Great Writing Weekend part 2

Here's the agenda we used. Note the psychic part. It was fun to add in on Friday night while we ate and chatted. One person met the psychic in the basement while the rest of us relaxed upstairs. Not for everyone, granted, but you should add in something fun and frivolous. It adds an element of playfulness to it and gives you more to talk about than just writing and reading romance.

 

Combine your weekend with your at home spa night-facial masks, pedicures, etc.

 

The Great Weekend Writing Getaway

 

 

Friday night: Dinner, gossip, and speed round for plot concepts

 

Saturday:

• 9-1 manuscript critiquing
• 1 lunch
• 2-4:30 manuscript critiquing
• 4:30-5 Tea break
• 5-7 Plot problems
• Dinner
• Character profiles

 

Sunday:

• 9-2 new plot brainstorming session.
• We’ll take the plot concepts from the speed round and devote 30 minutes per author for developing, planning, and detailing a new idea. Each author will get 2 sessions.

What to bring:
• Laptop, USB drive, paper and writing utensils.
• The manuscript you want to work on this weekend.
• A completed synopsis for this story.
• Which characters are represented with their own points of view.
• Which publisher and line you wish to target.
• Specific problems you want to discuss with the story.
• For the brainstorming parts, have ready vague concepts for future stories, and publishers you wish to target for these stories. Sometimes it’s better to tailor the concept to the publisher than go back and rework it later.

 

At the end of this weekend you’ll have an idea of where this manuscript is going, how to fix or tailor it to your target publisher, and ideas for at least 2 future stories.

  

Tomorrow: Friday night's progress