Introducing LEVEL UP: NOVEL WRITING INTENSIVE with Bree Despain

Edit: Postponed! Due to overwhelming feedback from interested parties, we've determine that this fall is not going to work for most people. We've decided to postpone the class for now and revisit the idea in the spring or summer. Look for updates then.


Are you a writer? Do you want to be a published novelist? Do you feel like many conferences offer the same-old-same-old beginner information you've heard half a dozen times? Are you looking to take your writing to the next level?

Are you tired of reading this thing that sounds like a cheesy infomercial?

Then one last question . . . Do you live in (or near) Utah?

If so, then I am pleased to tell you that I am offering an in-person, four session writing intensive for intermediate to advanced writers--taught by yours truly! I've learned quite a bit about writing in the last fourteen years and now I want to pass that information on to you.

LEVEL UP: NOVEL WRITING INTENSIVE

Go beyond the basics and jumpstart your writing to the next level. This course is designed for intermediate to advanced writers who want to dive deep into techniques for characterization, plotting, and connecting readers with your story. Level up with these fun and informative presentations and workshops. PLUS - get a personal critique of your first chapter from your current work in progress!

Details:

• 4 two hour sessions, one night a week (Thursdays @ 7pm)
• Personal first chapter critique by Bree Despain included (up to 15 pages)
• Located at the Daybreak Community Center
  • 4563 Kestrel Ridge Rd, South Jordan, UT 84095
  • Conference Room A
• Runs October 30th through November 20th, 2014 
• Cost is only $250!
   

Want to win free tuition? Refer a friend! For every friend who puts you down as a reference when they register, you will earn an entry into a drawing for a tuition reimbursement scholarship. ***

Who is this course ideal for? All ages are welcome, but please be aware that this is intended for intermediate to advanced writers so a basic understanding of writing and story mechanics will be assumed. LEVEL UP is ideal for writers who have been writing for a few years and have finished at least one manuscript (or have one well underway) but have found that their writing isn't quite ready for publication yet. I hope to help you push your writing to that next level.

Seats are limited so click HERE to register today! 
{Edit: link has been removed because the class has been postponed. See note at the top of the post.} 

About the instructor:  Bree Despain is the award winning author of both the Dark Divine trilogy and the Into the Dark trilogy. Her books have been traditionally published in over seventeen countries and have earned both critical and fan acclaim. Bree has taught in workshops and on panels about writing in conferences all over the United States. She currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband, two young sons, and her beloved TiVo.

***Only one tuition reimbursement scholarship will be awarded per course. You must refer a friend to enter and they must record you as their reference in the indicated spot when registering. Your friend must register and attend the course in order for your entry to be eligible. You may refer as many friends as you want but space is limited so don't delay.  

The trouble with sequels (pt 2)

Hey All-

Sorry for the blog silence for the last few days. Exciting things are happening here in Read Bree land, and I've been struggling to keep up with everything else. (And hopefully I'll be able to tell you all about some of those exciting things soon!)

Anyway, thank you for all of your sequel advice. So here's what I've learned so far:

1. Readers like it if the characters develop more and grow.
2. But readers don't like it if a character changes too much.
3. Some people like it when a sequel is told from another character's point of view, or is about a whole new set of characters in the same world.
4. Other people read a sequel because they want to know more about the main characters, and they would be disappointed if the story was too different.
5. Readers want more of the same of what they loved about the first book. They want to recapture what they felt/experienced when they read the book the first time.
6. Readers don't want the sequel to be "just more of same" over again.
7. Some readers like sequels because they like to spend more time in the "world" of the story. (Such as the Harry Potter/Hogwarts world.)
8. Other readers don't like it if the setting doesn't change enough from book to book. (Such as the Harry Potter/Hogwarts world.)
9. Many readers come back to a sequel because they love the sexual tension and romance from the first book and want to experience it again.
10. Some readers think it's not good to focus too much on the romance in a sequel.
11. Some readers think Friends is a great example of how to develop romance over a long period of time.
12. Other readers think Friends is bad example of how to handle romance over a long period of time.
13. Some people think the Pirates of the Caribbean movies are an example of stinky sequels.
14. Others recommend Pirates of the Caribbean movies as an example of fun sequels.
15. Pretty much everyone hates it when an author separates her romantic leads because of a "stupid misunderstanding" just for the sake of separating them. (Duly noted, my friends.)

So I think the thing I've learned most from this experiment is that we have a diverse, opinionated, helpful, and totally awesome group of readers here. I think I've also figured out that the key to writing a great sequel is balance. A combination, or a "somewhere in-between" of most of these comments.

Now I just need to actually find that balance and write it! Woo hoo, there's nothing like a good challenge. Alright, I'm pushing up my sleeves and getting to work.

But for now, I'm leaving you with this little teaser: Be sure to come back here on the 22nd (that's this Friday). Goodness will ensue!

P.S. The winner of our sequels giveaway is: Cinnamon! Email me at readbree(at)gmail(dot)com with your contact info and I'll send you your YA sequel (or any YA book) of your choice.

