Highlights of the last three workshops follow. Sign up for a few or for the total adventure of the writer’s hourly workshops at next year’s Dragon Con. Your writing will thank you!
“How Shall I Kill Thee?,” Benji Richards, Sunday 2:30PM:
Author and educator Richards promised to take a fresh look at weapons, beginning with these questions: What makes a weapon? Anatomy and weapons? Magic and science fiction weapons? They divided weapons into bludgeoning, piercing, wire weapons, and fist enhancers. Examples of all of these were drawn from a large bag and demonstrated. No writers were harmed in this workshop, although the dangers inherent in a relatively small container, including charger-cord versatility, were daunting. Overall, Richards gave self-defense a whole new context—food for thought for writers contemplating fictional mayhem.
“Freelancing,” Bryan Young, Sunday 4PM:
Young spoke about building a career as a freelance writer and addressed short story, novel, and article publication. He also discussed potential work as an editor. Mentioning his own decades-long career, he confessed that opportunities present as either feast or famine. (During Dragon Con week, he faced a plethora of deadlines.) As a freelance short story writer, he found that writing what you wanted meant hoping to find a market. Conversely, you could find a potential market, read a few publications, and combine that knowledge with your own interests. He said he tries to submit at least four times each month. He described market pay rates and how to work toward a living wage. He recommended conventions and conferences as good places to meet writers and editors and related how chance meetings had morphed into work opportunities for him. “Sometimes cold emailing works, too,” he added.
Over the last 15 years, Young has probably written 5000 pieces for a variety of outlets, including a print column that alternates weekly, magazines, websites, and other outlets. He talked about pitching to publishers who are looking for content. Publishers, he noted, will look at your online links, so he includes samples of his writing for markets that are new to him. He went on to address authors’ attitudes and share war stories from his paths to publication.
“Making The Next Draft the Best,” Michael Stackpole, Sunday 5:30PM
Stackpole congratulated the attending writers who had finished a novel. For those who had not yet reached that goal, he said that it is common for writers to feel like they have lost it somewhere between 35% and 70% into the novel. This is normal. Keep going! Even though you are mentally flailing, your skill side knows what it’s doing. It is your skills that will carry you through to the end.
Regarding the rewrite, Stackpole advised a first read (which he does using a printed manuscript). On this read, he recommended you determine areas that need expansion, clarification, and more action. Write down any facts that are not consistent, plot lines that aren’t carried through, possible cuts, and sometimes additional events that are triggers for change. Once the novel ends, you can determine where it starts. Add or delete chapters. Keep an eye on timelines and take opportunities to add foreshadowing of events. The notes you make can go toward making a bible for your world.
You may wish to keep a calendar of events happening in your novel. Stackpole uses a spreadsheet, analyzing each scene (which he numbers for clarity, 1.1 for chapter one, scene one, etc.) and adding column headings for: (1) scene number; (2) point-of-view (POV) character; (3) what happened in the scene; (4) the mood, atmosphere, or feeling; (5) how the scene moves the story forward; and (6) notes. He uses this spreadsheet as a diagnostic tool, which makes it much easier to drop in needed chapters or scenes and control mood and energy level by mixing high-energy scenes with contemplative ones. He uses the POV column to vary those characters’ scenes and alternate as needed. This allows him to develop characters and their growth arcs as the story may require. He also uses this method to spot temporary characters and determine if their job in the story can be tackled by a main character, preventing the reader from expecting an incidental character to have a story arc.
Stackpole said to use these tools to break down a manuscript and learn what you need to adjust or where you should layer material into the story. He suggested taking two weeks off and repeating the process until your book is finished. “Your book will get better” with every pass, Stackpole said, by fixing items until there are fewer and fewer that need adjustments. If the changes are greater than 10% of the novel, he says to do another pass. If the changes are less than 10%, it’s time to share the novel with a beta reader or editor.
Stackpole stressed that it is the writer’s job to produce text. It is the editor’s job to ask questions but not to tell the writer what to do. Finally, the writer responds with revisions, filling in the gaps mentioned in the editor’s notes. Remember, a good editor strives to make your novel the best that it can be. You share that same goal.
Thank you for sharing my epic workshop experience!
