Saturday afternoon – another workshop at the Alexandra Writer’s Centre http://www.alexandrawriters.org, with Edmontonian Marty Chan http://www.martychan.com, playwright and kids’ author. He’s quiet and low key and very funny. The workshop was about marketing ourselves, as writers.
Some things I’m doing (thanks to my web guy Derek Mah http://www.attoboy.com, who nags me and pushes when I drag my feet). Some I could do. Some I would find really hard.
There’s a fundamental problem for writers – we are by nature quiet, introverted, and happiest in solitude. But getting books out into the world requires us to talk to people, to talk about ourselves, to talk about our projects. That’s almost the hardest – either my projects are in process and too deeply held to be shared yet, or are finished, and I’ve moved on to the next one.
Marty pushed us to work on pitches, a quick, hopefully engaging description of the project, which we then tried out in small groups and advised each other on ways to improve them. We also practiced lying to each other, but that’s another story…
Okay, okay, I can’t leave that hanging. Tell four things about ourselves – three truthful and one a lie. It was a group warm-up, and a chance to practice telling engaging stories, so we’ll get better at telling our own engaging stories.
My list:
1. I knitted three quarters of a sock for the Jackie Chan movie Shanghai Noon.
2. I once gave blood, threw up, passed out, and was advised not to come back for at least a year.
3. I once almost knocked myself out with chloroform.
4. I own a very old copy of Don Quixote in Spanish.
The weather was ghastly again (after a balmy week, it’s turned bitter, with enough snow to replace every single flake that melted last week), but the workshop was warm and funny. It was a great way to spend a cold afternoon.
Maureen
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