Writers' Conference 2011

I recently attended a conference for writers and I thought I would mark some of my thoughts from the weekend.

First, an overview. It took place over two and a half days and included keynote speakers, lectures, classes, and meetings (both formal and informal) with agents and editors.

Highlights:

Q. Lindsey Barrett -Writer

A middle-aged woman with wild red, dyed streaks in her hair, Q. Lindsey taught several writing classes over the weekend and did a fabulous job every single time. (I'll show you why I think she did a fabulous job in just a moment.)

She spoke at the rate of a hundred miles and hour and I had a devil of a time trying to keep up with all of the incredible writing tips she threw out. My hand didn't thank her but my head certainly did. Excellent!

Marc Resnick - Editor for a Publisher

He talked about the publishing process from the time a writer finds an agent to the time the book hits the shelves. It was a concise, ordered, clear explanation of the very long, sometimes tedious process.

This may not sound like it was tremendously interesting but it was and furthermore he was one of the few presenters that stuck to his topic. But we will get to more of that problem in the disappointment section.

Fun Fact from Marc (who does mostly non-fiction):

It takes about two years from the time you get the book in an agent's hands to the time it hits the shelves. That's if you ever even get your work sold.

Which brings me to the next fun fact. Agents only accept about 5% of what they are queried. And then Editors (publishing houses) only buy about 5% of projects that agents query them.

Conclusion: The odds are stacked against any writer at any given time. And yet we still end up with crap in the book marketplace. Amazing!

Disappointments:

Both Keynote Speakers were a disappointment.

However, the second one really grated on me. His name is Richard Walter and he is a screenwriter and faculty at UCLA. Why did he suck? His keynote address title was, "The Talent Myth: Why a Little Bit of Talent and a Lot of Discipline Will Take Writers Further Than the Other Way Around." Catchy right? However, he proceeded to tell a half dozen stories about how he just stumbled into opportunities at different Hollywood parties. He peppered these stories with political rhetoric that he kept apologizing for and then followed up with more political rhetoric. He didn't ever address the idea of 'a lot of discipline'. What a chump! He wasted my time. I managed to miss his lecture later that morning titled, "Training Hacks and Whores." I think I'll survive without that 'vital' information, thank you very much!

Most of the Lectures Given By Agents

They weren't 'Richard Walter bad' but they also weren't nearly as helpful as I had hoped they would be. Let me illustrate what they lacked.

Several of the agents would start out by saying, "You need a strong beginning."

Okay.

Here is why Q. Lindsey Barrett was such a superstar and maybe it is because she is a writer and not an agent. This is what Q. Linsdey said.

"Start with conflict. Here's the definition of conflict. Two dogs, one bone. Go."

Do you see the difference? The agents information was too generic to be really helpful.

Here's another example.

Agent - "Don't make your character look in the mirror and describe themselves. I see that everyday."

Okay. That's helpful.

Q. Lindsey - "To describe a character pretend that you have just moved to a new town and you have made a new best friend. This new best friend asks about your old best friend. How would you describe her?

'Tell me about your best friend' Technique

***She's a little wild and impetuous, enjoys a cluttered house, and has the sweetest soul of anyone you will meet.***

Use these details to describe your characters rather than tall, blue eyes, and brown hair.

Use the 'best friend gone wrong' details for villains."

While the agent's advice was technically helpful, it was very basic. Q. Lindsey's advice was practically helpful and had depth.

Last example:

Agent: "You have to write a page turner. Subtlety doesn't work."

Q. Lindsey Barrett: "When you are trying to figure out the details of a scene, the details that matter are the ones that show the emotion of the scene. Picture a bar, sawdust on the floor, happy honky tonk music on the jukebox. What is the emotion?

And be careful about crying. If your characters cry, your reader doesn't have to. How else can you convey that emotion?"

To top off all of this brilliant goodness, Q. Lindsey taught a class on Structured Revision. She went point for point and her advice is very helpful. She mapped out what exactly you are looking for in first revision, what you do in second revision, pulling out the highlighters and marking every different sense in the third revision etc, etc.

Feedback

Lastly, I should probably mention the appointments that I had one on one with the agents and editors. You could pitch a project, ask questions, etc. The Editor got an advanced reading of Amelia Rider. All three want to see more.

The first agent wants to see about fifty pages and a synopsis of Amelia Rider and a synopsis and a few chapters of Death and Life. I hadn't planned to pitch Death and Life because (sheepish blush) I haven't done the necessary editing work on it yet. However, she liked the pitch for Amelia Rider and she wanted to know about some of my other projects. She also said I pitched really well.

I met with the Editor next and I think I liked her the best, simply because she asked in depth questions and she had read the advanced reading and so knew what my writing style was like. This was more than a good pitch. This was, "Is it crap or not?" I was also able to ask her what she thought of my lassiez-faire style with regard to switching point of view (something that really bugged one of my readers - but the other readers that I asked said it was fun). Anyway, Ms. Editor said it didn't bother her. She thought I made it work and she wouldn't have me change it. She did want me to start the story in action, as opposed to the mourning scene with a slow beginning, and then she wanted me to flash back to the information. This has been an issue that I have struggled with. I wanted to show the protagonist in her natural setting before I obliterated it (and I do in the trip to Italy) - also for Amelia I wanted to show her mourning her mother. I start the story at a quiet, low point. However, in Death and Life, I start the first scene with my main character already dead, and she flashes back to tell us how she died so I know that value of starting a scene with a little oomph. I will address my thoughts on this conundrum further in the next post.

I met with another agent next after a long day and she also requested to see the project. She wants three chapters.

In short, I don't know if I will go to another writing conference again. But, if I ever get the chance to take another class from Q. Lindsey Barrett, you can bet I will be there.