RWA National: Day 3 Recap

Workshops again. Up today:

Pump Up Your Productivity
Cindi Meyers
I don’t think any of this information was new to me (I’m always trying to figure out how to better manage my time, with mixed success), but it’s always helpful to listen to how someone else presents it in case they find the right crack in the ol’ cortex. Three major steps:

• Keep a time log to identify major time killers and wasted spaces, then convert that into productive writing time. Don’t cheat yourself out of sleep!
• Prioritize your time. If you claim your writing is important, act like it. Write in small chunks if you have to, but don’t wait around for that magic hours-long writing block if you have a busy life. It won’t turn up.
• Remove temptations to procrastinate. Buy an Alphasmart, delete your computer games, create a special writing space with fewer distractions.

Along with these, manage your attitude. People who develop a contant negative attitude about their writing life (and this includes your fears about yourself and your work) often become self-fulfilling prophecies. Set realistic, challenging goals and work toward them, don’t compare yourself with others, and above all, don’t get hung up on things you can’t control. Just write. She left us with a great quote:

Planning to write is not writing. Outlining a book is not writing. Researching is not writing. Talking to people about what you’re doing. None of that is writing. Writing is writing.

–E.L. Doctorow

Home Is Where the Story Is
Christie Ridgway
I planned to come to this one because I’ll be focusing on Southern women’s fiction for the present, and also because the co-presenter was Elizabeth Bevarly. But alas, Liz had to miss the conference, so I was “stuck” with Christie. What a great way to be stuck! Alongside the hints on how to collect good research materials, she showed a bunch of great ways to use details of place to develop characterization, like thinking of the history of an area, who settled it, and what industry the area is known for, and using opposites natural to that setting to create stronger conflict between the characters. You can also use details of the setting to spur and create plot points, like isolating a hero and heroine in a Minnesota blizzard, or creating tension because a hurricane is bearing down on South Beach. You know it’s a great workshop when you keep a separate notes page solely for your WIP and how you plan to enhance it with tips from the workshop.

Take Five! The Agent Cartel Reveals Its Top Five Pearls of Wisdom for Career Success
Pam Ahearn, Roberta Brown, Lucienne Diver, Elaine English, Michelle Grajkowski, Carolyn Grayson, Pam Hopkins, Jennifer Jackson, Natasha Kern, Kristin Nelson, Patti Steele-Perkins
I already have an agent, but it was fascinating to see so clearly how an agent search should be detailed and personal. Of this group, I would only query a few of them, if I were looking for an agent. All of them were incredibly knowledgeable, and each offered five different specific bits of information about finding and working with an agent. Here’s the list of fives:

• 5 Things to Help Me Help You
• 5 Things Necessary in a Query to Make an Agent Notice You
• 5 Things That Make Your More Attractive to Agents and Editors
• 5 Things You Need to Write for Two Houses
• 5 Ways to Nail the In-Person Pitch
• 5 Things to Manage the Business of Being an Auhor
• 5 Things Unpublished Writers do to Inhibit Their Success
• 5 Things to Know About an Agent Before You Sign
• 5 Things Agents Do Beyond the Deal
• 5 Ways to Shoot Your Career in the Foot

I have detailed notes about all of these (and who said them), but the Rita Ceremony is tonight and I have to go put on the spackle and fancy clothes. Leave a comment with an email, and I’ll send you details!