The Dark Divine soundtrack: song #8

If yesterday's song represented the "highest heights" in the mood of the book, then today's song is the beginning of the decent into the "lowest lows."

The overall bittersweet feeling of No One's Gonna Love You by Band of Horses is perfect for this moment in the soundtrack, but the most important lines are:

"Things start splitting at the seams and now
The whole thing's tumbling down."

This song also represents a whole lot of denial. Man, even I feel sorry for my characters sometimes. . .But at the same time, you gotta love conflict. I once took a writing class from the marvelous Martine Leavitt called "How not to write a boring book." Her theory was to "chase your characters up a tree, and then start throwing rocks at them." Basically, be as hard on your characters as you possibly can. Conflict. Conflict. Conflict.

No One's Gonna Love You may be bittersweet, but it is also hard not to love. So go ahead an enjoy it anyway.

Top 5 Things I Learned While Revising

5. Perfection isn't reached when there's nothing left to add, it's when there's nothing left to take away.

(I'm not saying my manuscript is "perfect"--but I did succeed in cutting almost 9,000 words. Yay!)

4. You know that scene, the one everyone in your writers group has said, "Hey this is really great--but I think you should cut it because it doesn't add anything to the plot," but for three and a half years you've ignored them over and over again and thought, "I will only cut this scene if an editor/agent tells me too!"? Yeah, well, guess what?--you're going to have to cut it.

Kill those darlings, baby. Kill those darlings.

3. When marking pages to come back to, DO NOT absentmindedly stick Post-it-note tabs to your lips. They may actually STICK!

2. In the words of my high school drama teacher who used to stand in the back of the room shouting, "ST! ST! ST!" while we rehearsed girl+guy scenes: You must, and always can, add more sexual tension to scenes between the story's romantic leads.

(I'm NOT talking about adding sex to the story, I'm talking adding "tension"--lest anyone be confused ;)

1. If anything can go wrong--it will go wrong.

Like the laser printer will run out of ink right when you need to print your entire manuscript, and the ink cartridge you bought a few of months ago to have on hand in just such an emergency turns out to be the WRONG size. Oh and Dell refuses to let you return it for a refund because you bought it so long ago. So not only do you have to pay $120 for a new cartridge plus overnight shipping to get it asap, you also have to eat the $120 you shelled out in an effort to be prepared in the first place.

OR . . .at the very moment you finally finish the revisions for your agent and need to email them off so he can take your manuscript on a trip with him, your modem has a stroke and completely stops working. And no matter how long you are on the phone with tech support, or try to reset the $#@& modem, the thing is dead. But fortunately, on your 1000th try at hacking your neighbor's wireless all night long, it finally connects at 5:00 am and you thankfully get it off just in the nick of time. Woo Hoo! Oh btw, the modem has made a miraculous recovery and is working just fine and dandy now. I love technology.

That's enough for now. I'm anxiously waiting for the "green light" from Ted. We may actually be DONE with revisions and ready for SUBMISSIONS. Stay tuned--I'll let you know. Also, just as a teaser, I've got a great post coming soon. I'm thinking of calling it "The weekend I made a new friend, went to the wrong party, showed up at the wrong place for a conference, and had dinner with my fabulous agent--twice!" I even have pics.

I watch way too much TV

It's a fact. I couldn't live without Tivo or Neflix. It's sad, I know, but Tivo changed my life. In good ways. If I can zip through Heroes in 45 minutes instead of an hour--that's 15 more minutes of my life I get back for writing. . .or justifying just one more episode of 24 before bed. But don't watch more than two episodes of 24 before going to sleep (seriously stressful dreams will ensue). On a less frivolous note, watching TV is actually great "homework" for a writer (along with reading as much as possible). There are all sorts of lessons to be learned about character development, building suspense, teen drama, plot pacing, hot guys . . .ahem . . .emotional levels etc. from watching a well-crafted television show or movie. For extra-credit (if using Netflix), you can re-watch the episode with the director's commentary to find out why he/she made certain choices.

Here are some of my favorite "study materials." I tried to narrow it to ten, but alas, I could not. These are my TV favs, I'll list my favorite movies another day.

12. Smallville (The early years. This season... not so much.)

11. The O.C. (teen drama at its best)

10. Heroes ("normal people" with superpowers--'nough said.)

9. 30 Rock (That Tina Fey-- she cracks me up.)

8. 24 (This show seriously stresses me out . . .but I love it.)

7. Chuck (It's like the new Scarecrow and Mrs. King but with a dweeby/cute guy--what's not to love?)

6. X-Files (Oooo the chemistry between Fox and Dana.)

5. Flight of the Conchords (I don't have HBO, but I love these guys so much I had to buy the show on DVD.)

4. Freaks and Geeks (I can't hear you. Oh wait, let me switch to my bionic ear.)

3. Scarecrow and Mrs. King (Best show ever! ... at least I thought so when I was 13.)

2. Veronica Mars (Okay, so this is the best show ever.)

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (No wait, really, this is the best show ever.)