With me for episode 49 of Working Title podcast, is sci-fi author Jay Cannon. His background in technical writing prepared him for crafting his completed Euclidian series and his forthcoming novel, Crazy Rich Aliens.
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Writing Faster
Prior to the James River Writers conference a week ago, I attended Natasha Sass’s Master Class on “Writing Smarter, Faster, and to Market.” It was the first Master Class I had ever attended. Two hours with a short break went by fast. I wrote notes. I fail at notes. But this time, my notes were nearly eidetic. Sass knows her stuff, expertly fielding questions from attendees. If you have the opportunity to take one of her classes, do so.
It was the writing faster part of her presentation that I want to hone in on here. This is where I need work. I write slower than I would like. I read slower than I would like. She spoke on the Pomodoro Technique, which I thought pertained to making lasagna pasta at home. Actually it’s a way to build habit in writing faster and more concisely. I want to try it out for NaNoWriMo. My only goal will be to follow the method and track my progress as Sass suggested. I’ll begin at five minute increments. That should be do-able, even in a busy day, right?
Afterwards I will check in on myself and report here what I find.
My Writing Take-aways from the Star Wars Prequels
As the newest Star Wars trilogy begins with The Force Awakens, I am reflecting once more on the last trilogy (Episodes I, II, and III), from a writer’s perspective.
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James River Writers – Join Us
The red carpet rolled out, celebrities stepped out, and cameras popped out at the premiere of the James River Writers‘ new video (I’m waving at the 3:20 mark). Check out the video to see what all the buzz is about. After viewing, please consider joining and/or donating to this worthy literary organization!
Classic Dave Barry Tip for Novel Writers
From the Classic Dave Barry 2014 desk calendar:
Remember that you can make big money if your novel is made into a movie, so in your writing, always be alert for opportunities to include scenes that will appeal to the motion-picture industry.
Wrong: “Apprehensively, Hugo entered the room.”
Right: “Apprehensively, Hugo entered the room and found Julia Roberts in there naked.”