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Harstine Writers Retreat

April 15, 2013 By

Sorry for the blog silence; I’ve been working on my PhD dissertation. I also attended another writers retreat. Where I worked on my dissertation. There’s a theme here.

Since I’ll be leaving Washington soon, I’m very motivated to say yes to everything, in spite of stressful dissertations. This time “yes” meant hanging out at a ridiculous house in south Puget Sound, with kayaks and indoor totem poles and outdoor hot tubs and grass-fed steaks from Idaho and pomegranate margaritas and most excellent company. Many thanks to Kath for organizing, and to Sara, Dawn, Mary, Mickey, Amy, and Anne for their creativity and camaraderie. I was very pleased with my progress over the weekend. The magic of the writers retreat strikes again!

Some pics:

Writers writing

Writers writing

South Puget Sound at our doorstep

South Puget Sound at our doorstep

Mutual admiration society reunion

Mutual admiration society reunion

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Back from Rainforest Writers Village

March 18, 2013 By

… and finally on the upswing from flu/bronchitis/whooping cough, whatever circle of hell I’ve been living or dying in this past week.

Rainforest was fabulous, as it is. Patrick does a bang-up job organizing. The company is wonderful, and I loved seeing so many friendly faces and being able to converse for bouts longer than 140 characters. The trail running was so great that I went every day.

In addition to plenty of writing time, there were optional talks by pros. Here are some tidbits of advice I picked up:

  • A strong character is individual, plausible, and active ~ Nancy Kress
  • Inconsistency and lack of detail are the two most common worldbuilding problems. Politics, technology, geography, and economics need to be worked out in advance, in broad strokes at least. Details can be incorporated in later drafts. On second draft, focus on consistency and vividness. Show your characters interacting with the worldbuilding. In the beginning, it’s more important to be interesting than clear. ~ Nancy Kress
  • Write to two themed anthologies, the second deadline about three months after the first. This keeps you from writing to the center of any theme, and your story is more appealing, more fresh, as a result. Also, write to the word count that intersects both calls. ~ Mae Empson
  • Give yourself the opportunity to be both mean and kind to yourself ~ Mark Teppo
  • If you’re unhappy with your tale, or stuck, it may be a symptom that your story and plot have diverged. When this happens, you have to decide which is most important to you to keep as is. When you know that, you can test the secondary elements in the tale to see if there’s an adjustment that both fixes the problem and makes you happy. If doesn’t work, try to put your finger on the point where the tale broke, and see, with the benefit of hindsight, if there’s any wiggle room there. Tweak non-load-bearing plot elements to make it work the way you want. Note, there may not be a solution. And maybe there doesn’t have to be, if your plot is so hell-on-wheels that people will love it regardless. ~ Susan Matthews (2012, because I found last year’s notes)
  • Outlining can be a progression of questions. What does the character want and need? What happens next, why is this happening, what do they want? Whether or not the character gets what they want can have four outcomes: Yes, but; No, and; Yes; No. The first two make things worse and sets up new questions. The second two are endings, happy and sad, respectively. ~ Mary Robinette Kowal (2012, because I found last year’s notes). See also Wendy Wagner’s Inkpunks post and Episode 7.50 of Writing Excuses.

But that’s just Rainforest. There was also Kelly’s visit to Seattle (Fly Moon Royalty, Ravenna Woods, The Local Strangers, and Kithkin at a funky little art gallery in So-Do; some of my favorite watering holes like Fremont Brewery and Chuck’s Hop Shop), and my 24-hour academic bender in Boulder (the talk went really well, still waiting to hear back about the postdoc), and meeting up with Phoebe, who was in the neighborhood for her own writer’s retreat. Which was wonderful and random. We had teriyaki.

Related Posts

Quiet time in the Rainforest
Away at the Rainforest Writers Village

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Locus Awards 2012

June 20, 2012 By

This past weekend was the Locus Awards, held in Seattle in the shadow of the Space Needle. Connie Willis was a delight, as always, and she managed to insert Primeval and Andrew-Lee Potts references into an explanation of the Hawaiian-shirt legacy of Charles Brown; Paul Cornell was in stitches. Apparently the fingerless gloves give Potts a leg up over Harrison Ford. Hear that, fellas? Connie has spoken.

