This is our fourth annual WRITE NOW Writing Camp. We've attracted campers from 27 different schools and homeschoolers, as well. Kids come together from as far north as Evans City and as far south as Upper St. Clair to enjoy this event. We provide a unique, comfortable environment that encourages self-expression and interaction. What better way to release your child's creativity?

WRITE NOW Writing Camp is designed for students who love to write and for those whose parents wish they did! Cost is $130 and includes a t-shirt, notebook, binder, writing supplies, and a bound book of camp creations. Space is limited. Email judy@fatplum.com for details and availability.

This revelation in human behavior came to me recently as I unofficially gathered unsolicited (yet not unwelcomed) bits of conversation. The other day in my local coffee shop, I overheard two people talking about a situation involving a misunderstanding. After defending herself and her actions, one woman said, "You know, the one thing I'm not is a liar." Later that day at a school event I heard a man tell another man, "I'm not a joiner, but I signed up for this new committee they're forming." Finally, when my daughter exclaimed, "I am not a follower," it hit me. We want people to know what we aren't.

If these negations are a part of our everyday conversations, they must be important to us. I'm not cheap. I'm not a late person. I'm not OCD. I'm not usually this insensitive. These are examples of how we qualify ourselves in our daily lives. The list goes on.

Let's take it one step further, then, and apply this tendency to our fictional characters. (You nonfiction writers, hang on. We'll get to an application for you next.)

My protagonist, for example, is not friend-dependent. She is not what she classifies as a typical stay-at-home mom. She's not a mall-shopper, nor is she what she refers to as a window-treatment talker (one who speaks only about home redecorations and can't delve much deeper than that). You get the picture.

What are your own favorite negations? What can you learn from them as far how they help you define yourself? Can you apply the same strength of feeling to your characters and what they passionately negate?

And now, as promised, I'll move to the nonfiction application of this I'm Not Theory. Early on in your work, you should have asked yourself, who is my audience? But now, I'm recommending you ask, who is your audience not? Asking this question can help you to expand your marketing strategies and can help you work out the format for which to present your information.

In my coauthored nonfiction book, The Frantic Woman's Guide to Life, the audience is definitely not made up of organized women. My reader is not the woman who can find everything she needs at first mention. Her files are not at her fingertips and she doesn't have a regular schedule.

To apply this I'm Not Theory knowledge then, The Frantic Woman's Guide to Life is not formatted in such a way that would intimidate the unorganized reader. Therefore, the book doesn't recommend categorizing closet contents on index cards. Nor does it require the reader to reorganize her entire house in just two weeks. The book's contents take on a here-and-there kind of structure (presented in short, easy sections) that is much more manageable for the woman with little time.

Armchair psychologist that I am, I love studies in human behavior. (As for my PhD Psychologist friends, feel free to let me know if my brilliant discovery has already been theorized and observed.) Over the course of the next few days, take note of the I'm Not Theory in your own environment. It's a fun, informative exercise that might help fatten up a flat character profile or a flimsy nonfiction proposal.

In the meantime, let me know your answer to this question: What are you not? I can't wait to find out!

We call our regular gatherings "Thursday Night Therapy." I designed matching t-shirts for our little club (but no one ever wears them -- they're either saving them or I bought the wrong sizes) that say "Only 7 Days Left" because we've all admitted that while driving away from the restaurant every Thursday evening, we can't wait until our next weekly meeting.

In the comfort of sacred family pinky-swears, we can safely discuss our personal and professional lives, our children's challenges, our goals and failures and flights-of-idea. We can assume an outrageous stance or present a conservative one. We are able to freely discuss all those subjects marked as taboo in other social settings including politics (a discussion that often ends up involving customers at other tables and always the staff, because among the six of us, three political parties are represented) and religion. (Discussing sex is still taboo because, well, it just is.) Our interactions are full and feisty and very therapeutic.

So why tell you about my Thursday night sessions? The answer lies in what I call the Bad-for-You Platter. Lately at therapy, I've been ordering a platter that is heaping with deep-fried everything. It's piled high with strips of zucchini, puffs of cauliflower and succulent mushrooms, fat, fat, thickly-battered onion rings, and extra ranch please. With that news, I'm sure some of you points-counting people are now whipping out your slide charts and tallying that the platter carries a week's worth of calories. (I know it does, but it's only once a week and I share, I swear.)

