Update, Novel in a Year with James Klise at Story Studio
This class has been one of the best things ever! And, I’ve
done a lot of conferences and workshops.
I think it was the right things at the right time. First applying in a pandemic and then getting the grant from the city of Chicago. Then, Story Studio threw in a scholarship, making the whole thing obtainable. I, again, am taking this one payment at a time.
But, the thing that has been so helpful is the peer workshoppers themselves. They are sooo supportive. We are actually a community, though remote. We do daily meetups online via Zoom to write together. This gets me out of bed in the a.m. (a two-hour time difference between Pacific and Central time) and accountable. If even just to chat for 15 minutes before making tea and getting started, I can check in and not feel so alone.
Writing is a solitary task. There’s a quote attributed to William Faulkner: “Writing is a solitary job—that is, no one can help you with it . . .”
At first I thought I wouldn’t get to share much of my work as compared to a critique group, but the amount is just right as I’ve been spurred on in other ways to revise. And, to be honest, some of the critique groups were a letdown. I’d share a whole ms and maybe get a sentence or two of comments. Just this month I shared with James my first 100 pages and got back a TON of feedback. Six pages single-spaced of notes plus a 2.5 hour phone call.
Not all of this was critique. There was encouraging words, references to other books, even some personal insights. The nice exchange between fellow writers that tells me I can do this. I’m not alone
It isn’t crap after all.
I’m looking forward to what the next 1/3 of the class brings, and will update you.
Let me just add, that it is a lot of butt in the chair. Don’t
sign up if you aren’t ready to write and read several days a week for several
hours.
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