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| Past Workshop Reports Want to know what defines a thriller and what thriller publishers are looking for?
Need tips on how to develop intriguing characters and exotic settings, keeping track of the gun on the mantel, if the romantic interest has blond or black hair and speaks with a Jersey accent, and did the terrorist attack take place on Monday morning or Sunday night? How do you keep the reader’s attention with what at first appear to be mundane characters and familiar settings? Concerned with keeping up the pace? This interactive workshop will provide tips that answer these questions and address the essential elements of writing an exciting thriller.
Want to know what defines a thriller and what thriller publishers are looking for? Need tips on how to develop intriguing characters and exotic settings, keeping track of the gun on the mantel, if the romantic interest has blond or black hair and speaks with a Jersey accent, and did the terrorist attack take place on Monday morning or Sunday night? How do you keep the reader’s attention with what at first appear to be mundane characters and familiar settings? Concerned with keeping up the pace? This interactive workshop will provide tips that answer these questions and address the essential elements of writing an exciting thriller. On Taylor's left, David McBain, military intelligence expert and husband of Ginny McBain, Award Winning author. On Taylor's right is Marilyn Meredith, EPPIE winner, and her husband. Saturday, April 8, 2006, Mystery Writing Workshop with the Young Mystery Writers of East Pasco. An imaginative off-shoot of the Florida Writers Association generated by the efforts of Tracy Akers, the workshop meets at the New River Academy, 4210 Ernest Dr. in Wesley Chapel, Florida. Attendance was sparse, but the story line was great: Matilda, stuck at her great-aunt's farm in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma, hears that her best friend, Eddie, has been kidnapped. And on from there. Wednesday, November 16th, 2005 at 7 pm: USF Lifelong Writers - Taylor will present a pocket version of his workshop "Where to Now – Action Plots that Make Movies" at the Lifelong Writers monthly meeting. Click here for more information.
April, 2005 was a “back to school” month for me. “Volunteered” by a fellow writer, I found myself at Dunedin High School in the company of a mayor, councilmen, members of the Sons of the Revolution, retired and active teachers, and folks of many other ilks; all gathered to judge entries in the Pinellas County High School History Fair. Alan Kay, author of a highly acclaimed series of young adult historical novels, coordinated the activities as part of National History Day, turning apparent mayhem into a well-organized assembly of eager student competitors and wide-eyed judges. The Fair exuded all the tension of a Super Bowl, with the top placers moving on to the State competition! To start with, I didn’t know such a thing existed. Turns out the bulk of the Fair was a series of displays - you know, the historical equivalent of erupting volcanoes. The theme was communications, so the exhibits ranged from secret communications by spies to the use of morse code to the development of modern telecommunications. Fortunately, Alan didn’t sign me up for the exhibit judging - since I am part of communications history, being a retired Army Signal Corps soldier. Instead I had the privilege of judging written papers - essays in all but one case. The great aspect was that they were all well written and interesting. The tough aspect was that the judges had to pick winners - and, by definition - Believe me, there were no losers! One paper recounted the history of the passenger pigeon in wartime, from the Prussian siege of Paris in 1870 to the trenches of the World War; another recounted the astonishing feats of the Peale family of artists who painted the portraits we all recognize daily of Washington, Jefferson and other greats dignitaries of our Nation. An engaging fictionalized memoir of Sacajawea, the Shoshone Indian woman translator for the Lewis and Clark expedition, was so well written as to suggest a level of authenticity rivaling the expedition journals. Reviewing these papers was a reminder of the fruits of research, the subject of several articles this issue. The major criteria for judging scores were the source, accuracy, and documentation of references, both primary and secondary. If you write nonfiction and don’t know the difference, you need to do some research! My questionable friend and fellow TWA member, Lucy Parker, hooked me up with Terry Sollazzo from Wharton High, who is also President of the Florida Scholastic Press Association. I found myself at the Association State Convention and Competition at the Tampa Hyatt in the midst of bustling interviewers and interviewees, interchangeable every few minutes, complete with video cameras and notepads, competitive journalism hard at work. I presented two workshops - “IT'S A MYSTERY: The Fundaments of CPSS - Character, Plot, Setting and Style in Writing Fiction” and “WHICH WAY NOW: Action Plots that Make Exciting Movies” as a bit of a change of pace for the student (and very professional) journalists. Both faculty and student members attended the workshops where we had chance to create a mystery. The next workshop included outlining and the usefulness of the Syd Field screenwriting paradigm in plot development. Two different and grand days. All a reminder the more you can share with our future writers, the better subsequent generations will be led, informed and entertained. Give a little bit - you always get more in return. At each of the Children's workshops the kids developed characters settings and plots for their own mysteries. Click on the Mystery Plots to sample some of their creativity. April 28, 2004, Valrico Elementary School, Valrico, Florida. V. I. P. Showcase2003 St Petersburg Times Festival of Reading |
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