However, it's not what's on the Bad-for-You Platter but what happens over it that is truly fascinating. While pinching my onion "O" into an ellipse and dunking it in the nearest sauce, I ask my fellow club members about writing-related matters. I invite their feedback on plot points and character flaws, their opinions on my big-big nonfiction ideas, and their take on the latest twists in the industry. We reflect, not as writers, but as chemists and C.P.A.s, as engineers and teachers, and small business owners, on what makes a plot tired or fresh. Such conversations fueled my choices on which red herrings in my novel were "fair" and that my latest nonfiction idea needed reshaping.

Discussing writing-related topics with nonwriters can be an enlightening resource. So instead of fearing what others might think when you finally admit that you're writing a novel, fight your fright and just ask. Ask someone you trust what they truly think about whatever it is you're mulling over in your writing life. You don't have to worry that they'll steal your idea or lead you down the wrong path (in hopes of getting published before you do). This week, then, why not order a friend or family member a big bowl of ice cream or venti espresso and talk book talk? Otherwise, you might never find out how therapeutic such interaction can be. Good luck!

So how can we writers turn the vibrancy of sweeps week into something useful? We can write outrageous (and I don’t mean “outrageously”, so don’t email me about the proper use of adverbs). We should write the outrageous into our every scene.

Recently, I began writing a scene in which my antagonist (a middle-aged, Botox-pumped gold digger) cooks up a pot of cyanide-laced chicken soup for her bedridden honey. After a deep swig of her midday scotch, she scans the kitchen for a large enough ladle to reach the bottom of the stock pot, in hopes of better dissolving the precipitous poison.

Does this character’s choice of stirring utensil affect the scene all that much? It does in two ways:
1. It enhances the outrageousness of the point of the scene which is to show the mental imbalance of a killer.
2. The scene becomes more memorable. You can bet the next time the reader sees someone walking with a cane, he/she will check out the bottom of it and imagine what might end up floating in a stew stirred with that particular walking aid.

I invite you, then, to weave the outrageous into your works, whether fiction or nonfiction, long or short, in-progress or complete. Take a look at what you’ve got and pump it up. Make it more dangerous, more devastating, more hilarious, or more bizarre. Go ahead. Create outrageous with the likes of Dr. Phil and Oprah. Better yet, follow in the footsteps of James Ellroy who once said, “I put on such a good show, the story is outrageous, and people don't want to hear that I'm basically a reasonable human being. As long as it continues to get me print, I'll continue to perform in an exuberant manner.”

Good luck adding exuberance. Let me know how it goes!

Several years ago, Web Guru (and friend) Cindy Closkey designed a site for me surrounding a book idea. We added good content and interactive options that eventually helped to build an author platform for an otherwise-unknown writer. I was able to accept the fact that I wasn’t a household name after several scientific journal publications, a contribution to a recycling textbook, several nationally visible personal-experience pieces, and a sale to Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul. Even with an excellent, unique nonfiction book idea backed by a detailed, well-researched proposal, the agent and editors always wanted to know, “Who is this author and how can she help us sell books?”

Along with booking regional and national speaking engagements and writing a bang-up book proposal, came the Website complete with a monthly newsletters, contests, giveaways, and more. It was the national exposure we needed (and, believe me, we weren’t getting 10,000 hits a day). Landing an agent in New York wasn’t easy, but selling the book was even more difficult. After all, I was a relative-nonfiction-nobody, especially when compared to Dr. Phil, Dr. Laura, and their parade of advice-wielding colleagues. (What’s great about it now is that my book rests on bookstore shelves between Drs. McGraw and Schlessinger in the Self-Help section.)

What then made the agent and subsequent editors take note of such an un-noteworthy individual as myself?

I’m not saying that the Website was the only reason The Frantic Woman’s Guide to Life sparked an interest at Warner Books (now Grand Central Publishing). But it helped. And I believe it helped greatly.

A year ago or so, I began working with Kathy Gillen who struck a chord on my heartstrings with her moving, nearly heart-wrenching story of her challenging journey, beginning with her learning of her daughter’s mitochondrial disease diagnosis and then Kathy’s coming to terms with it, eventually finding peace and blessings among the hardships. I’m not doing the subject justice, but at first it seemed that Kathy was telling a unique tale. It ended up being every mother’s story.

Barely able to contain my enthusiasm for the project, I quickly turned Kathy over to none other than Cindy Closkey at BigBigDesing.com. Together, they developed and designed Kathy’s current site called Lessons from the Laundry. It contains an active blog with a now-substantial following that Kathy updates 3-4 times a week. And of course, Kathy follows the other rule that sends her to sister Websites and blogs where she offers intelligent, insightful comments.

