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Grist for the Muse #23 -- August 2005
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Michael Wilson
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Aug 04, 2005 20:25 PDT
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Grist for the Muse #23 - August 2005
The monthly creative writing resource that gets you writing and keeps you
writing.
My working habits are simple: long periods of thinking, short periods of
writing.
--Ernest Hemingway
Musings
No unifying theme in Musings this month, just a lot of little (but
important) things to mention.
One of the greatest writing conferences in the Midwest, and, dare I say it,
the country. is coming up this month: The Columbus Writers Conference. Here
are the details:
ANNOUNCING THIRTEENTH ANNUAL COLUMBUS WRITERS CONFERENCE
The Columbus Writers Conference, scheduled for Friday, August 26, and
Saturday, August 27, 2005, at the Fawcett Conference Center, 2400 Olentangy
River Road, Columbus, offers a wide variety of writing topics presented by
writers, editors, and literary agents. Also featured are one-to-one
consultations with literary agents and editors; a literary agent/editor
panel; and open mikes for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
This thirteenth annual event presents more than 40 sessions on fiction and
nonfiction topics, including the novel, nonfiction book, short story,
writing for children, essay, memoir, poetry, finding and working with a
literary agent, working with a book doctor, query letter, nonfiction book
proposal, essay, self-publishing, developing an author's Web site,
creativity, regional publications, and freelance writing.
The Columbus Writers Conference draw attendees from throughout Ohio and the
United States.
Early bird registration must be postmarked by August 2. For more information
or to receive a brochure, call conference director Angela Palazzolo at (614)
451-3075; or e-mail Angel-@aol.com; or write The Columbus Writers
Conference, P.O. Box 20548, Columbus, OH 43220. Details are also available
at creativevista.com <http://www.creativevista.com/>
If you haven't been to a writers' conference, you owe it to yourself to go
to this one. Angela runs a great program and it is worth every penny of the
registration cost. Writers' conferences are one of the best ways to get your
work into the hands of an agent or editor, as well as meet lots of people
who share your passion and who may become your next writing buddy.
Another significant reason to attend this year's conference: the keynote
speaker is Noah Lukeman, the author of two of the best books on getting your
fiction ready for publication: The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to
Staying Out of the Rejection Pile and The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring
Fiction to Life. He knows what he is talking about and is sure to put on a
great show.
Oh, and one last thing: if you want to pick up a copy of Flash Writing or a
Jumpstart Jar, they will be on sale at the conference bookstore.
Changing E-mail address:
For those of you who use the Mich-@wilson.us e-mail address, I am phasing
it out. What is the point of having a specific e-mail address if you own
two web-domains? Yes, I just purchased www.jumpstartjar.com
<http://www.jumpstartjar.com/> ... So as of September 1st, use
mich-@flashwriting.com to reach me. USE THIS AS YOUR REMINDER to
update your address book! Don't make me shout about it again!
Exciting new class at an exciting new location
I am teaching a new Creative Journaling Class at the Decorative Arts Center
of Ohio based on the twice told exhibit by Lancaster native Jenny Holzer,
which features journal entries by local people who lived in Lancaster during
the 19th century. Anyone who has seen any of Holzer's previous work will
appreciate the blending of her high-tech LED message boards with historical
documents that give us a glimpse of everyday life in the 19th century. Sign
up for the class now and see the exhibit, or just come to check it out in
the historic Reese-Peters House in downtown Lancaster. Check out their
website for more details at:
--Michael
Jumpstart Jars Update
The label for the Basic Brainstorming jar has been completed and it looks
great! The Brainstorming Boost and Fabulous Fiction labels are going
through their final design and copy-editing stages. The Jumpstart Jar
"instruction" cards have been completed and are awaiting the shipment of
blank postcards to begin the final printing process.
They will be ready to roll by the end of the month.
So if you are interested in pre-ordering a Jumpstart Jar, they cost $15.00
each (plus $5.00 shipping and handling) or buy two of them for $25.00. The
August special combines a copy of Flash Writing with any one of the three
Jumpstart Jars for $25.00.
If you want to avoid shipping costs and pick up a jar from me directly at a
writing workshop or event, please e-mail me at mich-@flashwriting.com for
ordering details.
Sign up for the Write(Now) Newsletter
Nita Sweeney's wonderful monthly newsletter lists events of interest to
writers in the Central Ohio area, including book signings, writing classes,
writer's groups, writer's conferences, poetry readings, and more. To
subscribe click on this link: http://www.nitasweeney.com/id4.html
Writing Exercises
1. We are having another late summer drought here in Southeastern Ohio.
The grass is dead. Even some leaves on the trees are turning brown. Write
about your experiences with drought, whether it is a literal drought with a
lack of rain, or creative or spiritual drought that you have suffered
through.
