Well, it was.
This past weekend, I attended a three-day course led by feminist writer and leader Naomi Wolf, at the lovely country campus of Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
The topic was "CAREER BUILDING FOR THE SEASONED WRITER: Cracking the Mass Market." I went to learn more, for myself and my consulting clients, about writing nonfiction book proposals. I learned that and a whole lot more.
This three-day experience updated all my magazine and newspaper business skills (I spent the first 15 years of my career writing almost entirely for magazines and newspapers.)
In these 10 am to 9:30 pm sessions, we wrote pitches, lots of pitches of story ideas and op-ed ideas and book ideas. It was a bit like being on a quiz show where you race to write and speak a few persuasive lines while a light blinks and a bell will soon ring.
At the same time, I, and others, were wrestling--in my case, re-wrestling--with the difference between the inevitable formats and formulas of writing for periodicals, and the writing we each most admired.
The pace and tough feedback and mostly-inner CLASHES OF VALUES felt so intense that in the first day my face broke out and my hands started to peel (which my derm calls "stress-induced eczema")and that night I dreamed my teeth were dropping out.
DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE: The faculty seems to expect that sort of thing because a psychotherapist was a full-time part of the program, offering a daily group session and/or individual meetings for anyone interested.
My experience of the weekend was humbling and -- and then re-invigorating -- and, finally, A VALUABLE GIFT. I got the piece of education I went for, in the company of a couple of dozen fascinating folks, and I made excellent contacts, including an editor who is interested in both the novel I just finished and the biography I'm just beginning.
I highly recommend the course -- whenever it should happen again-- for writers of strong ambition and sturdy constitution who want to write for the largest markets and audiences.
6 comments:
You're so brave! I can't imagine that level of intensity, but am thrilled to hear you got some reward in the end... here's to serenditipy. (even when it comes with stress and peeling skin!!)
You're the one who isn't afraid of ghosts, Billie.
I just added another comment on the "writers and ghosts" post, a few before this one, about someone else who had the same eerie experience you did, at the same place.
Well, okay, let me clarify - I would be afraid to pitch my novel to a ghost...:)
[This is a great site.] I went from dense poetry thoguhts to sexual innuendo pitches in a fell swoop at the mass media VCCA marathon. I learned a tremendous amount, met valuable people and have already made use of the first of two submission oppotunities. My best move was ignoring a wirting session and playing with the floating toys in the pool. I came up with a totally new idea and exhaled fully. My heart sank only once when I considered that I might not want to pay the dues one has to pay to be successful by current standards. That feeling has given way to the fun of competiton, mostly with myself. I had a chance to read some of the non-mass media work that was being done. It was crafted and beautiful. I hope each person there fulfills a dream. They have already accomplished much. SJF
Thanks, SJF, I had that sinking moment you describe too, and also managed to figure out a way it could work out for me. That took about a day.
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