While developing her Web presence and hence building her platform, Kathy also wrote an excellent book proposal and landed a reputable agent. Just this week, then, she received word from her agent that an editor from one of the large houses to which he had sent the proposal had, and I paraphrase, checked out her Website/blog and skimmed the material. He promised to look more closely at the proposal and get back to him.

Yippee for Kathy! What a little (okay a lot) of hard work and some concrete direction won’t accomplish. So to those of you who have never considered hosting a blog, start brainstorming a topic, a field of interest, a niche. And for you who have thought about blogging but allowed your insecurities to get the best of you, hop to it. Forget the old who-wants-to-read-about-my-measly-little-life excuse. Agents and editors want to hear what you have to say. So say it!

If you have a blog, feel free to mention it in the comments below and link us to it. If you don’t have one, take a look at Kathy’s or some of the other excellent blogs listed to the right of this posting. Let us know what’s holding you back. Then together we can face the evil-self-confidence-deflating demon and help you get started. Even if you’re not ready, ask yourself, “Do I want to stay where I am or move ahead?” I think I know the answer. Can’t wait to hear from you!

For many, many reasons, I was unable to attend the conference. So, if you feel sorry for me in the least (and if you were lucky enough to be in attendence), would you be so kind as to leave your comments, thoughts, impressions, and suggestions concerning your agent appointments, the presentations, the meals, and whatever else you'd like to include? If you are a speaker, let me know how your session went. Did you field any excellent questions? Those of you who attended or hosted the critique sessions in the evening, how did they go?

Conversely, if you weren't able to participate in the conference, like me, then feel free to wallow in your sorrows here, too. Others of you might like to share conference-going tips and suggestions we all might benefit from hearing.

In thinking about all the buzz I'm missing, I'm reminded of the following quote:

"I have made it a rule of my life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy...you can't build on it; it's only good for wallowing in."

-- Katherine Mansfield, 1888-1923, Writer

So I don't regret the way life's course took me this weekend, nor am I going to waste time wallowing. I've vowed to accomplish several mini-goals with my unexpected time. In fact, I crossed one off of my list before I posted this very message.

Thanks for visiting! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Best,

Judy

These are the words of a self-confident writer who can comfortably explore how she feels about what's going on around her, how she interprets her observations, and how she allows them to affect her life. She is able to reveal what she wants and to face her fears head on. Are we?

Most of you know that essayist and author Joan Didion struggled through the sudden death of her husband a few years ago and the subsequent death of her 39-year old daughter only four months later. In an interview approximately 18 months later, Didion said, "I had to write my way out of it. Because I couldn't figure out what was going on. By the time I started it - John died December 30, I didn't start writing until October - I was out of the phase where I didn't know I was crazy. I was still crazy, but I knew it. So, it was a step back."

While Joan Didion was able to drop all pretense and face her fears through writing, many of the rest of us continue to struggle. We must strive to shake off the self-consciousness that often stifles and inhibits our writing. We need to forget about what people will think when our characters have disturbing thoughts or when they participate in frightening, twisted, or illegal activities. We need to fight the urge to edit toward the politically correct when, for example, we're working on a humor piece and we're not sure if entertains or offends.

The other day, I entered a local coffeehouse and ordered a decaf-skim-no-whip mocha. (I know, why bother, right? I could have ordered water.) After dropping my 92 cents change into the tip jar, I coughed up the courage to ask the barista a question, the reason I'd come into the shop in the first place. He was a twenty-something guy with beyond-baggy cargo shorts that defied gravity like no other. He wore a hemp choker and a gold watch that didn't match the rest of him.

"Hey, were you here for the comedy night?" I asked.

"I was." He turned toward me, seemingly surprised I was aware of the event. After all, I wasn't a regular, and he knew it.

"How'd it go?" I asked. But I didn't wait for an answer. "My friend came to read and I was wondering how she did."

"Oh, she did great." He didn't bother to ask which reader was my friend. "She was really funny."

She did it, I thought. She put herself out there, read her humor essay in front of a house full of strangers who sipped cappuccino and chai tea. Her debut reading was well-received. Yippee for her! Yippee, yippee!

I didn't question how the guy knew which woman I had referenced. I figured he had stereotyped us together, based on our ages or appearances or, I don't know what (the whole idea of which might make for a separate blog entry in the future). What was most important was that a lone writer had taken a chance, by putting a part of herself on paper and then exposing it to a crowd of potential boo-ers and hecklers and, least of all, critics.

Like my friend at the coffeehouse, we all need to push away the worry that the world might read between our written lines, because they will. And after all, isn't that what we want?

