Interlochen Mystery Writing Intensive Workshop

This past week, as the result of a generous scholarship provided by Ludington Writers, I was able to attend the Mystery Writing Intensive Workshop at Interlochen Fine Arts Camp. The instructor was Aaron Stander (author of the Ray Elkins mysteries).

It was a great week of writing exercises, writing assignments on our own works, guest speakers, networking, and playtime.

We began by hearing from a retired policeman who gave us a run-down of what the proper procedure is at a crime scene. Then we went and analyzed our "own" murder scene.



When we returned to the classroom, we split into groups and each was given a time period- say the 1930s. Then we had to group-write (not easy!) a scene incorporating the dead body we'd just found and place the story in that era.

We huddled up closer to share our samples with the whole group, and have discussion.



There were instructional segments about writing place, character, and showing vs. telling.

At the end of one of the days, Aaron invited us to his home, where he and his wife Mary Kay had snacks prepared and we all got better acquainted. I think this is a nice picture of Aaron (with Hamish!)



It was not insignificant that our workshop was treated respectfully! The music instruction group just down the hall from us was told not to disturb us.



In addition to the in-class writing, we had assignments every night. These were usually to advance our own works in progress, but focusing on the lesson of the day.

First thing each morning, we'd share our homework in the smaller groups, provide and receive feedback, and then revise our own work accordingly.



There were fun times too. Wednesday evening, most everyone went along for a walk on the Lake Michigan beach. Participants were not all local. We had people from as far away as Arizona and Maryland. Then we all went to dinner together.



We had a second guest speaker, Mardi Link, who has written true crime stories.

Those of us who actually have books done had a chance to tell a bit about our journey in publishing.

Finally, just a group picture without one of our folks who had already left to catch a plane, and with one of the guest speakers.



This was an awesome opportunity, and I'll be soaking in the positive effects for a long time to come.

See Blood and Tea

The Value of Good Feedback, Early

I've mentioned my local writer support group here, the West Side Gang, several times. I definitely want to talk about my participation with these people again. Last night there were six women and two men in attendance. (I tell you that only because the picture shows just women.)

Although I'm up to chapter 11 of Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp with the writing, the group only meets twice a month so my sharing is way behind the writing. Last night I read chapter 4 to them. It's the chapter where the crux of what the mystery will be is revealed.

I learned some things from their reactions. This is perhaps an even better story than I anticipated (assuming I can carry it out as well as I introduced it). They were obviously gripped by the "facts" of the case, and are already identifying with the two children in the book, Star and Sunny.

Based on that observation, I think I can dismiss any ambivalence I was feeling about "moving the plot forward" fast enough. It is taking a lot of chapters to create the back story and set the reader up for a big discovery. But I think the interaction of the characters is going to be enough to hold attention.

I am continuing to do at least an adequate job of ending chapters so that people want to read the next one right away. Every meeting, someone says something like "Is that all?" When I finish my chapter.

Somehow, this book is turning out to have more depth of meaning than the first one. Although both are cozy mysteries, the story line of this one is clearly more poignant.

Of course, the group also serves as my "alpha readers." They help me catch errors, repetitions, boring sections, etc. The fact that there are people with many backgrounds and styles who attend gives me varied perspectives.

If you are writing, and seeking publication of any sort, I strongly recommend joining a writing group. Remember, this advice comes from a group avoider, so you can be sure I really mean it.

The Value of A Good Writer Support Group

Tonight was our twice-monthly meeting of the "West Side Gang," the local writer support group. I can't say enough good things about this experience.

I'm not a joiner. Generally, I hate organized group activities and don't feel as if I fit in well. Yet, despite a huge diversity in backgrounds, worldviews, and genres, this group really "works."

There are generally about ten of us, and usually most everyone brings something to read. We take turns at this, and then offer suggestions... what we like, what we think could be improved, technical writing tips, etc. Sometimes, the facilitator begins with some tips from an expert on mechanics or style.

Tonight, four people brought poems, two people had essays, and I took the first two chapters of Paddy Plays in Dead Mule Swamp. I'd already trashed most of chapter 1 once, but even so, there were lots of suggestions to make it better. The spirit of "criticism" is always so important, and this group does that well. There is lots of encouragement.

Even I can accept critique if my work is characterized as having value (even if it's entertainment value). And believe me, the suggestions are good ones. I'm well through the period of an author's evolution when she/he thinks that what they wrote captures perfectly their every thought. Knowing how others "hear" what I am thinking is important, and helps me make my ideas more clear.

The group is diverse in experiences, so they often have comments about how to correctly describe things I may not be familiar enough with.

And best of all, they seem to just plain like my story, always seeming eager for the next chapter. They've done this long enough now that they can't possibly be faking the enthusiasm.

If you are a writer with dreams of real publication, I urge you to search out a group that will help you polish your work and provide encouragement.

West Side Gang Writers' Group

The West Side Gang met tonight. It's a twice-a-month get together where we share works in progress for critique. I'm not much of a joiner, but I've come to value this group.