Quick Topics
Light up
Nerve-racking
Road trip
Fixation
Working class
Gravity
Drastic action
Evil queen
Ill-fated
Slap happy
Back alley
Flashes
Story Starters
We're not here to argue
Honey, I'm worried about
But the best part is.
Todd was slow
What is her secret?
He's unstoppable
Shameless Self Promotion
Barnes & Noble at Easton Town Center- Fiction Writer's Group
August 11, 2005 - 7:00 p.m. To 8:00 p.m. - Mezzanine: Fiction Writers Group:
WRITING PRACTICE REFRESHER - With Special Guest Host: Sammi Soutar
Michael is on vacation this month, so please join guest facilitator Sammi
Soutar in a Writing Practice Refresher -- Where we review the rules of
writing practice and discuss the writers and writing advice that the
attendees have found most helpful to them. So be ready to share your best
writing advice.
September 8, 2005 - 7:00 p.m. To 8:00 p.m. - Mezzanine: Fiction Writers
Group: RANDOM WRITING
Are you stuck? Having trouble coming up with writing ideas? Learn how to
create your own writing topic pool and use it to keep you writing during the
moments where you find yourself stuck or blocked.
The Fiction Writers Group is a facilitated writing group that meets at
Barnes & Noble at Easton Town Center on the SECOND Thursday of each month at
7:00pm and is hosted by writer and teacher Michael Wilson. A JumpStart Jar
will be given away to one lucky attendee.
Creative Journaling Techniques (NEW CLASS!)
Location: The Decorative Arts Center (in Lancaster)
Date: 4 weekly sessions beginning Tues, Sept 6th to Tues, Sept 27th
Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Cost: $32 for members / $40 for non-members
To register: Call (740) 681-1423
This 4-week class will review the traditional uses of the journal, guide you
through the journaling process, teach you to discover writing topics,
capture vivid details with your writing, and use your journal as a tool to
help work through problems and decisions, expand your creativity, and
explore your dreams. This class will include a workbook with plenty of
suggested journaling prompts.
For more details and a proposed syllabus for the class, e-mail me at
mich-@flashwriting.com.
ASK THE MUSE
How much character development is necessary for minor characters in a novel?
More detail is better and you can always scale it back if necessary, but in
general, minor characters are only going to bring certain (usually plot
driven) characteristics to the story, so you don't need a lot of background
info about them or even a lot of detail about this character's motivation.
Usually the motivations will be quite obvious.
Think about Chewbacca in the first 3 Star Wars movies. He is a minor
character, we don't know that much about him other than he is very strong,
is a good pilot, can fix things, is a sore loser, and is (often used for)
comic relief.
In the same vein, R2-D2 is also comic relief, the bearer of messages and
objects (a light saber), and is primarily used in the movies for opening
doors and tapping into computer networks. We don't know that much about
either of them, yet they add "color" to the story. Chewie and Artoo let us
know that we are definitely not in Kansas. We don't know why Chewie and Han
Solo are such good friends, or what motivates Chewie to hang out with Han,
we just know that he does.
In short, characterization for minor characters would involve the following:
Appearance, impact on the plot, skills and special abilities, immediate
relationships with those around him, likes and dislikes, and maybe a quirk
or signature habit or manner of speech, and the character's role within the
story.
You aren't going to explore family history, motivation, or the past much at
all with minor characters. It might be nice for your own info to dig in
deeper, but you aren't using much more than the information that I mentioned
above. If you do, this character isn't a minor character, it is a major
character.
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I do give all comments serious consideration. Send them to
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SUBMISSIONS: Do you have an event you want to promote? Do you want to see
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the right to revise submissions.
ABOUT THE EDITOR: Michael Wilson has been teaching creative writing classes
and facilitating writer's groups for almost a decade and was an
award-winning Contributing Editor for The Writer's Block at Suite101.com. He
has a BA (with Honors) in English from Ohio University, and has been a
featured guest speaker at the Thurber House, the Maumee Valley Writer's
Conference and the Columbus Writer's Conference. He is also the publisher
and editor of Grist for the Muse a free monthly creative writing
e-newsletter. His first book: Flash Writing: How to Write, Revise and
Publish Stories Less Than 1000 Words Long, was published in October 2004.
You can get additional information about him at www.flashwriting.com
<http://www.flashwriting.com/> .
Copyright 2005 Michael L. Wilson. All rights reserved.
Michael L. Wilson, Publisher Grist for the Muse
Grist for the Muse is your FREE monthly creative writing e-newsletter
designed to get you
writing and keep you writing. To sign up, go to the web at this URL:
http://www.topica.com/lists/Grist_for_the_Muse OR send email to
gri-@flashwriting.com
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