"So what did you mean by this?" I'll ask. And I really want to know.

Silence still.

"Come on, I'm family. You can tell me," I say.

His reply is a constant, "What does it mean to you?"

(I suppose he doesn't care about the rule that requires we never answer a question with a question.) Above all, he is confident enough, comfortable enough to have poured whatever he could of himself into the painting, exhausted himself in it, really. So much so that he can then allow the public to interpret it, free of his influence. I admire (and sometimes abhor, in a loving way, of course) his self-assurance. How does he do it? How does he fight the urge to make sure that absolutely everyone alive knows exactly what he intended? With confidence, that's how.

I believe he knows that each finished painting represents his best work, at the time anyway, and he is comfortable letting it go.

Like my artist nephew, we must stop concerning ourselves with what readers will surmise about us and our personal lives. The fact is that they're bound to do so. If you're going to put yourself out there by presenting words and paragraphs for the public eye, and that's hopefully what most of us want beyond journaling, then you are going to be subject to scrutiny. So we must produce our best work and then let it go, much like Joan Didion did when she unveiled herself in The Year of Magical Thinking (Vintage).

Her honesty among those pages is painful, memorable. And as a reader, we relate to it in a personal, individual way. Similarly, it is our own honesty and individuality that can smear the line of paint that divides how we live and what we write. We need to allow for the smear and let the new colors emerge.As Rhys Alexander says in Writing Gooder when talking about adding detail, "It's the difference between a pencil sketch and a lush oil painting. As a writer, words are your paint. Use all the colors."

So get back to your keyboards and write your best work. Use all the colors you can and then let it go. And when asked what you meant by something you wrote, feel free to look your reader in the eye and confidently utter my nephew's line: "What does it mean to you?"

This morning, engaged as I was in my writing exercise, I took a moment to watch Pumpkin. Many times, I find myself looking on as she crouches in her pre-pounce stance. She is a true huntress, having to fend for her own food (I'm guessing at this, as she wears no collar). But I have never actually seen her come up with a prize. I often wondered how she survived. She must be eating something out there.

Just then, the taller grasses on the hillside shivered, and Pumpkin pounced. She proudly pranced over to the rock and released her catch, a baby snake of some kind, probably a foot-and-a-half in length. She pawed at the snake as it squiggled a snake-ish limp along the rock and eventually dropped into the more manicured part of the yard. Jumping down, Pumpkin taunted him, biting and pawing until he stopped moving completely. The whole process didn't take more than a couple of minutes.

Then, I heard the caw of crows as they swooped and entered my window-framed view. This was Animal Planet live, just a few feet away, with only a framed window between me and the wild.

With the lack of movement in the shorter grass and the mini-vultures overhead, I wondered, Will Pumpkin eat the freshly dead snake? Do cats eat snakes?, Neighborhood cats and baby snakes? Eeww, this was strange.

I continued my silent surveillance. Pumpkin pecked and nibbled and, sure as can be, devoured the snake, at least in part. I had my answer, cats eat snakes. But then, another unpredicted happening (for me, anyway) occurred.

Pumpkin climbed the hillside through the young crown vetch and stopped at a spot about halfway up. Her back was to me as she sat facing the hillside, tail swooping the foliage, back and forth. What was she doing? I wondered. She couldn't be searching for new prey, could she? She should have been satisfied from her recent meal.

Zapping that thought, Pumpkin's next move paralyzed me, mouse in hand. I witnessed the fur covering her body ripple from neck to hind haunches. Ripple and ripple and ripple, again. It looked far too uniform to be a convulsion. And soon I realized her body was ejecting her latest intake of food. So, cats don't eat snakes? Or they do, but they shouldn't, like dogs eat pebbles and babies eat crayons. I was learning here, that much was certain.

Throughout the day, the scene with Pumpkin popped into my mind several times. I talked with family and neighbors and friends about what I had witnessed earlier that morning.

Last evening, then, while I nibbled trail mix (because all real meals sent my stomach a-churning), it occurred to me. This brainprint -- my term for the unforgettable, unexpected image that fully engages, evokes a response, and then continues to haunt -- is what we writers strive for in every passage, every paragraph, every line. Pumpkin did for me, what I long to create and struggle to deliver to every reader who encounters my writing.

One such scene that comes to mind for me I saw in, yes, I'll admit it, a LifetimeTV movie selection. I apologize for not remembering the title, because I've watched more than a few of these. (They can provide a quick, refreshing study of mood and character, and they sometimes offer up those desired, unexpected plot twists.)

