of them.

***

Yours Truly,
The Assistant from (ahem) Hades,
Amy

Writing the Bones

Great article from Writer's Digest on 7 Reasons to Write the Entire 1st Draft here.

But... seeing as how I cannot seem to get this through my thick skull -- well, enough to actually DO it-- I'm going to post the following where I have to look at it every day:

  ***

 

See the original article, visit Martha's site. 

 Article 7 Reasons to Write an Entire First Draft by the Plot Whisperer, Martha Alderson

I'm so EXCITED!!!

The

PERFECT

conference workshop is now available

The Lab: A Novel Workshop for 

Serious Writers

by Cheri Pray Earl

The Lab: A Novel Workshop for Serious Writers

From Scraps to (manu)Scripts: Conquering the Murky Middles: Rescue those stalled-out novel manuscripts from your computer boneyard and bring them to this new, innovative, paddling-through-the-murky-middles workshop. This is a workshop for our faithful writers who have polished two or three beginning chapters in a WIFYR workshop in the past, but who need help getting the rest of their novel on paper and submission-worthy.

Workshop Goal:  “Finish, Polish, and Submit” is the mantra of this workshop. 

For five days, you will work harder than you have ever worked before (and so will Cheri), you will work smarter than you have ever worked before, and you will experience writing success like you have never experienced before.

Preparing for the Murky Middles Workshop: 

Prior to the conference, students will submit a murky-middles portion of their work (two to three of their murkiest chapters), a brief description of the problems of those two-to-three middle chapters, and a chapter-by-chapter synopsis (two sentences per chapter) of the entire novel, from the first chapter to the last. This is the material you will work with for the five days of WIFYR, so choose wisely.

Workshop Content: 

Each day, Cheri will share a different solution to novel-writing problems including Plot, Conflict, and Pacing; Character Development and Voice; Setting and Description; Scene, Summary, and Dialog; Developing Themes and Introducing Backstory.

Daily Assignments: 

Participants will write and workshop specific scenes that emphasize plot, pacing, character development, moral conflicts, and so forth, in addition to revising their middle chapters and, in some cases, writing new ones.

Final Project: 

Participants will present two to three completely revised and murk-free middle chapters on the last day of the workshop, a revised and annotated plot outline, a plan for finishing their novel, and . . . they will confess their love for writing, each other, and above all, their workshop teacher.

 

Click on the image to find out more . . .

 

Why attend a writing conference?

Check out this awesome article from Julie Olson of Jujubee Illustrations

Go to a conference on kids books? WHY?

 

 

Oh, and set your clock, watch Julie on Channel 2 tomorrow :)

 

Interview with Julie Olsen on Channel 2, Utah!
Julie Olsen's TV interview will air on Channel 2's Fresh Living Show at 1 p.m.  3/29/2013. 

Be sure to tune in!

 p.s. Julie's illustrations are a favorite of mine. She is one talented and hard working lady :)

List of Conferences in the Central Utah Valley

Let me clarify - conferences that I have been to, or know well





League of Utah Writers / Monthly meetings at Provo Library
http://www.luwriters.org/
http://www.uvwriters.com/  Utah Valley Chapter






 Timpanogos Storytelling Midwinter Event / February
http://timpfest.org/midwinter-event


 
  
Life the Universe and Everything (LTUE) / February ($30-$45)
http://ltue.org/LTUE_2012.html


 
Writing for Charity / March ($45)
http://writingforcharity.blogspot.com/




Orem Writes / Events all month - March (free)
http://oremwrites.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/hello-world/
 

LDStorymakers / May
http://ldstorymakers.com/




Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers (WIFYR) / June
http://www.wifyr.com/


 

iWrite / online and an upcoming July workshop
http://iwritenetworkning.ning.com/


BYU Books for Young Readers, Symposium on Children's Literature / July
http://ce.byu.edu/cw/bfyr/




 
Timpanogos Storytelling Intensive Workshops
http://timpfest.org/
(watch for these week long retreats 1-3 times a year)

114 Titles

I've said it before, I'll say it again, Katherine Farmer is brilliant.

The Cracking the Story Code Intensive Workshop was superb, and despite my almost 2 years of studying, I still found that there was plenty to learn in those all-to-brief six hours.

One very particular part of the Farmer Method of Script and Text Analysis is that you need to have a well-developed cultural background. There are movies, plays, stories and books that you cannot hold a meaningful discussion on Story Code without knowing the stories first.
With that in mind, I am posting a  list of titles that are required reading and/or watching.
All 114 titles are mentioned in the materials from Thursday.

