When It's Good to Be Compared to a Scary Fish

A fellow writer friend did me the honor of comparing me to an Anglerfish, which according to Wikipedia (remember, if it's on the Internet, it must be true) states:

They are bony fish named for their characteristic mode of predation, wherein a fleshy growth from the fish's head (the esca or illicium) acts as a lure; this is considered analogous to angling.

Such a comparison is a high compliment, indeed. On many writing days, I feel exactly like this fish: my bones thick and tough from years of criticism good, bad and ridiculous; the forehead flashlight necessary for waking up at 5:15 a.m. to get my daily dose of meditation (writing); my sharp teeth ever ready for a tasty morsel of news about agents, writing opportunities and changes in the publishing industry.

My extremely sensitive predatory talents lead me to all types of new experiences, one of which will the the Redwood Writers Conference on Oct. 30, in Santa Rosa, CA. Specifically, I'll be hosting a table for the Women's National Book Association, of which I belong to the San Francisco branch.

The organization is cool for many reasons, the first of which is the acronym, which if you tell people you belong to the WNBA, they'll almost certainly think you mean the Women's National Basketball Association. The WNBA (the WNBA) was founded in 1917 and promotes literacy via such events as National Reading Group Month.

If you're in the area, come visit your fellow Anglerfish, all of us swimming around, spotlighting one another's talents. And if you're not in the area, consider joining WNBA, which encourages literacy, thus ensuring there will be plenty of people to read what we write. That and what fun to see the expressions on people's faces when we tell them we stars of the WNBA.




Happy writing!

Advanced Scene Workshop: What Helps You Most

This weekend I've been putting the final touches on Growing Great Characters: Advanced Scene Writing, a new workshop I'll facilitate from 10:40 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 6, at Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA.

Here's the blurb on the Book Passage website, which allows people to register online:

Intermediate to advanced writers who are serious about creating fantastic, dynamic scenes in which every sentence pops are invited this workshop. Each participant will bring a scene from her/his current work-in-progress, with the intention of putting the scene under the microscope to discover the multitude of tiny factors that if handled properly, create tremendous impact.

Through writing exercises, discussion and mini-critiques, we’ll talk about: where a scene begins and ends; how to track every emotional shift; what it means if we get stuck; how to interpret feedback; and how to check for the factors that should be in every scene, thus ensuring consistency.

Your Experience

Given how much experience we've got amongst us, however, I thought I'd ask what helps you most in writing crisp, tension-filled scenes.

I'd also love to know what scenes you remember clearly from favorite books. One of my favorite scenes is when Scout is wearing the ham costume while walking home from the Halloween pageant with her brother in To Kill a Mockingbird.

I also remember a single moment in Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier where Innman must go off to war. He goes to say goodbye to Ada, the woman he loves, though the two are not lovers. His goodbye said, he turns away from her, then turns back to find that she's started to turn away, too.

The beauty of the moment is that without any dialogue, the author conveys Innman's disappointment. He'd thought she would watch him go, a gesture that would have conveyed she had significant and deep feelings for him. Instead, she almost immediately turned away. He'd thought she loved him, but now is not sure. And in that state of limbo, he leaves.

What about you? Send your thoughts.

And if you're nearby, come join me for the workshop.

Happy writing!