It's a talented bunch of folks! Some write poetry, some essays, some fiction, others non-fiction. Some of us just write all kinds of things because we can't stop.

Tonight, even off-season (several people go south for the winter), we had eleven people show up, and eight of us took something to read. Since I'm sort of in between projects, I took two short poems I had written over the winter.

Who knows what I'll ever do with all my poems? Poetry is a real tough sell, and I write it mostly just because I like to. But I do have them all collected in one notebook. That was a project from last winter.

And, there were holiday goodies to munch on, too. Can't beat that!

Accepting Critiquing of Your Writing

Accepting criticism, even constructive criticism, is a learned skill. No one really likes to be told that they haven't done a good job. I like to think that I'm better at taking comments than I used to be. Sometimes, now, I even welcome the opinions of those with writing skill.

The story I am going to submit to the Star City Blog Short Story Contest is basically sound. But two groups now have offered comments, and I think it's been improved because of that.

First, my friends at Accentuate Writers (join- it's free) pointed out one part that needed clarification. They caught a couple of punctuation errors, too. It's nearly impossible to properly proof your own stuff.

I re-wrote the story and took it to my West Side Gang writer's meeting on Tuesday night. They helped even more. First of all they said it is a good story (and members of this group have the expertise to lend weight to a statement like that). Secondly, they pointed out another issue that could be made more believable with a small change. I'm working on that.

My point is, if you are a writer, and working "in a vacuum," join some forums, groups, etc. that can provide you with useful feedback. I'm really, really not a joiner. A friend practically dragged me to a meeting of the West Side Gang. But, I have to admit that it has become a valuable tool toward becoming a better author. (And I've made a few new friends, too!)

Chapter 14 of News from Dead Mule Swamp

Last night was the bi-monthly meeting of the West Side Gang writers' group. I missed the last one while I was away, so I hadn't shared a chapter of News from Dead Mule Swamp in a whole month. I also hadn't worked on it very much, also because of being gone.

Most members of the writing group really seem to like the story. Last night I got some good feedback to remind me to bring out more of what is going on with Ana's personal life. I did that well in the beginning, but kind of got away from it. So after I got home I re-read everything to date and put in a few thoughts Ana has that remind us of who she is besides a woman bent on finding out about a missing newspaper.

This chapter takes a breather from the action of the previous few. Ana has time to reflect on all the events to date, and makes another contact to try to find out more about the old newspaper that was stolen from her.

Here's an excerpt:

    “I’d love to spend some time with you. Tom drew me a map. I think I can follow it. It takes me down Schoolhouse Section Road to Butternut Valley, and then to Brown Trout Lane.”
   “That sounds right. Where do you have to come from, my dear?”
   There was another of those unaccustomed fondnesses intruding into my preferred no-nonsense life. I absolutely didn’t want to be anyone’s dear. Jolly Roger had taught me what happened to people got used to being cared for. I shut my eyes and chose to ignore the affectionate words; the woman could probably be my grandmother. “I’m on South River Road, at the edge of Dead Mule Swamp.”
   “Oh, the old Mosher farm! How nice for you.”

Casual West Side Gang

We had a small group last night- some of our folks were away or had company. The Arts Center also forgot to open the building for us, so we went to the cottage of the facilitator. It made for a nice cozy setting and was a fun change of pace, I thought.

There were just six of us, all "girls." One person was new. She is enthusiastic about our group and seems as if she will fit right in.

I read chapter 13 of News from Dead Mule Swamp. I always get suggestions for how to make it a bit better. The biggest frustration is that it's hard for people who haven't heard all the chapters to understand what has gone on before and to know if more explanation is needed on certain points, or if they are just lost because of missing chapters, or the two week time gap between readings.

Everyone else had poetry. We do have some very good poets.

Stories on Stage and Nothing More to Tell

Friday night was the fourth edition of the quarterly event in Ludington called Story on Stage. These are hosted by the Ludington Visiting Writers and Ludington Area Center for the Arts.

Three short stories were read, with musical numbers by local artists in between.

The stories were "The Day Before Easter" by Liesel Litzenburger, "Gar Fishing," by Sarah Jane Smith, and "My Urologist, My Psychologist," by George Dila.

The last one was of great interest to the West Side Gang (our local writer support group), because George is a regular member and one of our facilitators. His story is from his recently published anthology, called Nothing More to Tell. As you can see, the theme of the refreshments carried out the celebration of George's publication. The book is published by Mayapple Press. That's George in the picture, with his book and his cake, which was exceedingly yummy!

We were all really happy to see one of our own be published. It's his second collection of short stories, The End of the World was published by Pure Heart Press in 2008.

How do I feel about Story on Stage? The readers do an excellent job, and it's fun being part of something live such as this. This time, in fact, two of the readers, Natalie Ross and Phil Gigante, are "Earphone" award-winning readers who are probably familiar to audiobook listeners.

The stories were well-written, with lots of great imagery and taking us inside the narrator-character.

However, I wish the story selection was more diverse. So far, all ten stories I've heard at these events are of the "life is a sad enigma" genre. I get plenty of that in real life, and long for some variety in the presentations. I'm not sure I can take many more of this style without a break.