Cracking the Story Code Cultural Literacy List
Notes on the Katherine Farmer Workshop

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Almost Maine (play)

Amelia Bedelia

Amos Fortune Free Man

And Now, Miguel

Arkansas Bear

Arsenic and Old Lace

Avatar

Babe the Gallant Pig (book & movie)

Bandits

Banner in the Sky

Bedtime for Frances

Berries Goodman

Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Big Bad Bruce

Big Fish

Bridge to Terabithia

Brokeback Mountain

Burt Dow

Carrie's War

Cars,

Cat in the Hat

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlotte's Webb

Clementine

Click, Clack Moo!

Country Wife

Curious George

Dark Knight

Death of a Salesman

Deep-Water Man

Doll's house by Ibsen

Doubt

Dr. Desoto

Dumb Waiter

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Ever After

Frog and Toad Are Friends

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs.Basil E Frankeweiler

Gladiator

Go Ask Alice

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Golliwhoppers!

Groundhog's Day

Hamlet

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

How to Eat Fried Worms

Humpty Dumpty

Hunger Games

Iliad

Importance of being Earnest

Iron Man

Kung Fu Panda

Les Miserables

Lightning Thief

Little Bear

Little Miss Sunshine

Lord of the Rings

Matrix

Memento

Miss Hickory

Mr. President Goes to School

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle

My Side of the Mountain

O'Pioneers!

Ocean's Eleven

Oedipus Rex

Pinocchio

Pippi Longstocking

Pride and Prejudice

Pulp Fiction

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Ramona the Brave

Ramona the Pest

Robin Hood

Rosie's Walk

Secret of the Andes

Secret Window

Shawshank Redemption

Sick Day for Amos McGee

Slave Dancer

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Something Queer at the Library

Star Wars

Superfudge

Tale of Peter Rabbit

Tangled

Tartuffe

Taste of Blackberries

The Adventures of Obadiah

The Cay

The Cow that Fell in the Canal

The Hobbit

The Incredible Journey

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Office

The Whale Rider

There's a Nightmare in my Closet

Toothpaste Millionaire

Top Gun

Tops and Bottoms

Toy Story 1 & 3

Urinetown

Usual Suspects

Waiting for Godot

Watermelon Kisses

When You Reach Me

Where the Lillie's Bloom

Where the Wild Things Are

Wilde's Salome

Did I mention having a strong and well-developed cultural backgound?
Are you an avid movie-goer? A voracious reader?
If so, you will find that you already know most of these and will have no trouble brushing up on the details of each story.

p.s. I've not added links to the OPL catalog yet, I will add authors, format (movie, book, play, etc.) and check spelling as I add the links.

Conferences and Workshops

Maybe I'm addicted to conferences, symposiums and workshops. It's hard not to be.

Although, at this point, after so many, it's hard to not be slightly jaded. Of course, this means that I am always looking for something new, more advanced, of deeper meaning and of more value - -

One workshop on the horizon that I am MOST excited about is this one:

Thursday, February 9, 2012

9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.   Cracking the Story Code: How to Know if Your Story Has Appeal Pre-Conference Intensive Workshop* Featuring Katherine Farmer Pre-Conference Workshop will be hosted by the Orem Public Library at 58 N. State Street Orem, Ut. - Tickets/$50 (Separate ticket required. Includes lunch.) Attention writers, tellers, creators of story: This workshop is for you. Over the last thirty years Katherine Farmer has investigated stories that target audiences of different age and interest levels. She has tapped into the expertise of many different disciplines and perspectives in order to isolate key elements and dynamics in story that are linked to our perceptions of a work’s quality and appeal. Farmer has also developed structural models and analytical tools to help those who write, select, or enact stories understand these findings and apply them. You will come away from this workshop empowered to make your story appealing and relevant to your intended audience, having cracked the story code! *Registration for this pre-conference workshop is NOT included with regular conference tickets. To register for this special event, please click here.

When I took this workshop several years ago, it was a life changing event. My analytical skills have forever changed. Now, whenever I watch movie, see a show, read a book, or even look at what's been happening in my life, I can see the story behind it. I instinctively find myself mapping out the story cone. It's done wonders for my abilities to give kids the books that will work for them. It's heavily influenced the way I write. I cannot stress enough how important this kind of analysis is to the world of not only writing and producing but also agenting and editing.

If you had a key to knowing if the manuscript you hold in your hands had the potential to be not only a profitable piece of work, but one with bestselling potential... what would you do? Would you not move heaven and earth to incorporate this knowledge into the very fibers of your being? I would.

This workshop is only the tip of the iceberg, there is so much more than what can be covered in a few hours of workshop. When the text book comes out on this research, it will be nothing less than transformative. Be one who is 'in on it' before it's even available to the general public. Get that head start, one that is only available here in the Utah Valley, at the Orem Library, Thurs. Feb, 9.

