I spent the past two-plus years stuffing myself with more virtual literary conferences and classes than I could have afforded to attend in person. And even as we cheer the pandemic's apparent wind-down, it's hard to deny that the virtual world has its benefits. I written several posts about details of these virtual events, but there are so many gems that couldn't find a place. Until now!
- Hacks to keep us writing: Tie a desired action with a habitual one. . . 'when I pour a cup of coffee, I will spend 10 minutes (doing desired action).' -- Kathy Ver Eeke, Pitch to Published virtual class
- On creating characters: A character sketch is an outline that asks and answers questions about your main characters. Don't skip this step! You'll know how your character will behave and react in any situation. . . Look at the famous people who have the personality types that most interest you. -- Shayla Raquel, WORDfest virtual conference, 2020
- On those 'crappy' first drafts: If you write with somebody looking over your shoulder, you're screwed to begin with. I write like everybody I know is dead. -- Joe R. Lansdale, Writers League of Texas virtual conference, 2021
- Still more 'crappy': I encourage young writers to write without editing. -- Varian Johnson, Writers League of Texas virtual conference, 2021
- Last of the crappies (for now!): Give yourself permission to write badly! -- Shayla Raquel, Writers Guild of Texas online video
- On reading when you're a writer: It can be hard to read a book without picking it apart -- or wishing I'd written it myself! -- Jeffrey Kraatz, Writers League of Texas virtual conference, 2021
- More reading as a writer: You never know where your next inspiration will come from. -- Kathleen Kent, Writers League of Texas virtual conference, 2021
- On knowing your audience: It's really hard to write books without meeting the people who read them. -- Jeff Kinney, North Texas Teen Book Festival, 2021
- On planning a book: The more books you write, the more you need to plan. Or it's all going to end up sounding like the same book. . . You can veer away from the recipe once you know what the recipe is. -- Michelle Stimpson, WORDfest virtual conference, 2020
- On getting 'unstuck': If you're feeling stuck, go back to your outline. If you didn't outline, go back and do so! -- Shayla Raquel, Writers Guild of Texas online video
- 'Showing' vs. 'telling': Put the character in situation in which they interact in ways you want to show. 'In the head' is telling. It's the action that's 'showing.': Dan Crissman, Pitch to Published virtual writing group
- On not sweating the small stuff: Clothing descriptions don't need to happen unless it's important to the story. We can assume (the characters) are wearing clothes. -- Robert Dugoni, Thrillerfest virtual conference, 2021
- On literary agents: I became an agent because I was in law school but didn't want to be a lawyer! -- Kirby Kim, Writers League of Texas virtual conference, 2021
- How to research agents: Get two bowls with 50 marbles in one. Take a marble from the first bowl and put it in the second bowl for each agent researched. Caution -- do not substitute candies for marbles in this exercise.
: -- Kathy Ver Eeke, Pitch to Published virtual writing group
- I'll end with this spit in the eye of the pandemic: During COVID-19, I had to find a place to write where it was outdoors but safe -- I went to the cemetery. -- Jeff Kinney, North Texas Teen Book Festival, 2021
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| image by Kaitlyn Millet from Pixabay |
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