As most of my friends know, nonfiction essay writing was an arena that was working out really well for me. From the moment I began writing regularly for the Elephant Journal, I began to get ego boosting emails from people who stumbled upon the articles online, opportunities to write for other sites, and invitations to appear on podcasts. If that wasn’t cool enough, those articles also led to numerous love affairs (some emotional and some physical) and propelled me to put together a book proposal and eventually land my first book deal.
A couple of years ago, I recognized that, even though modern day wisdom dictates that one should cultivate the medium they are best at, I felt like I was living in a comfort zone–and comfort zones are notoriously awash with the sickening smell of stagnation and stasis. So, that had to change.
The idea to write a novel was just the thing I needed. Not only was I totally inexperienced in that medium, I didn’t have a clue what I would write about.
I realize, for most people, that would put the kibosh on the whole idea, but I had been in that place before. My entire four year tenure at Elephant was overshadowed by the fact that I had to keep coming up with fresh ideas. In 2017, Elephant writers won monthly awards and in order to qualify, you had to have at least 8 articles a month. I always shot for 10.
All this to say, the creation and search for new ideas is a bit like playing guitar. You develop “chops” after a while. So, months before I had my first great novel idea, I went into a preparatory phase. I read many books on novel writing by the greatest authors. I took MasterClass with their incredible selection of instructors (Roxane Gay to RL Stine and all points in between), and I attended Cheryl Strayed’s pricey workshop in Rhinebeck.
I can tell you, with solemn honesty, that every single one of those things helped. Even if you keep hearing the same ten principles from twenty different authors, it will improve your writing. And it will do it in ways you probably won’t even be conscious of. Your adverbs will be nonexistent, your dialogue will sound like actual people talking and you will shine during the rewriting process.
So, why the big build up? Well, I realize many of my fellow writing friends missed the Cheryl Strayed workshop last year, but an opportunity has just presented itself and, if it is even remotely possible for you, I would suggest availing yourself of it. For the first time in Anne Lamott’s illustrious career, she will be giving a “Bird by Bird” workshop.
What, you ask, is a “Bird by Bird” workshop?
“Bird by Bird” is Anne Lamott’s legendary self-help book for aspiring writers. In terms of theory, she espouses a lot of the same ideas as Stephen King. Where guys like James Patterson and R.L. Stine continually gush over the idea of working with an extensive outline, King and Lamott insist you will create a much more believable result by allowing the characters to do what they’re going to do. The second draft is for you to catch up with all the gossip on this little magical planet you’ve created and present it in a more artful and compelling fashion.
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Without spoiling the book for you, “Bird by Bird” is an analogy for one word at a time. That is how you write a grocery list and that is how you write a 300,000 word trilogy. I can vouch for the fact that this works, too. After finishing my first full length novel, I can attest to the fact that the only way to write 70,000 words is by writing 500-800 words every day. Seven days a week.
Sadly, it is impossible for me to attend the workshop. The class runs on Tuesdays around 5pm PST and that just happens to be when I work. I kind of figured that instead of mourning the fact that I have to miss this class, I would spread the word to all my other writer friends. Lamott’s only child, Sam, will also be instructing, there will be networking opportunities, class exercises and discussions. And the fee is pretty reasonable for what you’re getting.
You can either pay $250 for this workshop or you can join Lamott’s Writer’s Room for $50 a month. I will provide a link at the end of this article. I certainly hope I’ve persuaded at least a few of you to attend. Ms. Lamott will be turning 70 this April and there’s no telling if this good fortune will come your way again.
Carpe your damn diem.
Thank you so much for sharing this Billy.
Thanks Billy/ O bookmarked the link and shared your post.