All posts tagged: Madison

Write on, Wednesday: Writing Retreats

Published by

By Leslie Lindsay Last week, I was at a writing retreat. With a warm fire roaring in the distance, a gentle snow cascading from the gray sky, my laptop propped on my lap, and the ideas a-flowin’, it was a slice of glorious heaven. Oh, wait. It wasn’t. Instead, I was laid up on the couch with a laptop and a bum knee. Not quite the romance and mystique I was going for, but well…there was snow.    [not my actual fireplace…image retrieved from http://ecoopportunity.net/2012/02/fireside-chat-leadership-from-the-top-in-the-green-economy-2/fireside/ on 2.18.14] If you’ve ever dreamed of attending a writing retreat, you’re not alone. Some 200 retreats exist across the U.S. They range in size, scope, and practice and also vary in your overall goals. Do you want to steal away to the Montana mountains where you can write your heart out in rustic setting, or would you rather head over to Monterrey or Sausalito, California where you could be a writer-in-resident in the warm sun?  Do you want to partake in the prestigious Iowa Writer’s Workshop (MFA program)? It all depends …

Write On, Wednesday! Writing about Home

Published by

By Leslie Lindsay Lately, a lot of the books I have read for pleasure have this underlying theme of home–and so does the novel I am working on.  Coincidence?  Perhaps.  We tend to be better writers when we read content that interests us–and that’s written in a compelling manner.  We also tend to gravitate towards information that may have some connection to what we are currently working on, struggling with, or have an innate interest in–it’s all the power of the subconcious.  So, what have I been reading?  THE GLASS WIVES by Amy Sue Nathan.  Home and family shifts for Evie Glass, but she still remains rooted in family.  IS THIS TOMORROW by Caroline Leavitt.  A 12-year old boy goes missing in 1950’s suburbia.  WHAT ALICE FORGOT by Laine Moriarty.  This one is actually a re-read.  Since the main (suburban) character loses her memory, I was drawn back to this one as research for my novel-in-progress, hoping to glean a few instances I may have…ahem…forgotten. BLINK by Malcolm Gladwell.  This guy always fascintates me!  His other books line …

Write On, Wednesday: Creating a World So Believable Your Critique Partners Think You’re Having an Affair

Published by

By Leslie Lindsay Last evening, I took my writing to the library critique group.  I have been going and sharing my work with this bunch of writers for about two years now.  I know most of the folks pretty well, even though it’s not an inclusive group–it’s constantly changing, as all good groups do. These writers are very familiar with the current story–well, novel–I am working on.  It’s title, “Slippery Slope.”  It wasn’t really intended to turn into a novel.  Heck, I never saw myself as a novelist…it sounds so fancy and grown-up.  But I knew I wanted to write.  There is a point of all of this:  I got some good feedback.  I got some ideas for revision.  I got some new thoughts, too.  Thank you, fellow writers.  But here is one thing I wasn’t expecting to hear:  “Oh my!  It sounds like you are really having an affair!”  Helllooo!!  My character is.  Emphasis on character. It’s an emotional affair at this point, but I think that still counts, huh?  (and no, I am not having …