LLF Retreat, Day 2: Worlds, Revision, and Digital Vomit

I forgot to mention that after the welcome on Sunday night (Day 1) we had brief meetings with our workshop groups. Malinda went over her plans for the week, and we each spoke briefly about how we became writers. Even through those short introductions it became quickly apparent how much we have in common. Many of us began with, “I was that weird kid who wrote a novel at ten…” or “I wrote a lot of horrible, angst-ridden love poems about the girl/guy I had a crush on.”

Day 2 began with another quick round table to identify what type of feedback each writer hopes to get. What I’m hoping for is to get a sense of where multiple people have the same points of criticism. That will tell me a lot about what I need to revise. I also asked for title assistance since “Gay Princess Pony Palooza” is probably not going to cut it, and my other working title is too similar to a couple of other books that have come out recently or are about to be released.

Most of Day 2 focused on an in-depth look at world building. Essentially, the five basic elements are:

1. Rules
2. Rituals
3. Power
4. Place
5. Food

We read excerpts from several published books and discussed how each author effectively conveyed a sense of one of the above aspects of world building. It was a great exercise, and I already see ways that I can add depth to the world where my novel takes place.

After our world building discussion, Malinda walked us through revisions on a scene from her second book, Huntress. Seeing how a particular scene evolved was quite enlightening, and she’d highlighted different sections to show us why they were removed or changed. Cool stuff!

In other news, I am sad to report that my computer situation is still dire. I tried to use one of the prehistoric computers in the lab after lunch, but it puked a bunch of digital vomit onto the screen and wouldn’t even boot. I think my ages-old bathroom curse has somehow evolved into a technology curse instead.

For Day 3 I’m first on the list for critique. There will undoubtedly be more to report tomorrow!