So I'm giving a talk tonight to the Writing For Children program at University of Washington. Spoke to them last year too and what an awesome class! Since it's all new students this time, the teacher had invited me to reprise my same talk, which seemed like a sound plan to me. It's time-consuming, after all, to prepare these things. So last night I opened the file to go over it quickly in preparation . . . and, um, oops.
See, it's highly likely that everyone in this class will have JUST heard me speak (maybe twice) at the SCBWI conference in Seattle -- same small community -- and there was a lot of repetition in this talk. So. Last night I prepared a NEW talk. Ha ha! This one is called "Filling Up the Book" and is an offshoot of my Plot talk, focused on: how to fill up an entire book with things happening. Because I totally remember my high school and college writings and strivings, and how much staring at blank pages I did then, while the vasty twilight wasteland of the unwritten book spread out before me, taunting me to fill it. And I didn't and couldn't and didn't and couldn't, and then finally (in my 30s) I rolled up my sleeves and did and could. And now I have tricks and methods and that vasty twilight wasteland is my playground, mwahahahahahahaha!
So, onward to Seattle! And yes, a 3-ish hour drive (each way) for a 1-ish hour talk. Sigh. I'm a patsy. But after this I go into total writerly hibernation to put my theories into nonstop practice. I've been on a good regimen these past couple of weeks of writing EVERY DAY no matter what, at least for an hour, to keep my head in it and not forget what's going on. I hate that, when I stop for too long, and I am NOT GOING TO DO IT ANYMORE!
Have a great day, all!
:-)
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12 comments:
Good luck with the talk! Wish I could be there. Writing everyday seems like a sound plan. WHat happened to the mininanoonoo? I want to join now!
Wouldn't I love to crash that class! Hmm, well, it's only about 5 mins away...
Years ago, I met Sara Easterly, Justina Chen, and Jaime Temairik in that series!
That does sound like a great class. Hope the drive is a nice one!
What lucky students! I took the class a few years ago too and loved it. Congrats on working up a new talk! And have fun when you get to the writing hibernation. : )
I hope you will post this talk for us, too! Please Miss, give us some'ore.
Be safe. :)
I agree. I'd love to be in on this talk somehow, but I'm 3000 miles away!
Have a safe trip.
BTW, somewhere along the line, I saw that you guys love robots. You probably already know about this book, but I found it in the library and my 11-month old loves it (and so do I): Hello, Robots! by Bob Staake.
I must have read this post right before bed or something. I dreamt last night that I met you and yours in a grocery store. First I recognized Clementine, and then I looked up and around the aisle and there you were with your pink hair, and then Jim walked up with something to go in the cart. Ah, pregnancy dreams. So vivid.
Hope all went well and you made it home safe!
Such a good idea to write everyday - inspires me to do the same. Thank you!
I hope you take a quick break from your hibernation tonight to watch the premier of season 4 of Friday Night Lights!
Hope you're having a happy Mother's Day!
Hope you're having a happy Mother's Day!
Everything about writing is fun and their is only one thing I wanted to say to you, "A good leader can be recognized when he/she speaks everybody listens".
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