George Dila website

An Evening with Michigan Author D.E. Johnson

Last night, Michigan mystery writer, D.E. (Dan) Johnson read from his first book, Detroit Electric Scheme, and shared tips with the West Side Gang. The Gang is a group of local writers, some published, others not, who meet twice a month for mutual critiquing and support. This was a special session, and the turnout was good (for us) with about 20 people attending.

First, Dan read the first few pages of Detroit Electric Scheme, a real attention grabber. It's set in 1910 Detroit, with a murder against the background of the electric car industry. It's not only a fast-paced mystery, but serves up a good dose of history without being pushy about it.

He also outlined some tips for getting published:

1. Make sure your first sentence can command attention. Most agents don't read past the first few when receiving queries.

2. Get feedback about your work. Join a writers' group, find "alpha readers," etc. If one person feels that some section or sentence doesn't work, it may not be a big deal, but if multiple people tell you that something needs changing, no matter how much you like it, you can pretty much count on the fact that it needs changing.

3. Maximize your opportunities to get noticed:
• cultivate interactions with published authors- they can give you suggestions for agents, help you make connections, etc
• send lots of queries- he sent over 100
• find the right niche- if you write a successful mystery, your publisher isn't going to let you switch to a thriller for your next book
• put yourself in the right place at the right time- this is like networking, only smarter.



Since I'm a big mystery fan anyway, of course I bought the book. That isn't me in the picture, but it's another satisfied mystery customer.

Another tip he gave, that I've tried to follow, is to send copies of your book to influential people who may actually read it. One person Dan sent a copy to is Jay Leno, because of his large car collection. This gesture landed him a segment on Leno's web site. Great publicity! I have to confess that I almost didn't go because I'd never heard of D.E. Johnson, but I'm really glad I did. He's a newly published author who is going places.

West Side Gang- Writers' Group

Came home from the writers' group last night a bit put off. Most of the members are of one particular political and spiritual persuasion, and they often get off on tangents promoting those and bashing all who may not agree with them. They just assume that anyone who likes poetry is of a similar mindset. This was actually said aloud at one meeting.

I wonder how long it will take for anyone to notice that I am very silent when these discussions take place.

I enjoy the writing support and the thoughtful comments about things I take to read, but if I wanted to discuss politics and/or religion I would have joined a different kind of group.

West Side Gang- Writers' Group

Tuesday night was a meeting of the West Side Gang- They liked chapter 9 of News from Dead Mule Swamp a lot, and most of their suggestions were small changes for clarity, not any problems with the story.

I came home and re-read everything I had done to date. Found one small thing I needed to change to keep geographic consistency in the town I've created, and did some other clean-up. It's really invigorating when other people like what you write and want to hear more.

The man who is handling the Public Poetry Project wasn't there, so I don't know if my poem "Memory of Life" was accepted or not. Last night was an "extra" meeting (not the regular date), so we will meet again next Tuesday, and he should be there, so I hope I'll get an answer.

West Side Gang- Writers' Group

Tonight was the twice-a-month meeting of the local writer's group, the "West Side Gang." I've been going long enough to be no longer exactly a newbie. Most of the people brought poems tonight. There was one prose vignette, and Ellen had a chapter from her novella. Nine writers came, and seven of us brought things to read.

I took "Now Then When," the poem that popped into my head, mostly last Tuesday night.

Most of the group, and particularly the facilitators are very fond of unstructured, stream of consciousness poetry. I'm not opposed to that, but I like the challenge of making words fit into the structure of a meter and form and still have it be meaningful and readable without being "sing song." However, "Now Then When" is less structured than most of my poems, and it was well-received. I think it needs a couple of tweaks yet: there are two parts that don't work as well with the theme and symbolism, for me, as I want them to.

I'm hopeful that there will be a call for more poems for the Elements of Life anthology, and if so, I plan to submit this. (from Twin Trinity Media).

West Side Gang- Writers' Group

Tonight was the twice-monthly meeting of the West Side Gang, the local writers' support group. It was a good turnout tonight with a total of 11 people. That's the most that have ever come since I've been attending (admittedly not very long).

The idea is that we bring some writing to share, read it aloud, and the others offer friendly (and hopefully helpful) critique. Not everyone brings something every time, but that's OK too.

I've been reading chapters of News from Dead Mule Swamp. I managed to get one more written before tonight. That's a total of eight, so far. With this kind of support group, I might even finish this little project.

We heard several poems, an essay prompted by a picture, a portion of a semi-factual historical novella, some pages from another mystery in progress, and my two chapters.

Next Tuesday, the group is hosting an "open mic" night at a local coffeehouse. I said I would read a poem.

Here's a teaser from Chapter 8 of News from Dead Mule Swamp:

Tom guffawed. "Ma’am, I can tell you don’t know Cherry Hill any too well. Ain’t you that lady what bought the place over in Dead Mule Swamp?" He went right on, not needing an answer from me. The question was apparently rhetorical. "You got to call Jerry at home. Everyone knows that."