Sticky Notes Blog

A blog of writing news, tips, and inspiration from Fat Plum

NaNoWriMo: Time to prepare

As promised in this space previously, I have signed up for NaNoWriMo 2005. I have completed the next step as well: creating a working title. The project is called Love in the Time of Caller-ID. (With apologies to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, plus a promise to change the title as soon as I can -- once I discover what the novel is actually about.)

I'll be blogging daily about my fast-paced writing adventures on my personal site, My Brilliant Mistakes. The real writing doesn't start until November 1 of course, but for this final week I'm preparing by listing elements to include in the story, defining lead characters, loosely outlining the plot, and so forth. Drop by and check on my progress; if you're WriMo-ing too, let me know how it's going for you.

Posted by Cindy on October 25, 2005
This entry was posted in the following categories: Recommended, What's up with us
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Shutter to Think: A Writers Workshop

Forwarded to me from Sherrie Flick (of the wonderful Gist Street Reading Series), an upcoming FREE writing workshop in Pittsburgh. In her words:

Here's a great chance to get writing done and spend a bunch of time with amazing photographs at the Carnegie. Please note, writers have access to the exhibition any time (during regular hours) throughout the 5-week run of the workshop.
Shutter to Think: A Writer's Workshop
Sat. Nov 5, 12, 19, Dec. 3, 10, 2005
Carnegie Museum of Art
Free, registration required

Novice and experienced writers are invited to explore the intersection of images and words in a free writing workshop inspired by Carnegie Museum of Art photography exhibitions, Luke Swank: Modernist Photographer and Witness to the Fifties. This five-session workshop is moderated by Sherrie Flick, writer, editor, and director of the Gist Street Reading Series.

The program includes gallery discussions and facilitated writing sessions, brief presentations by guest writers and photographers, and culminates in a public reading on December 10 at 12:30. Participants have access to the exhibition any time during museum hours for the run of the five-week workshop, which begins on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 1:30, in the Carnegie Museum of Art theater (immediately following the curator's talk on the Luke Swank exhibition, writers are encouraged to attend). Subsequent sessions will take place on Saturday mornings, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the exhibition galleries and include generative writing exercises, discussion, revision strategies, and brief guest presentations:
- Nov. 12 - poet Jim Daniels and photographer Charlee Brodsky;
- Nov. 19 - writer Sherrie Flick and photographer Sue Abramson,
- Dec. 3 - writer Lois Williams and poet Nancy Krygowski.

The workshop is free but pre-registration is required. Call 412.622.3288 to register.

Lots of inspiration all around, plus the company of writers. And all the readers are terrific writers and people. I hope to attend at least one of the days. Don't forget to pre-register!

Posted by Cindy on October 18, 2005
This entry was posted in the following categories: Coming attractions, Inspiration
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Erma Bombeck Writer's Workshop

The 2006 Erma Bombeck Writer's Worshop will be held Thursday March 23 to Saturday March 25 in Dayton, Ohio. This workshop for humor and human interest writing sells out quick so check it out!

Posted by Julie on October 13, 2005
This entry was posted in the following categories: Coming attractions

Fiction Writing Contest

Our friend and humor writer Jennifer Angelo (motherhood, mishaps, and mopping up) tells us about a Fiction Writing Contest at Ramble Underground.

Continue reading "Fiction Writing Contest"

Posted by Julie on October 08, 2005
This entry was posted in the following categories: Calls for submissions

Get away with your writing

Are you ready for an intensive-yet-fun few days to focus on improving your writing? Check out our Xtreme Critique Weekend. It runs from Friday evening through Sunday noon, October 14 - 16, and includes five small-group critiquing sessions, food and lodging, plus camaraderie with fellow writers and writing professionals.

Details are available here, and if you have questions you can contact us. Don't dally: There are only a few spots left and October 14 is nearly upon us.

Posted by Cindy on October 04, 2005
This entry was posted in the following categories: Coming attractions

Write a novel in a month

It's time again to dive into NaNoWriMo--National Novel Writing Month. You write a fifty thousand word first draft of your novel in thirty days. Why? You choose why:

To show yourself you can
To show other people you can
For the sheer joy of writing
Because you haven't done anything really hard in ages
To get your novel off to a fantastic start
To finally get yourself over your writer's block
Because everyone else is doing it

Writing commences November 1 and ends precisely at midnight on November 30. In between there are tears, sweat, screams, and agony, plus a damn good lot of fun. And at the end there's a termendous swell of achievement. It cannot be beat.

There's no cost to sign up, but the non-profit organization who runs the event and manages the website appreciates donations. The website is great -- it's a meeting point/support group/cheerleading section all rolled into one. It helps you track your progress, share your joys and sorrows, and keep yourself going to the bittersweet end. See it all at www.nanowrimo.org.

I've completed NaNoWriMo twice, getting a solid draft of a novel each time. I'm working on one of those novels now -- well, not exactly working on, but thinking daily about and sort of missing. I've been mired in other projects for some time and having trouble getting back in the writing groove. Among the few rules of NaNoWriMo is the restriction that you must start an entirely new book: No revising or reworking old material. So I plan to naNoWriMo a new book this November, to bully myself out of my rut and turbo-charge my writing practice. Then I'll restart work on the in-progress novel in December.

I encourage you to join in too. Let me know if you sign up, and we'll egg each other on.

Posted by Cindy on October 04, 2005
This entry was posted in the following categories: Recommended
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