My first Writing Workshop

POST #300!!!!!

(LadyLee does a high Rockette kick!!)

So..

As you know, if you've been perusing my blog regularly... I've been taking writing classes. I haven't written about the classes much here, because I owe the Queen a guest blogging piece concerning my experience in the writing classes. I have been taring my hair trying to write it, because it has to be PERFECT for the Queen, ya know? So I plan to give her a serious piece on that, and I will write my usual funny take on the classes here at LadyLee...

But, the Queen and I were talking about workshops awhile back. I, being a slow Oldgirl, didn't really understand the process. I'd looked into one that she mentioned, and it was some 4 day craziness. It looked good and most definitely something I want to do, but uh, before I get off somewhere for 4 days, I wanted to take something small, my major purpose being knowing what is expected out of me.

Because you know me... I'll get somewhere and they expect us to write a 50 page something in 10 minutes... I'm liable to go off on somebody, LOL.

I took a one day Writing workshop sponsored by the Atlanta Writer's Club last Saturday taught by mystery writer David Fulmer. It was held at a little place called The Cabin Path, down on Atlanta's southside.

And let's just say... there was no "CP time" thing going on. I got there five minutes before it started, and everybody was there already. I went to something similar the night before (see last post), and got there late... and was the second one there... Hmmm...

Well, I won't go into too many details, because this post would be 100 pages long. The workshop was from nine to six in the evening, and Mr. Fulmer spent time (about an hour or so per topic) talking about creating good settings and characters, writing good dialogue, plotting and editing. There was even a very interesting segment on sex, violence and language.

I learned a lot. He is good at what he does, and he cleared up some isshas I was having in my writing.

Now what really threw me off was lunchtime. Lunch was to be provided by the program. Okay, I was expecting a sandwich and some chips. I'd been sipping on Vitamin water all morning, so that would've been cool with me.

They provided something a little different... and I took a picture of the aftermath, i.e., after we had ransacked the table.

There wasa grilled chicken breasts, pasta salad, some type of broccoli salad, sweet potatoe souffle, squash casserole, barbeque pulled pork, green beans, black eye peas, biscuits, cornbread, apple crisp, and pumpkin cake and sweet tea.

All we needed was a turkey, and it would have been an early Thanksgiving! LOL!

That food was so good that I wanted to wrap a plate up to take home with me. But I didn't go out like that...

I had the "itis" afterwards. I wanted to ask the woman who cooked all of that food for a cot, a blanket, and a soft pillow.

So when I was taking pictures of the food, I saw this...

Freaked me out something terrible, because I thought it was my cat Oscar-Tyrone! I thought he'd jumped in the Mazda and hitched a ride there. But it wasn't him. This cat had all the same markings, and looked just like him, but he had no collar...

That was a funny sight to see indeed.

The pre-workshop info stated that we could tour the Cabin Path Grounds. I was thinking to myself that there was NO WAY I was going to be walking through the woods. But I ended up going anyway, and I am glad that I did. Here are some pics of the log cabin deep in the woods...






And there was also a labyrinth there. It is a Native American spiritual symbol of some sort.



All in all, it was a good day, and a fine experience.

Additionally, we had one-on-one ten minute sessions with Mr. Fulmer. I really didn't want to turn anything in, because most of the pieces I write are geared towards black folks, but I threw caution to the wind, and turned in the first 10 pages of a Sweet Heat rewrite I'd been dabbling with.

The first thing he said is "I'm not familiar with this genre."

LOL!!

Then he said, "But I let a black female friend of mine read it."

That was REALLY funny. But I am glad he thought enough to go get someone else to read it.

Of course it needs a lot of work. And I have written waaaaay better stuff since then. He pointed out some isshas that I've been working feverishly on (repetition issues, etc.). I think most of that craziness comes from the free flow style of blogging. But the most important thing he told me is that it needs to be rewritten from a third person point of view. This made me happy, as I had written that very same thought in a journal I use for ideas of how to make my story better. And I have been writing some of my later stuff in third person, which I like A LOT better than first person.

He thought I had good writing skills. And that's a good thing!

So, all in all, I am glad I went. My biggest purpose was to figure out what is expected of me, and what to expect, just in case I want to participate in larger workshops.

Cowgirl Cre and I were kidding around. I need a more "universal" writing sample... sort of like a story of Becky and Sue looking for their stolen horses, if you know what I mean.

LOL!!

This workshop was good for me overcoming some of my hesitancy of taking workshops. I am always the chick who is more than happy to sit off in a corner to myself, but I met a lot of good people, and had a lot of good convos while there.

I am learning, the more and more I do this type of thing, it helps me to grow as a writer...