In this particular movie, the protagonist, a thirty-something professional woman (probably Kate Jackson, in which case she would have been forty-something), is being followed on a deserted highway in the middle of the night (okay, it's a bit cliche but it still catches a basal human fear) by a large pick-up truck. As she increases her speed, so does the truck driver. As she slows, he in turn decelerates. With sparks flying, he bumps her around, making me anxious for her to take the nearest exit ramp.

Instead, she does the unexpected. She slows her car on a bridge deck and comes to a stop on the shoulder of the road. As expected then, the big truck pulls in behind her. At this point, I'm thinking she's done for. He's going to come up to the window, whip open the door (or blow the door open with a sawed-off shot gun), yank her out of the car, kill her, and dump her body over the bridge. At least, this is what I expect to happen.

Instead, Kate surprises me again. She opens the door and steps out of the car. Don't do this, I think. Turn the other way and run! Kate turns toward the still-illuminated blinding lights of the truck and walks toward her aggressor.

Now, I'm thinking he's going to run her over. He revs the engine, the truck rocks with the surge. Uh-huh, Kate, I told you so. Now run!

Kate continues to walk toward the hood of the car. But then, rather than run Kate down, the driver shifts into reverse and backs up a few feet. Now, that's unexpected. She continues to walk. He backs up again.

I assumeded the protagonist would act in one way. She didn't. I expected the antogist to respond to her actions in another way. He didn't. This is great stuff!

It's this path of the unpredictable that we writers should strive to walk. Rather than allowing your character to act in a way the reader might anticipate, empower her to react in a unique way, all the while keeping within reasonable margin of her true nature. The same goes for your antagonist. Don't allow him to do what other bad-guys do. Delve into how he is different and how he can, in turn, unexpectedly respond.

Other than the truly powerful images that we've all experienced (like when Hannibal Lector rubs Clarice's hand in Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris), which scenes have you read or observed that took you by surprise, set you off, made you react, gave you a lasting, burning imprint-of-a-memory? Or better yet, how can you create such an enduring brainprint in your work-in-progress today? Let us know.

Aside: Just now, I steered the computer mouse to highlight the "Publish" button on this entry, when something moved in the corner of my view. Pumpkin? She was who I looked for to climb onto the rock. Instead, a white cat meandered through the crown vetch. I watched and waited for the unexpected.

Kirekegaard's words "passionate sense of potential" stir something in me. Without potential, without a passion for possibility, what do we have?

As writers, each and every one of us has potential. Every word we write has the potential to be read. Every manuscript we complete holds the possibility of landing us an acceptance for publication. Each book we author might be the title that changes the lives of those who read it. The potential is there, waiting for us to give it a shove.

But unlike opportunity (that has been shown to occasionally knock its way into our lives), potential, like a late-term pregnancy, must often be induced. We can't ask for the promise of something good and then sit idly in wait for it to birth precious offspring. We must induce potential by creating possibilities.

I recently experienced the benefit of a possibility I helped to create. A while ago, I mentioned to a near stranger (the woman at the bank, as I've come to refer to her) that I was a writer. She is a teller and an avid reader, so my news struck a chord in her, of sorts. I see her at the drive-thru window every week or so. With each deposit or withdrawal, our serial conversation transmitted across a weak speaker system has progressed from the titles of my books that have already been published to the nature of what I'm working on currently, to the essence of the problems I might be facing with plot and character and subplot and so on. It's been interesting for me to hear her non-writer's perspective on the ups and downs we writers experience.

A couple of weeks ago, I entered the far lane and pushed the button to summon the woman at the bank. She appeared and before I could talk said, "What are you working on?"

I proceeded to offer details about my current work-in-progress, the first draft of a novel.

"But what about the other one?" She was referring to a novel I had completed about a year prior.

"Oh, it's not good enough," I said. "I'm not going to try to sell that one."

"I'll read it."

The directness of her statement bounced around the interior of my car...and my brain. "That's okay, thanks, I'm not working on it anymore."

"I don't care, I'll read it."

Now, what was I supposed to do?

She continued, "I'm going on vacation in three weeks and I'd love to curl up with your book and read."

By then, the transaction had ended and it was time for my response. "I might take you up on that," I said. But I was fairly certain I wouldn't. Why waste time on something that's not going to sell?

For nine days, I did nothing with the woman at the bank's offer, her induction of potential, her giving of possibility.

But it gnawed at me. I should give her something.

I toyed with presenting her with the first third of the novel I was currently working on. But what fun would that be for her, a book with no ending? I pondered giving her nothing at all, but not for very long.

