What Does a Norwegian Pop Band Have to do With Writing?
Want to hear about my first experience?
Hello! I mean with exploring the professional side of being a writer. Temporarily lift your mind from the gutter. (But only temporarily. I'm sure to find some smutty subject to discuss soon. And remind me to tell you about the time I convinced my bff in high school to write about my real first experience for her English term paper. She didn't get expelled - but it was close!)
Anyway, I decided at (mumble-grumble-garble) age that I wanted to be a writer. I finally managed to write a WHOLE STORY with a beginning, a middle and an end (but just barely that!) and it all sort of made sense, at least to me it did - at the time. So, I recalled a magazine I'd once seen about a group of romance authors. Found out it was a national organization (RWA) and I joined. Then, discovered there was a local chapter and I joined them. The next month the local group was having a day long workshop/meeting. Perfect timing to jump start my new career!
Oooo! I was so excited. I was going to meet up with a bunch of like-minded writers who loved to write about love. And the fee included a pasta lunch! What could be better? (This was also my first encounter with a critique but I'll save that for another day. Oye. Not pretty.)
So, there I am, not knowing a single soul of the fifty or so attendees. I hadn't actually spoken to someone who was a professional writer since I took a creative writing class in the 8th grade. But this topic, "How To Write Humor", was being presented by a new author I'd just read and enjoyed. And a bonus was that her bff was in attendance and was a new absolute fave of mine! OMG!! I was sitting in a room with at least TWO famous writers! If I hadn't been sitting, I might have swooned.
After a nice business meeting for the group and a strange but funny introduction of the speaker involving a rubber chicken, the author took the stage. I had my pen and notepad at hand, ready to write pearls of wisdom on how to make sure I was writing with a slant toward humor, as that was (and still is) my hope.
Hmm . . . it didn't begin quite like I'd hoped it might.
This lovely woman, a truly fabulous writer, steps to the podium and smiles shyly.
"I'm supposed to tell you about how to write with humor." She grimaces and looks to her bff in the front row just ahead of me. "But I really don't know what to tell you. People say I write funny stuff but I don't know how I do it. I don't plan it, I just guess I do it."
Are you f-ing kidding me?!? I just spent over $50 dollars for a limp salad, a slightly stale roll, luke-warm bottle of water and what tasted like a frozen bargain lasagna so I could hear you tell me the secrets of being funny and you say in your opening address 'you don't have a damn clue'?!?!?!
Where do I go to get my money back?
I have a feeling I wasn't the only face in the audience to register shock as she quickly tossed out a writing exercise (more about that another time) which smoothed ruffled feathers. She was so lucky to have this back up - I knew there was a large hardware store just down the street that I was sure sold pitch forks.
And then, for the last half of the day, she told us interesting information about The Industry. I knew absolutely nothing so I hung on every word. But like so often in my life, I was soon completely out to sea on what the heck she was talking about.
She began by talking about GMC* and how it was so important for your story. I looked to my left to see a woman nodding. I looked behind her and saw another jotting notes.
What the hell did General Motors Corporation have to do with writing? Flummoxed, I continued listening.
Next, our lovely speaker addressed a question someone asked about POV*. Well, I thought to myself, the Norwegian pop group did write a lot of songs about love and loss and angst. There was the tune about Ferdinand or whatever his name was and the one about Napoleon's big battle. Plus the women were pretty and wore flowing dresses with bell sleeves and the guys were 70's cute and European.
Her next topic again made some sense as make-up and womens' romantic fiction seemed to go hand in hand. I had no problem understanding why Avon* would be interested in romance novels. But I'd never heard they actually published any books.
When she began talking about a hero's journey* (I didn't want to write travel books) and wall bangers* (not into penning erotica), I wasn't so sure she knew what she was talking about.
The day ended well but I was so confused. Determined to figure out these strange secret messages she had given us, I scurried home and got on The World-Wide-Web and began trying to find answers. It took me a few weeks of lurking on list groups to get my answers and thankfully there were newbie writers braver than me who asked all the questions. At least this once I was able to avoid public embarrassment!
Don't worry, the occasion was a short lived event. Much embarrassment has since ensued.
GMC - Goal, Motivation & Conflict
POV - Point of View (of the character)
Avon - a large publishing house, not affiliated to my knowledge with the make-up company
Hero's Journey - process of exploring the emotional development of characters
Wall Banger - popular term for when you have read a book and come to a point where come elements cause the reader to stop reading, or in other words, throw the book across the room in frustration
Hello! I mean with exploring the professional side of being a writer. Temporarily lift your mind from the gutter. (But only temporarily. I'm sure to find some smutty subject to discuss soon. And remind me to tell you about the time I convinced my bff in high school to write about my real first experience for her English term paper. She didn't get expelled - but it was close!)
