Now We Are Two
A positive development in the undertaking of this DIYMA occurred this week. A local writer friend who expressed an interest in both this blog and Andrew Wille’s website https://wille.org/ has committed to undertaking the same course of study. We have arranged to meet weekly, in the first instance, and have created a format for our weekly meetings to ensure we remain focused.
We have known each other through writing groups for a couple of years now and I am particularly pleased that he has elected to join in this study as I think we are a good ‘fit’ in terms of temperament and ability. I am also pleased that we can meet in person, rather than online. This development goes some way to accomplishing that part of the DIYMA Writing Workshop which suggests finding:
“a writing partner or a writing group, not only for giving you feedback but also for holding you and your writing to account.”
I shall post details of the format of our meetings after we have had the opportunity to see how they work and make any refinements needed.
Craft Seminar 2
Character 1 ‘Outer worlds’
Last week I prematurely read the first part of Chapter 3 in Janet Burroway, ‘Writing Fiction. This week I correctly read the second half of Chapter 3. I have also read the first two chapters of David Corbett ‘The Art of Character’. I have undertaken Writing Experiment 70 and applied this to the protagonist in my current WIP. https://wille.org/blog/2019/01/28/character-questionnaire-writing-experiment-no-70/
I have completed the exercise in Chapter 2 of ‘The Art of Character’, but there is a raft of excercises I have yet to attempt in David Corbett’s book. I shall be attempting some of them this week, along with some from the Burroway.
Writing Workshop
I met with my writing buddy (who has asked to remain anonymous and will be called George in this and all future posts) on Tuesday to discuss how we should plan our meetings. We have agreed a format to keep us to the subject and our first formal meeting takes place next Monday afternoon. We have agreed to share work for feedback by noon the Friday before the meeting. This should be ample time to prepare constructive feedback as there are only two of us in the group.
I continue to keep a daily Journal (16 entries now) and this week have begun the exercise of freewriting before breakfast (today was day three of seven). I have collected a few more snippets of dialogue; this will be an ongoing practice and I shall not mention it again unless I draw on it in another context.
Current Reading
‘Writing Fiction’ Burroway, Chapter 3
‘Reading Like a Writer’ Francine Prose Chapters 2/3
‘Fingersmith’ Sarah Waters to page 350
‘Hills Like White Elephants’ Ernest Hemingway
‘The Art of the Character’ David Corbett Chapters ½
‘The Cure’ John Cheever