In addition to the awards ceremony, there were readings, panel discussions, and parties. “The Foundation of SF Success; or, Nibbled to Death by Ducks” panel was interesting. Kij Johnson had excellent points on success as a moving target, and how to wear an excellent dress. Some other comments brought to mind a recent SFWA interview with Connie, after her Nebula wins:

No artist is any good at judging his own work. Mark Twain thought Tom Sawyer was his best novel. Fred Astaire said he was “just a hoofer.” And when writers talk about what people like about their work, they’re usually dead wrong. I know what I like in books and movies, which is characters who are in over their heads and trying to do their best in impossible circumstances; mysteries that need to be solved; no-win situations; people who care about each other and about the world more than they do about themselves; revelations (both good and bad) that hit you right in the stomach and knock you off your feet; and irony. And I try to put all those in my stories.

I adore Agatha Christie, Thornton Wilder, Theodore Sturgeon, Dorothy Sayers, Mark Twain, Lenora Mattingly Weber, P.G. Wodehouse, Sigrid Undset, Vladimir Nabokov, Charles Williams, Robert A. Heinlein, Kit Reed, Philip K. Dick, Ursula Curtiss, Jerome K. Jerome, J.R.R.Tolkien, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Styron, Shirley Jackson, Alan Bennett, Rumer Godden, Lewis Carroll, Nick Welling, Richard Curtis, and Mary Stewart, and try to write like all of them.

And fail miserably. But whatever’s good in my books probably comes from them.” — from “Nebula Awards Interview: Connie Willis” by Helen Merrick, 12 March 2012

Other highlights included hanging out with friends, old and new; the anticipation of the incoming crop of Clarion West students; the Ray Bradbury memorial, with stories from William F. Nolan, author of Logan’s Run; Keffy pulling off three acceptance speeches on behalf of Cat Valente; Connie Willis’ Friday night reading, which ended in a massive cliffhanger (Note to self: Find that story when it comes out). All in all, a most excellent con weekend. I only wish I had signed up for the Hugo House class as well.

I also realized that I’m rather terrible at fielding questions about Clarion and Me. I stumble through a morass of “Nope I didn’t attend” and “That is, I’ve never applied” and “It sounds awesome!” which I mean with utmost sincerity though I worry it doesn’t come out that way. And then when I feel like I’ve dug the hole deep enough, I stop talking and try to escape the conversation. Geez, just typing that made me feel anxious. Note to self, next time just say I attended Viable Paradise instead. Or that maybe I’ll apply when I finish my Ph.D.

And lest I forget, here are the 2012 Locus Award winners!

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Viable Paradise round-up

March 28, 2012 By

Last week Clarion UCSD announced the upcoming Class of 2012, and news of Clarion West acceptances and rejections have started leaking out. My most sincere congratulations to those who got in, and I hope you have a mind-blowing summer.

Vineyard Havey ferry dock

Ferry dock at Vineyard Haven

In the wake of all the Clarion hubbub, I’d like to give a shout out to the workshop I attended last fall, Viable Paradise. It’s one week long (hence the “Viable”), compared to 6 weeks of Clarion or Odyssey, and is located on Martha’s Vineyard. My VPXV classmate Chris has written a fantastic and detailed side-by-side comparison of the three workshops on his blog, and I urge you to check it out. Likewise these posts by Cory Skerry and instructor Sherwood Smith are full of useful perspectives for anyone who is considering applying. And here’s a link to some posts I wrote on this blog immediately following the workshop, when I was still all starry eyed and in love.

Location: Martha’s Vineyard, MA
Workshop Dates: October 7 – October 12
Tuition: $1100
Housing: $175/night + tax or $155/night + tax
Application Fee: $25.00 (non-refundable)
Application Deadline: June 15, 2012
2012 Instructors: Elizabeth Bear, Debra Doyle, Steven Gould,
James D. Macdonald, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Teresa Nielsen
Hayden, Steven Brust, Sherwood Smith

There are a number of reasons to attend a residential writing workshop. One that I’ve heard echoed quite a bit is validation of your writing. I’m so happy some people got that out of the workshop experience, but to be honest, I didn’t. (Though I did have a really lovely and helpful discussion with Sherwood Smith about my novel.) A second reason to attend is to improve your craft and understanding of the business of writing, largely through lectures by professional writers and editors. The lectures were great, but one of the advantages to living in Seattle is that writers and writing advice abound. So while I wasn’t starved for this kind of information, I also think an important aspect of the apprentice period is being taught the same lessons in different ways and by different people, so that over time you come to internalize the bits that work for you.