By day ten, I turned to my dear friend and colleague, Mary. "What should I do?" I explained how I didn't want to bite, slap, or even ignore a hand that was reaching out to help. And yet, how could I allow a stranger's first look at my work to be tainted by a mediocre presentation?

Clutching her coffee mug, Mary responded. "Work on it, then give it to her." They were simple commands, yet they were the words my hungry inner self longed to hear.

The timing wasn't perfect, as it rarely is, but this situation had a potential I couldn't let pass. It would be the first time a non-writing reader would experience my fiction. And through an exchange with Mary, I was committed.

Ignoring the dread that often accompanies that first look at a several-hundred-page revision, I printed and revised and typed in my edits, beginning before the dawn of day (usually from 4:00 to 6:00 AM) and ending long after I would have ordinarily needed rest. By Friday, day 21, I handed the woman at the bank 17 chapters, less than half of the book. With that, however, I had gained, not only the satisfaction of having met (at least partially) a deadline, but the momentum of being immersed in the project.

On Monday morning at 8:15 AM, my phone rang. The woman at the bank had stayed up past 1:00 in the morning to finish reading my partial book. "I couldn't put it down," she said. "I have to know what your antagonist is up to."

I didn't answer, still trying to let the joy sink in. I had been affirmed. And it felt great!

She interrupted my welling with "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

I told her no and we set a new deadline.

We all have what it takes to create potential for ourselves. So why don't we? Sometimes inducing possibilities involves taking risks, risking the puncture of our protective coating that keeps us safe inside our own little worlds, gambling that image we hope to portray, taking a chance on changing how someone views who we are.

This week, I challenge you, in Kierkegaard's words, to have an eye that "sees the possible." The lure of possibility is a magnet. I invite you to share your stories of potential that you've created, induced, and seized. Take a chance and answer the question, how have you been drawn in?

Here are the details:

When: Saturday, April 21, 2007
Where: The Art Institutes of Pittsburgh, 420 Boulevard of the Allies, 15239
How Much: Absolutely Free!!

Another buzz word in the industry is "brand." In answer to the question, What is your brand?, many writers respond, "Huh?" Established authors know that your brand is the whole package, it's you -- what you write, what you look like, how you dress, who you are. These all need to blend together to sell your product, your books and your voice.

And speaking of voice, presentations at the conference cover everything from Finding Your Voice or Photoblogging, to Podcasting and Building Your Brand. Like it or not, writers, this is part of what we must do. First, we need to write a great book, article, essay, or poem. And then, yes, we need to sell it. And all of the above techniques will help us do so.

So quit sitting around wishing you could hire a publicist to write your blog and sell your work. The presenters at Boot Camp PGH will show you how easy it is to get started and/or to keep pushing forward! There are even hands-on labs where they'll walk you through the steps to get started using MySpace or Twitter and much, much more. And throughout the day, you'll be able to speak one-on-one with these experienced individuals.

As of right now, 116 people are registered. You don't want them to know more than you do, right? So hop on over to the Boot Camp PGH site and register, now. The best part is, it's free. Note: This is NOT like one of those free financial seminars where they give you a doughnut and try to get you to invest in something. Nope, I know several of the speakers. They're just caring, sharing, knowledgeable people who want to help, really!

I'll be at the event on Saturday, and I hope you will too!

Click on the links above for more details! The time is now!

Upon hearing the news, my thoughts immediately turned to Columbine. This month marks the eighth anniversary of the school massacre that took place in Columbine High School in Littleton, CO where 15 people were killed, including the two gunmen. I'm not sure this connection is coincidental, but many of the facts remain to be seen.

My thoughts pivoted, then, to the amazing powers of healing and forgiveness displayed by the Amish community after the killings at the West Nickel Mines School in Lancaster, PA in the fall of 2006, just a few months ago. May we all mimic that faithful community's strength and their sense of unity.

My prayers go out to the family members of the victims of this senseless crime. I pray, too, for those families who have been unable to reach their loved ones and are experiencing a living hell while they try to do so. May peace come to all those involved. No one will be able to give these families satisfying answers; what answer could satisfy?

This tragic situation reminds me of a quote I once read by an anonymous author. It reads, “I guess when your heart gets broken you sort of start to see cracks in everything. I'm convinced that tragedy wants to harden us and our mission is never to let it.”

It is our duty as a society to recognize the cracks when they begin to reveal themselves. And we must, as the quote suggests, join together and refuse to harden in the face of evil.

