The Creative Boost

Travel of late has been regional. Wineries in Virginia were a definite highlight. Good company. Good wine. Food. What more could one ask for on a Saturday. I even bought a few bottles of white--which I never drink (just ask my sister). My favorite was a port(or Snort as they call it!) produced by the La Grange winery.

If you can't have a good time going to a winery, you need to pull the dirt over your head because you have obviously died!

This weekend, I road-tripped to Bethlehem, PA. At first glance, one must wonder—WHY? What could possibly be in Bethlehem, PA?

Answer—Bob Mayer giving his infamous, brain-overloading all day fiction writing workshop based on his book, The Novel Writer’s Toolkit.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this minor adventure. At three hours away, it's not much of a roadtrip, but I wanted to hang out in the company of writers for a day. I find that due to travel and work, I’ve managed to distance myself from 'my people' and that is counter-productive on both a creative and networking level.

So, off to the Bethlehem--sans manger. First night. Fabu. I had a lovely dinner with two other writers. (Hi Ann and Joanne! We talked for hours.

Next day—Bob's workshop.

Wow. I have to say, the man gives an amazing workshop. it moves at a break-neck pace. There is no mincing of words. No coddling. Yet he manages to keep his message optimistic. The process he offered is creative, yet linear, and for me—that’s a good thing since I have a linear brain. Wonder of wonders—he also uses excel. Thanks God, I was starting to feel like I was the only one who used it to track plot and characters.

Granted, I know most of what he discussed. MOST. But not all. I am not too proud to say that there were some techniques he pointed out that gave me a definite OMG, how could I not have noticed that moment. The funny thing (funny=interesting. Not funny=ha ha) is that when I thought about my books that I considered successful, I had implemented those very techniques.

I guess we do pick things up subconsciously. Go figure.

Now, I am home. Refreshed. Revived. Ready to write. And working on the next novel. And for the first time in what feels like weeks, I am enjoying the process! Going to a workshop like this is like getting a booster shot of creativity and there is something to be said for looking at technique in a different way. It opens the mind to other possibilities on many levels and trust me, that helps when it come to producing the next book.

Now, back to writing.