A writing workshop

 I was invited to teach a writing workshop by a local art gallery. They're calling it "the art of writing."

Having 36 books in print, you'd think that teaching a writing workshop would be a no-brainer. Or so it seemed when I agreed to the project. The coordinator asked me for a course outline. It was at that point I realized how unprepared I was!

I drafted an outline of the basics: Plot. Character. Setting. With each of those headings, I spent a few hours listing the essentials, like making your protagonist slightly flawed so he/she is more real. Setting can be a character on its own. 

With those in hand, I reflected on the other parts of creating a mystery: Start with an outline. Create backstories for your characters. Put a hook in the first few pages to engage the readers. Use foreboding to build engagement. Using subplots to add depth to your characters and to provide false leads. Showing vs. telling information. Engaging the readers senses when creating settings (What are your characters hearing, seeing, and smelling?) And research - oh the hours of research.

I pulled quotes from famous writers. Stephen King wrote that a book's plot is only a device to tell a story about the characters. i.e. Your readers enjoy the book because they've engaged with the characters. If you don't have an interesting, relatable character, the reader isn't going to enjoy, or even finish reading the book.

I sent my outline to some trusted beta readers and associates who critiqued my work. (What in hell are you thinking, Dean?) Then, I rewrote and corrected some minor issues. (That's better, but it that really what you want to tell people about writing?) The outline rewrites became an iterative process, with me tweaking it each time I opened the document, or when one of my trusted associates provided input. (Are you going to mention the need find a publisher once the manuscript is complete?)

When my outline was done...or darned close, I stepped back and tried to determine what I was actually going to say with each outline point. Then, I read it aloud, to see how long it would take. (If I had two hours' worth of information to convey). After all that, I made my wife listen to what I was going to present. 

Her response was surprising. "So, those are the things you've got in mind as you write a new book?" 

"It's all become subconscious now. But yes, those are the elements of my writing process."

Armed with that information, I sent the outline to a friend who's a retired magazine editor. She called the next day and said, "Do you really think you can get through all of this in a one semester class?" When I replied that it was going to be a two-hour workshop she responded, "Talk fast."

With the workshop now history, and feedback in from the students, I'll add a few items. Give your readers enough description so they have a mental image of the characters, without describing the number of pores on their nose (That was from a class member). We laughed and discussed how our mental images conflict with the actors Hollywood has chosen for the roles of our favorite characters. The best "disappointment" story was the casting of Tom Cruise, who's not a big guy, as Jack Reacher who Lee Child describes as a muscular giant.

I think the class's favorite suggestion was from Nevada Barr who I quoted, "Write three pages a day. After a year, you'll have a book!" It's great advice about the volume of output you need, but also about discipline and the need to be consistent.

If you want a window into what I've done, I suggest you check out the books I've written on my publisher's website. 

Hovey, Dean Doug Fletcher series - BWL Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.net)