Anyway, I decided at (mumble-grumble-garble) age that I wanted to be a writer. I finally managed to write a WHOLE STORY with a beginning, a middle and an end (but just barely that!) and it all sort of made sense, at least to me it did - at the time. So, I recalled a magazine I'd once seen about a group of romance authors. Found out it was a national organization (RWA) and I joined. Then, discovered there was a local chapter and I joined them. The next month the local group was having a day long workshop/meeting. Perfect timing to jump start my new career!
Oooo! I was so excited. I was going to meet up with a bunch of like-minded writers who loved to write about love. And the fee included a pasta lunch! What could be better? (This was also my first encounter with a critique but I'll save that for another day. Oye. Not pretty.)
So, there I am, not knowing a single soul of the fifty or so attendees. I hadn't actually spoken to someone who was a professional writer since I took a creative writing class in the 8th grade. But this topic, "How To Write Humor", was being presented by a new author I'd just read and enjoyed. And a bonus was that her bff was in attendance and was a new absolute fave of mine! OMG!! I was sitting in a room with at least TWO famous writers! If I hadn't been sitting, I might have swooned.
After a nice business meeting for the group and a strange but funny introduction of the speaker involving a rubber chicken, the author took the stage. I had my pen and notepad at hand, ready to write pearls of wisdom on how to make sure I was writing with a slant toward humor, as that was (and still is) my hope.
Hmm . . . it didn't begin quite like I'd hoped it might.
This lovely woman, a truly fabulous writer, steps to the podium and smiles shyly.
"I'm supposed to tell you about how to write with humor." She grimaces and looks to her bff in the front row just ahead of me. "But I really don't know what to tell you. People say I write funny stuff but I don't know how I do it. I don't plan it, I just guess I do it."
Are you f-ing kidding me?!? I just spent over $50 dollars for a limp salad, a slightly stale roll, luke-warm bottle of water and what tasted like a frozen bargain lasagna so I could hear you tell me the secrets of being funny and you say in your opening address 'you don't have a damn clue'?!?!?!
Where do I go to get my money back?
I have a feeling I wasn't the only face in the audience to register shock as she quickly tossed out a writing exercise (more about that another time) which smoothed ruffled feathers. She was so lucky to have this back up - I knew there was a large hardware store just down the street that I was sure sold pitch forks.
And then, for the last half of the day, she told us interesting information about The Industry. I knew absolutely nothing so I hung on every word. But like so often in my life, I was soon completely out to sea on what the heck she was talking about.
She began by talking about GMC* and how it was so important for your story. I looked to my left to see a woman nodding. I looked behind her and saw another jotting notes.
What the hell did General Motors Corporation have to do with writing? Flummoxed, I continued listening.
Next, our lovely speaker addressed a question someone asked about POV*. Well, I thought to myself, the Norwegian pop group did write a lot of songs about love and loss and angst. There was the tune about Ferdinand or whatever his name was and the one about Napoleon's big battle. Plus the women were pretty and wore flowing dresses with bell sleeves and the guys were 70's cute and European.
Her next topic again made some sense as make-up and womens' romantic fiction seemed to go hand in hand. I had no problem understanding why Avon* would be interested in romance novels. But I'd never heard they actually published any books.
When she began talking about a hero's journey* (I didn't want to write travel books) and wall bangers* (not into penning erotica), I wasn't so sure she knew what she was talking about.
The day ended well but I was so confused. Determined to figure out these strange secret messages she had given us, I scurried home and got on The World-Wide-Web and began trying to find answers. It took me a few weeks of lurking on list groups to get my answers and thankfully there were newbie writers braver than me who asked all the questions. At least this once I was able to avoid public embarrassment!
Don't worry, the occasion was a short lived event. Much embarrassment has since ensued.
GMC - Goal, Motivation & Conflict
POV - Point of View (of the character)
Avon - a large publishing house, not affiliated to my knowledge with the make-up company
Hero's Journey - process of exploring the emotional development of characters
Wall Banger - popular term for when you have read a book and come to a point where come elements cause the reader to stop reading, or in other words, throw the book across the room in frustration
Great insight, great article, and thanks for sharing it.
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