National Novel Writing Month

NaNoIdioNoMoWriMo Turmoil

In signing up for the November 2011 challenge to write a novel in one month, to write 50,000 words in a  month, that's 1,666 words a day--does anyone else find that an ominous number??-- I've once again taken a leap before looking.

I signed up before reading all the rules, I even posted a synopsis of my current project - and then looked at the official rules: You have to start from scratch. Suck.

You have to use a new idea, or if you are using an older, previously worked on idea, you need to set it aside and not look at what you have already done. Start over. New point of view or whatever it takes. Or, if you don't you can still join in the fun, but you will be a rebel.

Now most of the time I enjoy the label of being a rebel. But in this instance, I wonder if I am dooming myself to failure by choosing to be a rebel? ie: cheating in one area is one step on a treacherous slope wherein the next step is letting something else slide, like not getting all my words in and on and on until I've totally sabotaged my writing experience and not gotten what I needed out of it.

Amidst all this back and forth and confusion and really wanting to work on the project that has me the most excited and interested, I finally realized that I need to write out what I want most from the WriMo. It doesn't matter if I choose to restart with the Hana novel, or start out fresh with an unwritten idea like Afghanistan, or even the Gabe story; if I have no idea what I want to get out of it. I need to know what I want for my end result. 50,000 qaulifying words or no. So here they are . . .

Goals:

~ To establish a regular writing pattern.
   Develop a habit of daily writing – productive writing
~To finish, once and for all the Hana project while it's hot and exciting and in my head.
   Come out of it with a full draft – all the way to the end!
~To find out if I've got what it takes to really be a novel writer.
   Power through, despite all opposition.
~To use this as a stepping stone for the rest of the YA and MG stories that are sitting in my head.
   Write the minute inspiration strikes (carry a notebook and pen/pencil)

Challenges:

~Getting stuck.
    Letting lack of inspiration drive me to inactivity
~Fear of not being good enough.
    The 'I can’t do it' negativity
~Focus on one project at a time.
   . . .  or at least long enough to make some good headway


In the end, I think I've figured that I do need the added pressure of sticking to the rules. Not a single step out of line. Next, Hana and Denton are preying on my mind, I have to get them out. Ergo... I will set aside all I have done previously and start fresh.

Luckily, it is what I'd already started to do, just in case. I needed the word counts each day and I knew I had enough material waiting that had not been written yet. This gave me the extra few days to get my head on straight. Now I just have to resist any temptation to go back and retrieve anything from the previous draft. ugh.

 . . . now for some 'words to ponder':

Am I a writer or someone who just wants to have written.

Do I enjoy the process of writing or do I just want accolades?

Although I do imagine a life as a writer, once I get in the act of writing, I find that I'm obsessed. I am 100% in love with being in the thick of my book's world. I never want to come out. I'm almost more excited to write than read! For goodness sake, I'm an omnivore of a reader, what's this about preferring writing over reading??! Weird. And, for some reason--at least in the picture book writing--I've realized that the revision process is energizing. I wonder if it will hold true through the length of a novel? I get so absorbed with word play and manipulating the world, imagining the surroundings, getting in my character's heads... I could go on and on. The only thing I hate so far is being stuck trying to figure out a path that makes sense, is exciting and works for my characters.


Some Tools to help
(thanks Ann Dee Ellis for the tip)

750 Words
(inspired by the Artist's Way)

Archetype: The Fiction Writer's Guide to Psychology
Book on Amazon / OPL Link

NaNoWriMo.org

J. Steven York

The best thing about blogs, at least for me, is that I get to store all my collected files online. I can access almost at will and, along the way, possibly save a few trees, probably reduced a bit of the clutter that accumulates in my office and most definitely save my sanity.

And so...

Over the years I have collected numerous resources, some random tips and tales, and a few snippets--no snails--from the writing community. What follows will be some of those collected bits of wisdom...and, may the links to the original sources live on!

Let's start out with J. Steven York. He originally posted this blog post in 2006. Updated in 2009. As applicable today as it was in '06 and '09.

Writers and Other Delusional People

excerpt:
"Okay, here are the truths, some of them anyway, that every writer should know. Read them. Memorize them, Live them. And please, do so before you graze among the scam agents, book doctors, vanity publishers, and the various flavors of publishing delusionaries who, with the best of intentions, invite you to participate in their own mad delusions, and partake of their special Kool-aid." . . .


 ... and by the way, J. Steven York's new site is here http://www.yorkwriters.com/

Where, you might just find this gem of a post~ The Really Bad Literary Agency