By Kathy Altman and Judy Eary
(From the April 2005 issue of the Update.)
Once upon a time, two critique partners heard a voice. (No, it wasn’t Charlton Heston and stop getting ahead of the story.)
The Voice said, “Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to travel to North Carolina to glean some gem of wisdom from Lisa Gardner’s workshop on plotting and rewriting.
“Since you are female, you are allowed to stop and ask directions whenever necessary, change your minds if you make a wrong turn and find yourself driving in the wrong direction, stop frequently for potty breaks or merely to stretch your legs, and talk, laugh, and above all, have fun. Maps are optional. Yahoo is better.
“But,” (and here came the kicker) “you are to retain at least one thing you can use in your own writing. And find your way home again.”
“Who was that?” Julie* squeaked.
“I don’t know,” Katie* quavered. “Maybe it’s those pain meds you’re taking.”
“But you heard it, too.”
Katie scrunched up her brow. Julie could tell she was really worried because Julie has been working hard on POV.
“Do you think it was the Muse?” Katie ventured.
The Voice quickly set them both straight. “The Muse is fickle. Pursue Knowledge and Craft.”
“But I really would like to talk to my Muse,” Katie said in a tiny voice that held just a hint of a whine.
“Look, if I have to twist your arms, I’ll find somebody else.”
“Does that mean they’ll get published before we do?” It doesn’t matter which of the CP’s said this. They were both thinking it.
“You’re pitiful,” the Voice intoned. It sounded like it was running out of patience.
“We’ll go! We’ll go!” cried the CP’s in unison.
If there was one thing the CP’s didn’t want to do, it was tick off the Voice of Authority or whatever the heck it was. You don’t need any enemies in this business.
So off they went, armed with a spirit of adventure, a bagful of chocolate, a stack of MapQuest printouts, and dangerously high hopes.
Two hundred and fifty miles later the directionally-challenged duo arrived at the hotel after hours of driving, a record number of U-turns, and a short but frustrating game of hide-and-seek with an exit sign. But they did make it. An impressive beginning.
“You go, girls!” (Mmmh, that did sound remarkably like Charlton Heston. Deep, rumbly voice. Or was it just wishful thinking?)
So what did we—I mean, they—learn?
First of all, that Lisa Gardner looks just like her picture (young and pretty). But try as they might, the two CP’s could not hate her. She was too darned nice. And she willingly imparted her knowledge in an honest, forthright, and humble manner.
Secondly, they learned voice is important. (Not the kind of Voice you may hear. That is a totally different topic and one you might want to explore with a member of the medical profession. We, or rather the two CP’s, are considering that themselves.)
No, we mean the type of voice that sold Lisa’s editor on The Perfect Husband. Lisa knows this because after her third or fourth rewrite, she asked the editor. Now Lisa uses note cards to help her plot. She says it’s much better than rewriting the same novel five times.
Of course, part of what makes Lisa’s novels so intense is her thorough research, and hearing her speak about it, the process sounded almost painless. Except the part about interviewing real, live people. Not appealing to a couple of introverts like our CP’s here, but Lisa convinced them it could be worth it.
We (oopsies—slipped again)—they learned so much that they couldn’t possibly put it in one short article. (See? They did retain something other than the weight they gained from eating all that chocolate!) They highly recommend any Lisa Gardner workshop, her website http://www.lisagardner.com/tricks/index.html for writing advice, and road trips in general.
* Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Can you blame them?
~~~~~
Kathy Altman and Judy Eary are both members of Washington Romance Writers. Kathy writes romantic suspense, and Judy writes historical fiction and fantasy—sometimes in combination.