If you're looking to write better than you can, you've come to the right place!

We at Fat Plum are hosting an event called the Xtreme Critique Weekend. It's a bit different from other conferences and workshops in that you won't be listening to lectures or writing independently on your project. You'll be working with us to improve and enhance your writing.

In a serene campus-style setting nestled among the rolling hills of Western Pennsylvania, we'll break into small groups, roll up our sleeves, and read your work. We'll offer focused comments and suggestions on how to improve everything from word choice and sentence structure to overall content, readability, and the ever-important marketability. There are five such sessions and each attendees with have the opportunity to read every time.

Discussions often continue into the dining hall, the floor lounges, and into the evening social events, where we cover such subjects as finding an agent, how to write a bang-up query letter, how to stay motivated, and much, much more.

Here are the details.

When?: June 29 - July 1, 2007

Where?: St. Joseph's Center in Greensburgh, PA (approximately 30 miles east of Pittsburgh)

How Much?:
$295 for a single room by April 28 ($330 after that date)
$275 for a double room by April 28 ($305 after)
$215 for our no-lodging plan by April 28 ($240 after)

What?: Fee includes 5 Critiquing Sessions, 5 delicious meals, 2 evening socials, lodging for 2 nights, and countless hours of meaningful interaction with serious writers

So whether you're working on a novel, a nonfiction book proposal, or shorter works, consider joining us for this unique event that places writers among caring peers and professionals. You will leave the weekend knowing what the next step is on your path to publication and how to take it.

For additional information, visit our Xtreme Critique Weekend page.

And for those of you with a special child in your life who has an interest in writing (or who has a loved one who wants to help them improve), I've got just the camp for you! My colleague Mary Patouillet and I are offering our third annual Write Now Writing Camp.

Here are the specifics.

Who?: For students entering grades 5-8

Where?: Borders in Northway Mall on McKnight Road, North of Pittsburgh, PA

When?: June 18 - 22, 2007
Choose one session, either 9:00 AM - Noon OR 1:30 - 4:30 PM

How Much?: $130, fee includes t-shirt, writing notebook & folder, and a bound collection of the child's camp creations

What?: We offer fun activities and exercises that feature tips and techniques designed (by us) to elevate the students' confidence in writing and to enhance their writing abilities.

The best part is, on top of learning useful skills and making new friends (last year we had 17 schools represented), it's just plain fun!

I hope to see you at either or both of these exciting events!

For more information or to have a brochure sent to you, email me at judy@fatplum.com

Keep in mind Hemingway's quote above and know that we all truly are capable of writing better than we can! So let's get to it!

I remember a couple of years back when I was teaching at the annual "Remember the Magic" conference at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY sponsored by the International Women’s Writing Guild. I was responsible for teaching a nuts-and-bolts class on writing personal essays. While there, however, the instructors were able and encouraged to participate in any of the classes (they usually have around 70 speakers, so there’s definitely something for everyone).

In addition to the nuts-and-bolts classes, they offered others of a more touchy-feely nature -- you know, like role playing, releasing the muse, and the like. I figured I’d fill my schedule by attending the nut-and-bolts lectures about writing book proposals and perfecting the query letter. In those classes, I wrote out the homework every night, all related to improving and marketing my then-work-in-progress that eventually became The Frantic Woman’s Guide to Life (Warner Books).

One afternoon, however, I had an open slot, with no nuts-and-bolts classes to attend. And I, being the killer conference attendee who never skipped a session, found myself opening the door to one of the touchy-feely classes. When I walked in, I noticed the desks were situated in a large circle, unlike the more traditional classroom settings of the others I had taught and taken.

I stood a moment and didn’t close my eyes. But I was soon caught by the instructor and succumbed to the exercise. Okay, eyes closed, I waited for something to pop into my brain. Instead, I saw nothing, a big gray blob of nothing. Come on, I encouraged my whatever-it-was that needed the nudging. Give me something.

Then, it came. A rock. I had received a rock. The blob of gray had transformed itself to a boulder on the edge of a construction site next to an abandoned building, an old psychiatric hospital, to be exact. This was great. I was doing an exercise unrelated to my nonfiction book idea. I had grown and broadened my horizons. Yippee!

As it turned out, the setting I envisioned in that circle of women (complete with inspriational candle) worked its way into the climax of a novel draft I wrote a couple of years later. Like the gray globule in my mind that day, I was transformed -- from a non-exercise participator to one who recognized the value of such activities.

