Continuing with Part 2 of my SiWC writeup, here's all the useful tidbits I picked up from some of the workshops I attended. Some are more quick and dirty than others. Warning: there is a serious wall of text ahead.
Pitchcraft: The Reinvented Writer (Katharine Sands)
This was one of the master classes that took place on Thursday before the conference. The focus is on, of course, pitching. These are important for those pitches you send to agents, but can also apply to in-person ones as well.
Questions to ask yourself: "Why does the world need this book?" And why should the agent choose you, and right now?
There are three main elements to the pitch: the setting, the protagonist, and the problem. You must say where the story takes place, introduce the main character, and what gets the story moving. And the trick is arranging all these elements so that they will "stick" easily in someone's head. By "stick" I mean that if they read the pitch, do something else, and you ask them what the pitch was about, they will still remember.
Some do-nots: leading with the theme is bad, as it doesn't illuminate the pitch. Personally I agree with this, because I've always thought that theme will speak for itself in your characters and what they're struggling against. Also, do not talk about sequels or series at first. Save that for after you've got the deal.
I also attended "Perfecting the In-Person Pitch" (Chuck Sambuchino) panel on Friday, but the focus was pretty much the same. Regrettably I couldn't stay for the pitch evaluation part, as I had my Blue Pencil appointment.
Successful Horror Stories (Luke Ryan)
"Sizzling Sex Scenes" was right next door and occasionally people started howling with laughter, fortunately not during the clips from horror movies that were shown. I digress. This workshop focused more on film than books, but some of the concepts still apply. Even if you don't plan on writing horror, random knowledge is still good to have. You never know when you might need to use it.
-Morality vs. mortality is the core of horror.
-The things we fear most are death, being harmed/impaired, and that which is not human. The best horror blends all these together.
-Where does fear come from? The awareness of our vulnerability. We are most vulnerable when we feel most safe. So you may want to reconsider the next time you sit down at your computer to plug away at your WIP…
-The famous residual effect: this remains long after people have left the theatre/finished playing the game/reading the story. This is what makes them afraid of the dark for the next couple weeks.
-The space where confrontations between the protagonist and the villain take place shrinks over the course of the story. You may start in the neighbourhood and then be confined to a house, and then confined to a closet.
-Traditionally "good" is broken down and reverted to a more animalistic state. The protagonist becomes the killer in order to survive.
-The villain is the one most equipped to bring physical and psychological devastation to the protagonist. The villain is captivating and creepy, is durable, and embodies the things we fear. The conflict between the villain and the protagonist should be likened to an amazing tennis match--each move forces the other to raise the game.
Is There Really Any Money in Writing? (Arthur Slade)
Rejoice, there are other ways to make money rather than royalties, school visits, and book signings. You can apply for an access copyright, which is basically a photocopying fee, and you get a lump sum for that. This would be useful if you have a published article. You can also apply for a public lending right, so that you are paid for your books being in libraries.
On a somewhat related note, getting an agent can help boost your $$ considerably.
Multi-Level Excellence (James Scott Bell)
Last but definitely not least. This workshop covered everything from conflict structure to drafting to some excellent revision tips.
-First of all, write. Finish what you write, and learn your craft as you write.
-Should you revise as you write? You should only revise yesterday's pages. Mr. Bell also suggested the 20,000-word step-back, in which you stop at 20,000 words and ask yourself if it works as a story. If it does, then you keep going.
-Whenever they are in an important situation, let your characters make the best choices based on what they know.
-The Worry Factor: at what point would your editor put down your book and not come back to it? Cut out the weak bits. If it's too dull, bring in a guy with a gun, or anything that would pose an immediate threat.
-Write a summary. This will help reshape your story. You can tinker with it to change the novel, make the structure stronger, and eventually rewrite.
-Watch out for slow opening scenes. Your book should begin with a disturbance. You also want to avoid dumping too much backstory in the opening at once--instead, mix it in with the opening chapters. Drop in bits of backstory here and there.
-You want action first, and then bonding with your characters later. Mr. Bell said something interesting--that readers will wait until the action is over to find out more about your characters and what's happening.
-Theme: imagine your character 20 years after the story. Someone asks your character, "Why did you have to go through that? What did you learn?" Then, have your character make an argument against that lesson at the beginning of the story.
Whew. Oh, there was one thing I forgot to mention. I attended the "Writing for Kids: An Inside Look" panel, and one of the main topics that came up was censorship in children's books. It primarily had to do with violence or disturbing images and worried parents. I think it merits a post of its own, so be sure to check back later.
