Planning a Critique Group Retreat

My post about planning a critique group retreat is live at The Mitten today. Thanks to Debbie Diesen for the photographs. 

Stalled Out

It’s frustrating and discouraging when writing grinds to a halt. Figuring out why can be the first step to restarting the engine.

The internal critic, the anti-muse, the self-doubt is too loud. Stories that exist only in the writer’s imagination cannot be fixed. If I write it, I can improve it later.

Life is happening. Sometimes every ounce of a writer’s creative energy is required to cope with his or her own life so that nothing is left for characters’ lives. I try to calm down, take notes if I can, and remember that life experiences make me a better writer.

Nothing is happening in the story. Not every novel is an action-packed thriller, but writing often stalls when the characters aren’t doing anything. I let them misbehave to jumpstart the story.  

The writer can’t figure out how to solve a problem. If I’ve painted myself into a corner, I go back to the last opportunity for escape and rewrite.

The writer’s subconscious is aware of a problem that the writer’s conscious mind has yet to recognize. I bring the last semi-working chapter to critique group, and their feedback brings the problem to light.  

Seventh Annual Writing Retreat

Tomorrow the World's Greatest Critique Group embarks on our seventh annual writing retreat. This is the first time I'll be spending the time writing all new material instead of revising. My To Do list for today is long indeed. 

 Earlier today I posted that this was the 6th writing retreat. I stand corrected.

Writing Days

Today I’m off to the café of a local independent bookstore to have a writing day with at least one member of my critique group. These writing days are invariably productive. Sitting across from hard-working people tends to keep my brain on task. Also, going to a different writing location not only removes household distractions but somehow inspires new ideas. 

I’m currently working on a hard-copy revision. I print my novel then correct it with a red pen. Some problems are more obvious on the printed page than on the screen. I hope to get through the last third of the manuscript today.

Writing Retreats and Inertia

At last weekend’s writing retreat, I made huge progress on my novel. Since I returned, my revisions have ground to a halt. This brings me to the concept of inertia. 

Inertia: a body at rest tends to stay at rest, and a body in motion tends to stay in motion, unless acted on by an external force.  

At a writing retreat, revisions are in motion. Everyone was pushing their projects forward, all day long and into the evening. At every retreat, I relearn that immersing myself in a project leads to clearer thinking about it. This year, I discovered that solving problems in early chapters hinted at ways to fix the metaphorical train wreck near the end. 

On Sunday afternoon, when I left the retreat, I’d only started to clean up that daunting train wreck. Household chores and daily activities are significant external forces that shift my revisions into resting mode. Frustration over the train wreck was another inhibitory external force. 

If I want to finish this draft, I must become the external force that kicks revisions into gear again.   

Writing Retreat

The World’s Greatest Critique Group heads out tomorrow for our annual retreat. I’ve just received thoughtful comments on my manuscript, and I’m looking forward to digging into my revisions. A big part of the plot needs to be rerouted and several characters need rebuilding. While I’ve done very little writing in the past couple weeks, I’ve been pondering these changes and hope I’ll be ready to revise. 

I’ve also been thinking about attitude. Athletes and writers tend to have the same creed: Work hard and success will be yours. As an athlete and a writer, I became the Energizer Bunny. Recently I’ve been considering the benefits of accepting with grace the things that are out of my reach. I may never finish this project. I may never submit it. The important thing is focusing on the joy of creating it.

Celebrate!

Sandy Carlson just created Appreciate Your Critique Group Week. I couldn’t have said it any better. So here’s a shout out to the World’s Greatest Critique Group (that’s our name) for being such fantastic, supportive and brilliant people.

The Story I Should Have Told

On the first evening of the Highlights Foundation Whole Novel Workshop, we were asked to tell a story about our writing lives. Mine was a long and rambling tribute to the World’s Greatest Critique Group. Several weeks later, I realized this story is more to the point.

One day when Jeremy was in middle school, he teased me about my physical condition by tweaking the loose skin on my upper arms. He did not use a rude or disrespectful term like “bingo wings.” I told the story at critique group, fully expecting to be told my arms looked great. Instead, they gave me a set of weightlifting exercises to correct the problem. I still do them every morning.

As I’m sure you’ve guessed, this is an extended metaphor for the writing process.

Emotional Dynamics

The World’s Greatest Critique Group has been discussing how a quieter chapter can provide respite for characters and readers after an action-packed sequence. Quiet scenes must still have tension, but internal conflict affects the reader differently than physical action.

I have traced the emotional dynamics in my manuscripts in several ways (shrunken manuscript, Excel file and storyboarding), but I haven’t differentiated between excitement caused by action and tension caused internal conflict. Ruth McNally Barshaw suggested I graph the emotional impact of each scene.

Using an Excel file, I identified each event with a short phrase then rated its emotional impact. I plotted action above the x-axis and internal conflict below. Obviously some events have both physical and emotional impact, so I made an arbitrary designation and tried to be consistent. I divided my novel by events so I could assess the transitions between scenes.

Isn’t my graph lovely? (Click on it for an expanded view.)

The purpose of this type of exercise is not to confirm that the manuscript is perfect, it is to elucidate areas that need revision. The section between 61-66 seems like a good place to start.