The other reasons for attending workshop are arguably less lofty-sounding, but to me were more important: building a community of your peers, and learning how to give and get good critique. This is where VP really gelled for me. (As a total aside, writer Randy Henderson recently posted this comprehensive, one-stop-shop essay on critiquing, which I’ve bookmarked everywhere.) I wrote in a vacuum for well over a decade. Before VP, I had writing friends in Seattle but they were mostly Clarion grads and naturally had their own critique circles in place. I struggled to be part of the writing community is a a meaningful way. Enter Viable Paradise.

It’s been five months now since the workshop, and I continue to learn so much from my classmates. I value their friendship and bravery and insight. I know my writing has improved since VP. I cringe a bit to think I used to submit stories without hard external critique. So I suppose what I’m getting at here is that if you’re looking to step up your writing, and meet people who take this writing thing just as seriously as you do, consider one of these residential workshops.

The best thing I got out of VP was the friendships. My biggest piece of advice is not to sell that aspect short. You can’t control how your writing sample will be received–so don’t pin all your hopes and dreams on that one thing. Do your best, and move on. If you were good enough to be accepted to the workshop, then you belong. And try not to be shy, because it’ll be over before you know it.

NEWS: I’ve decided to take a science class this quarter. I typically try to steer clear of more coursework, because it impinges on all the research I need to do. I’ve successfully avoided them for years now. But boy howdy, this one is called Planetary Atmospheres (cross listed between Atmos and Astronomy), and I just can’t say no. Perfect opportunity for SF world building, plus it’s a graduate-level class I’d love to teach one day!!

Also, I fell in love with The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. You can check out my comments over on Goodreads.

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Quiet time in the Rainforest

March 21, 2012 By

Golden Gardens

The day before we left for Rainforest, I dragged Kelly around Seattle

I have returned from the Rainforest. I had a fantastic time. There was a fireplace and views of misty mountains, and we were well fed. I got some words down on a new shiny novel project. Not an immense amount of words (two people hit over 41,000 words, yikes! and yay!) but I’m happy with my progress, and I’m farther along than I would have been without the retreat. It helps that I no longer have that sense of fear that if I stop vomiting out words, I’ll never finish the project. I’ve completed novels in the past, and I’ll finish this one too. My word count started to trickle off when (a) I broke my outline and (b) I made deliberate choices to socialize over a two-hour dinner here, a drink at the bar there. Because I met some lovely and interesting people at the writer’s retreat. And that’s the biggest thing I’m taking away from it. Location: gorgeous. Word count: nothing to sneeze at. New friends: heck yeah!

Olympic National Park beach

Kelly and Nicole on a beach in Olympic National Park

I’ve also been pondering DIY versus organized retreats. I suspect that organized retreats offer a few major advantages over renting a house with your writing buddies. Namely, quiet hours. At Rainforest, quiet time was serious business and lasted daily until 4 p.m. During those hours, you could expect to write without external distraction. It was bliss. A side benefit of the strict schedule was that during off-hours you could chat in the common area without feeling guilty about being disruptive. At a DIY retreat on the other hand, the group is smaller and more close-knit, and primed for conversations that spiral out of control. There may be less social pressure to stay on task and not be a loudmouth. Of course, the bonus is you get to have your writer’s retreat where, when, and with whom you want it. However if you do opt for the DIY route, my biggest recommendation would be to consider setting hard rules about quiet-time in advance. And to make sure those rules are enforced.

Olympic National Park beach

More beach

I suppose I’m writing this from the perspective of someone who wants to write with others and be buoyed up by the group creativity, but I am also easily distracted. I will speak up if things get too rowdy. But, contrary to appearances, I don’t like doing it and occasionally I will quietly seethe instead. Structured quiet/non-quiet hours is a sensitive way of acknowledging that everyone works differently, and an awesome writer’s retreat maximizes productivity and joy for everyone. Rainforest fit the bill for an awesome writer’s retreat. (With the exception of ergonomics. Note to self: Bring cushions next time)

Lake Quinault

We arrived at the retreat just in time to catch the sunset over Lake Quinault

So here are a handful of pictures, and links to blog posts by a few of the Rainforest Writers Village Session 2 attendees. If you have blogged about the retreat and I missed your post, please link to it in the comments. I would love to read about the experience from your perspective!

Let’s get away from it all! by Wendy Wagner
Kindred Spirits Lurk in the Rain Forest by Amy Sundberg
How I prepare for a writing retreat by Mae Empson
Writing, and Weather, in the Rainforest by Andrew S. Williams
Writing in the Rainforest by Anthony C. Lanni

Rain Forest Resort Village

Many writers hard at work

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