Do You Connect With Your Concept?

Rockin' Around the Plot Clock
I just spent an amazing weekend with a dozen other writers, holed up in a house in Mount Dora, Florida. We dedicated 48+ hours of workshop time to thinking about plot.

I did a pretty good job plotting my first novel by the seat of my pants (I went back in revision and created a detailed step sheet), but I never really felt like I "got" plot. No matter how many craft books I read on the subject, how to structure a novel for maximum impact (and I mean, I wanted it to kill) just wasn't gelling for me.

After this weekend, consider me gelled. I get how the plot points fit together now, and how they ought to resonate off each other. I merely had to spend some time with Joyce Sweeney and Jamie Morris's brilliantly simple Plot Clock. The Plot Clock features in most of the Sweeney/Morris Next Level Weekend Craft Intensives, and I can't recommend these workshops too highly).

SoFla Writers: News, Classes, and Signings

Workshops and Classes

Hunky Dr. Sean

A FREE workshop for published authors (although I'll bet non-published ones can sneak in), sponsored by The Writers Network of South Florida: Publicity and Social Media Bootcamp, takes place September 21, featuring authors Deborah Sharp, Louis K. Lowy, and author and Survivor survivor Sean Kenniff. This is an amusing assortment of presenters, folks. Highly recommended. Contact the Writers Network for further info, or email me, and I'll forward you the announcement.

YA author Marjetta Geerling has added a second kidlit class, The World of Picture Books, Middle Grade, and Young Adult Fiction starting September 20; it runs for eight consecutive Wednesdays at The Center for Literature and Theater, Miami Dade College. Cost is $170 ($120 for students). Marjetta is the author of Fancy White Trash, selected as one of the American Library Association's Best Books of 2009. Click here to sign up.

Blue Planet Writers Room offers three adult creative writing classes beginning Monday, September 12: How to Pen a Fascinating Memoir on Monday nights; Writing the Short Story on Tuesdays (I'm teaching that one); and Reading as a Writer on Wednesdays (click here for the syllabus; I'm teaching that one, too.) Click here for full details.


NOW FOR THE WINE AND CANAPES: Book Launches

One More Fall Creative Writing Class Opens

Just a quick post today, since I'm still immersed in WriteOnCon, the online Kidlit conference that runs through tomorrow. Children's author Gloria Rothstein (pictured left), author of Sheep Asleep (HarperCollins), will be teaching From Fairy Tales to Book Sales: The Magic of Writing for Kids beginning September 13th. This looks like an excellent class for picture book writers; it includes writing exercises, selected readings, and manuscript critiques. The class runs Tuesday nights 7-9 p.m. in Boca Raton. Call Sugar Sands Community Center for further details at 561-357-4900. The full schedule of courses offered this fall is here.

For other creative writing workshops this fall in South Florida, see this post.

South Florida Writing Workshops: Sign Up Now!

A bunch of creative writing workshops, intensives, and seminars are busting out this fall, thanks to Blue Planet Writers Room (West Palm) and at Florida Center for the Literary Arts (Miami). 

Among the gems at the FCLA: Urbane travel writer and bon vivant Tom Swick, formerly of the Sun-Sentinel, where he was travel editor for a couple of decades, will be teaching "Writing the World." Marjetta Geerling (pictured left), whose hilarious, heartfelt Young Adult novel Fancy White Trash was published by Viking, will guide aspiring children's writers through the ins and outs of picture books, middle grade, and young adult fiction. (I took one of her workshops last summer, and she's a fantastic teacher.) The Center is also offering a memoir class, intro to fiction, a plotting workshop, and two Spanish-language creative writing classes.

I'll be running three workshops for Blue Planet Writers Room: Cover to Cover: Reading as a Writer; Intro to Writing Fiction for Kids; and Intro to Poetry Writing. Blue Planet will also host a memoir writing and a short story class -- full info on those below.