Photographic Evidence of Our Writing Retreat

The retreat was terrific. I'll write more about it when I finish my volunteer duty at Band Camp.

Songwriting, Malware and Writing Days, Oh My

I had intended to write a thoughtful post on negative space this week with examples from my photography and applications to writing. Then Jeremy decided his band needed a songwriting room. He and Neil (drummer) cleared out another corner of our basement, picked up some salvage furniture and carpeting at MSU, and created a cute and comfortable space. That corner of the basement had been used to store a lot of stuff, but I’ve now relocated our tax return files and trashed or recycled a lot of stuff that should have been gotten rid of years ago.

Just as the basement issue was getting under control, my PC got another malware infection and had to go back to the computer hospital. All of my photo-editing software is on that computer, so Sunday’s nature photo is unlikely to happen this week.

Some members of The World’s Greatest Critique Group have planned writing days for today and Friday. To heck with all these other issues. I’m going to finish revisions this week.

Writing Retreat

When you think of a writing retreat, perhaps you envision peace and quiet, a respite from the responsibilities of family and work. Maybe you see long stretches of uninterrupted creative time, solving thorny plot problems and finding new insights into characters. You might imagine time with good friends, belly laughs and shared ideas. Or does the idea of a writing retreat summon fears of having nothing to say?

The retreat I just left was wonderful. I worked hard on revisions and made good progress. There is something about sitting across the table from another hard-working writer that keeps me on task. I solved some problems with my WIP and discovered other issues that need to be fixed. I enjoyed the time with great friends. Thankfully, writer’s block left me alone.

This was my fifth writing retreat and the third with my awesome critique group. It occurred to me I have never done new writing at a retreat. I always spend the time revising. Okay, my process involves lots of revision, but still …

Maybe next year.

Wonderful Writing Retreat

The World's Greatest Critique group spent last weekend on a writing retreat at Topliff's Tara B&B. In the picture, the gentleman holding the llama (Gus Pacho) is Don Topliff who with his wife, Sheryl, run the bed and breakfast and raise llamas. The other people in the picture are Buffy Silverman, Tim Bogar, Lori Van Hoesen, Debbie Diesen, me, Kay Grimnes, and Ruth McNally Barshaw. Next year's photo will also include Amy Huntley and April Young.

They had a baby llama named Fergie who had an itch when I snapped that photo.

The moth is a "bird poop moth" also known as a beautiful wood nymph or pearly wood nymph. How's that for mimicry? Tim identified the moth and provided the link.

I spent the weekend among great friends and shared much laughter and a little wine.

I made some progress revising TAoCBS and figured out how much more there is to do.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow, the World's Greatest Critique Group leaves for a writing retreat. A couple members won't be able to attend this year, and I miss them already. We'll be joined by a talented writer who isn't in our group. I am looking forward to tackling the many problems in TAoCBS.

Here, here and here are posts about last year's retreat.

They Liked It!

TAoCBS has been difficult to write. Most days, I feel like each letter has to be whittled into wood or formed from clay. Words do not flow easily or quickly with this one.

I'm proud to announce that The World's Greatest Critique Group likes it - so far. They told me so today. If I listened very carefully as they made their comments, I could almost hear music playing in the background.

My Team

My older son (Sam) and I are reading the same book. We have one copy so we share. This isn't a problem because by the time he finishes school, football practice and homework, I gladly hand it over. I'm not going to mention the title, but I will say we've read two other books by this author.

Sam said, "This author needs a critique group, people who will say, 'You're better than this. Now go sit in the corner.'"

Sam has never accompanied me to a critique group meeting, but somehow he gleaned what goes on there. In The World's Greatest Critique Group, we bring out the best in each other by pointing out what needs improvement and recognizing strong points.

Perhaps having an excellent critique group is like being on a winning team.

Ellie McDoodle is on Fuse #8

Click on over to Fuse #8 and read a great review of

Ellie McDoodle: new kid in school

by Ruth McNally Barshaw.

Yea, Ruth!

All Smiles

Today I'm smiling along with Debbie Diesen, Dan Hanna and Mr. Fish.

The Pout Pout Fish is a New York Times Bestseller!!!

Maybe I'll sing and dance a bit too. Congratulations!

Click here to see Mr. Fish turn his frown upside down.

The Pout Pout Fish was published by Farrar Straus Giroux, 2008.

Perfect

What a wonderful, productive time! I loved spending time with my best pals, having uninterrupted writing time and seeing a falling star.

Not only that, I've mostly (not absolutely, but mostly) completed my summer writing goals. Let's do this again.

Outta Here

The World's Greatest Critique Group departs today for our first writing retreat. We hit the road, as soon as I:

1. finish packing
2. deliver my younger son and his Sousaphone (oh yeah, and his percussion-playing friend) to the high school
3. visit my mom and my brother who is very temporarily in town (30 hour layover)
4. pick up the younger son and friend, but maybe not the Sousaphone which I hope will be left in the band room
5. feed two hungry teenagers, possibly three or four
6. pick up Ruth from the community center where her youngest is performing in a play.