After that experience at Skidmore, I have gone on to participate in other exercises I might have previously viewed as a waste of time. I’ve made picture collages of my characters, including how they morph from beginning to end. I have been known to drive around town for at least two days snapping photos of homes in which my characters might live. I've also photographed their fictitious workplaces and even their cars. Not only did it feel like sleuthing fun, the photos provided a visual reference for my characters' personalities and environments, that in turn helped to complicate their lives and further the plot.

What about you? How do you feel about writing prompts and exercises? Do you use them? Has any such exercise ever led to something truly productive for you?

I’ll leave you with a prompt that you can do with what you will:
Name one of your personality traits you would change, if you could (with little or no effort). Write a brief paragraph about how your life would be different without the burden of that trait. Can you use this new you to enhance your writing productivity? Or might you introduce such a trait in your protagonist or, better yet, your antagonist?

Best wishes to all during these Easter and Passover seasons! Enjoy!

Earlier this week, I found Lisa Scottoline on The Early Show. And to my delight, she didn't disappoint. Among a range of topics, Lisa talked about the pains of rejection, having suffered through five years of it herself. Rejection is something we all experience. And yet, her words made me think about how reading the blogs of writers, agents, and editors is an essential task for writers. It is possible, simply by listening to the experiences of others, to shave years of valuable time off of the writing and submission processes -- a fine example of how "Don't make the same mistake I did" can really work.

Lisa laughed as she recalled her mother saying to her as a child, "Go out. You're going to ruin your eyes. Stop reading."

It sounds like a crazy message for a mother to send a child. And yet, for me (and probably for many of you), it was as though Lisa were talking about my own precious childhood.

I found out, when I was about tirty years old, that my mom signed me up for the local softball league because she was afraid I "read too much." Can that be? Can a child read too much?

So much of what Lisa Scottoline covered in those few short minutes struck a chord. She said of the writing process that, while she hoped she was evolving into a better writer (much like strengthening a muscle by stretching it), the act of writing itself wasn't getting any easier. It felt good to hear her say that, and not because misery loves company.

Writing is work and we can't forget that. While sometimes the words gently roll off the fingers and onto the page, more often it is a struggle to shape each sentence to get it just right. As a result, the writer who's willing to put the time in, who progresses and evolves, who changes and makes amends is the one who moves forward.

One of the most enlightening statements Lisa Scottoline made was this: "Don't give up until they publish you."

I couldn't have said it any better. Keep growing as a writer, continue seeking out the best match-of-an-agent or -editor. Don't stubbornly stand there and whine that your voice isn't being heard. Instead, be a Siren. Transform your words into a crystal clear song that agents and editors and readers adore.

Upon watching it, I’m reminded of what famous blonde Dolly Parton once said. “I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb... and I also know that I'm not blonde.”

Whether we try to or not, we humans judge. We assess. Appraise. Rank. We generalize. For whatever reason, we like to lump people into categories and assume certain things about them. We say accountants are nerdy, politicians are crooked, and athletes are arrogant. It's been said that professors are brainy, the wealthy are snobs, and blondes have more fun. Rationally we understand these generalizations aren't accurate. And yet, we are still surprised when someone breaks the mold. We notice and admire the people who simply refuse to squeeze into these stamped-out stereotypes.

So how can you apply this principle to your writing?

Why not abandon these assumptions and twist things around? Surprise your readers with a beautiful nerd--and I'm not talking about the classic larva-to-butterfly story where you remove the glasses and let down the hair at the end. No, let the truly geeky girl be a looker techie, but let her stay geeky, being almost unaware of how attractive she is. Charlie doesn’t need any more Angels, anyway.

Let’s try a few more. Groom your Dr. Evil into, yes, a gorgeous bald woman? (Think Kylie Minogue, not Britney Spears or Jane Curtin.) Or give your villain wholesome, good-guy good looks like Pierce Brosnan. (Can you take it one step farther by casting a Doogie Howser-type? Not quite, I guess, but you get the picture.)

Why not transform your psychic, middle-aged woman (bye-bye Whoopie) into a clairvoyant teenaged boy. As for your frail, old grandmother, twisting her into the feisty go-getter has been done to death. So what else can we do? How about making grandma VP of a Fortune 500 company? Or, better yet, have her own the Lakers.

Think about how surprising Dolly Parton has been over the years, refusing to wear the stereotypes assigned her. If only we could learn to write by her words: “I'm not going to limit myself just because people won't accept the fact that I can do something else.”

So don’t grow gray hair making your accountants nerdy or your blondes dizzy. Follow Dolly and "do something else." Do something unexpected. And you just might keep your readers reading!