Writers workshop

I attended a writers workshop this past weekend. Well, actually, the presentation and homework were posted on a blog because of the blizzard. Anyway, this workshop was the first of a three-part series. The title is The Core of the Story and Identifying the Central Conflict. The second one, which will be presented in April, is Plotting and Pacing. I can't remember the title of the third, which is scheduled for May.

The workshop presenter is Jennifer Crusie, a New York Times best-selling author who once taught creative writing at The Ohio State University. I've attended other Jennifer Crusie workshops and found them very helpful. One of the things I enjoy about them is the way they recharge my creative batteries.

During this particular presentation - or blog - Ms. Crusie posted questions such as what was your original story idea and what was it about that idea that hooked you into telling this story? What makes your protagonist and antagonists interesting people?

Take a moment and think about those questions as they pertain to your story. What did you especially like about your idea, your heroine and your villain?

Ms. Crusie led us back to recapture the excitement we felt when we first identified our story. The time before self-doubt set in. When the question was, "What kind of story do I want to tell today?" Instead of, "Do I have a whole story here?"

What was it about your story that initially hooked you? Why did you chose this particular idea above any of the other ideas tapping into your imagination? Remember that excitement and hold onto it with both hands.

Banish the doubting voices, including your own. Block the image of those reviewers, booksellers and even readers. It's just you, your heroine and the villain you love to hate because he - or she - makes the story so much more interesting.

Patricia

All in the theme

Before I write a story, I have to identify its theme. What's the message I hope to convey with this book? I've found that focusing on the theme helps me keep the characters and the plot on course as opposed to bouncing all over the place.

As an example, the theme of my recent book, On Fire, is trust. The message I hope I conveyed in that story is the value of trust in every relationship. I tried to show that the heroine trusted the other protagonists. Conversely, the antagonists were people neither the hero nor the heroine could trust.

When constructing each scene and building those scenes upon each other, I stayed focussed on that theme. I was so focussed on that message that I had even relationships between minor characters deal with the issue of trust. I didn't even realize that until this very moment.

Have you identified the theme in your story? If so, I'd love to know what it is.

Patricia