FINALLY - my notes from the DFWCon 2011 :)

Better late than never, right? LOL. I've been overwhelmed with school and writing and life, you know how it is. But, I promised a post on what I learned at the conference, and here it is. Enjoy! (If you're thinking it doesn't look like I attended that many workshops, keep in mind that I overslept BOTH mornings and missed both 8:30 am workshops! Mornings and I don't mix  ;-)


High Concept – Colleen Lindsay
I took very few notes at this workshop, unfortunately. Colleen spoke briefly about her thoughts on what “high concept” is, and gave a few examples. (The only ones I remembered to write down were “Jurassic Park” and “Sum of All Fears” by Tom Clancy.) She did say that your high concept should be a “clear concept” able to be expressed in 10-25 words. For the rest of the workshop, Colleen took examples from the participants, and told them whether she believed their ideas were high concept or not.

Taxes for Writers – Diane Kelly
This was a very informative workshop. I did take some notes in this class, but I couldn’t begin to try to sum up everything I learned in the class. Diane is definitely one smart cookie. I recommend checking out her website for more info. She has also occasionally offers an online “taxes for writers” workshop.

Exploring the Action Dilemma – Weronica Janczuk
Another informative workshop. But it was VERY fast-paced and my notes aren’t exactly coherent. But, I’ll share with you what I have, in the hopes you can make sense of it :)

Your novel needs proactivity (no “reactive” conflicts)
Your character’s goal must cause tension
You must fit your character to plot, or plot to character
Your character must be unwilling or unable to change
Your first 50 pages must concentrate on one main and specific goal
That goal must be reflective (they will lose something)
Day to day tension is not enough (eating, sleeping, etc. is BORING)
NO INFO DUMPS
Fake tension = bad
The resolution must lead to a definable change

Eight Point Arc
1. (of course I missed the first point LOL)
2. Trigger
3. Quest
4. Surprise (unexpected but plausible)
5. Critical Choice
6. Climax
7. Reversal
8. Resolution (explain the change)

Scenes are like a mini-novel. Drive scenes with goals.
Scene beats:
Act I – pacing slow until inciting incident
Act II – fastest; speed up before & after each obstacle
Act III – slowest
To shape scenes, use syntax and diction
To shape a novel, events must affect main characters and entire cast
Your novel must have turning points – dual, major/minor, high/low
You have half of the first page to hook your reader
Clue in to supernatural things in the very beginning


It’s a Matter of Taste – Jessica Sinsheimer
Jessica set up a blog specifically for the info she generated for this workshop. Instead of give you my half-assed notes on what she said, I shall give you the link to her site: click me :)

Plotting for Non-Plotters – Candy Havens
Candy mentioned a site called totallythebomb.com which uses something called a story-saurus (I didn't go to the site, so you'll have to look it up yourself!

I took the most notes on Michael Hauge’s Six Stage Plot Structure.  There are 6 stages, and in between each stage is a turning point

Stage 1 – Setup
Turning Point 1 – Opportunity
Stage 2 – New Situation
Turning Point 2 – Change of Plan
Stage 3 – Progress
Turning Point 3 – Point of No Return
Stage 4 – Complications and Higher Stakes
Turning Point 4 – Major Set Back
Stage 5 – The Final Push
Turning Point 5 – Climax
Stage 6 – Aftermath

The Changing World of Publishing – Faith Black
I must admit I didn’t take any notes in this workshop. Basically Faith spoke about epublishing and all that good stuff. She assured everyone that the publishing world isn’t going anywhere, regardless of any future changes in technology

Romance Panel – Candy Havens and Anna DeStefano
My first recommendation is for you to check out both of their websites.
Anna
Candy
Both are full of great info for writers. I didn’t take many notes in here because it was mostly a casual conversation atmosphere. But here’s what I do have:

If you’re going to write a good romance novel, you’ve got to:
•know your voice and how to fit it into the romance genre
•have a HEA (happily ever after)

For Newbies:
•hone your craft
•write and polish your book
•find an agent
•network

*Once you finish your first book, immediately start your second book


That's about it for me. I'm sorry if I've been a bad comment-leaver lately. My accounting class is totally kicking my butt LOL. Hope everyone is doing well and gettiing their writing done. Till next time...!