OCW: Don Coldsmith and Antonia Felix
Part 3 of the Ozark Creative Writers Conference Notes:
A treat for all attendees at Ozark Creative Writers Conference got to meet and listen to Don Coldsmith. I was incredibly impressed that he attended. He had just had surgery, and was obviously still in pain and recovering. He talked to us about characters. He writes Westerns, and is a legend in the field. Some of his comments were:
*Build them real (give them real traits - your characters aren't all good, nor are they all bad)
*Ask yourself with every action - is it in character?
*Where do you get characters? All around you - you are surrounded by characters.
*Get inside your characters' head - let the characters tell you their story.
*And last but not least, do it how you can (whatever works for you, go with it)
There was a problem with a scheduled speaker, and Antonia Felix graciously stepped in and spoke. She teaches English at Emporia State University. I have to admit - I didn't take notes as she spoke, but I did take the following with me:
*Imagination - encourage and nourish and pamper your muse.
*Believe in yourself.
*Stick with it and explore everything you can because you never know where it may lead.
*For book proposals, she suggests having a Table of Contents, a 2-3 page summary, and a list of competitive titles.
It was interesting to hear her story. She has taken advantage of the opportunities that have knocked on her door, and used her connections to achieve her goals. She struck me as a woman who was not afraid to take the plunge and try something, even if she was a tad nervous or intimidated by it initially. I could learn from that - I often fear the unknown, the risk, and so I never take the plunge. I also have to say - it was awesome just to meet her. She is known for her biographies of female political figures, such as Condi Rice (her most recent book) and Laura Bush. Antonia told about having tea with the First Lady's mother. Wow. I don't care what your political leanings are or whether you like President Bush - he's still a powerful man. And Antonia had tea with his mother-in-law! What more can I say? WOW.
I promised to share with you my thoughts about Dusty Richards - I am busy with BIW this week, so I will write more about Dusty as soon as I can. For now, I am going to work on the science fiction short story inspired by a recent dream. I'm taking Antonia's advice and encouraging my muse (I'm sure she is responsible for the incredibly vivid dream that inspired the story), because I don't know where it may lead . . .
Happy writing,
Elle
A treat for all attendees at Ozark Creative Writers Conference got to meet and listen to Don Coldsmith. I was incredibly impressed that he attended. He had just had surgery, and was obviously still in pain and recovering. He talked to us about characters. He writes Westerns, and is a legend in the field. Some of his comments were:
*Build them real (give them real traits - your characters aren't all good, nor are they all bad)
*Ask yourself with every action - is it in character?
*Where do you get characters? All around you - you are surrounded by characters.
*Get inside your characters' head - let the characters tell you their story.
*And last but not least, do it how you can (whatever works for you, go with it)
There was a problem with a scheduled speaker, and Antonia Felix graciously stepped in and spoke. She teaches English at Emporia State University. I have to admit - I didn't take notes as she spoke, but I did take the following with me:
*Imagination - encourage and nourish and pamper your muse.
*Believe in yourself.
*Stick with it and explore everything you can because you never know where it may lead.
*For book proposals, she suggests having a Table of Contents, a 2-3 page summary, and a list of competitive titles.
It was interesting to hear her story. She has taken advantage of the opportunities that have knocked on her door, and used her connections to achieve her goals. She struck me as a woman who was not afraid to take the plunge and try something, even if she was a tad nervous or intimidated by it initially. I could learn from that - I often fear the unknown, the risk, and so I never take the plunge. I also have to say - it was awesome just to meet her. She is known for her biographies of female political figures, such as Condi Rice (her most recent book) and Laura Bush. Antonia told about having tea with the First Lady's mother. Wow. I don't care what your political leanings are or whether you like President Bush - he's still a powerful man. And Antonia had tea with his mother-in-law! What more can I say? WOW.
I promised to share with you my thoughts about Dusty Richards - I am busy with BIW this week, so I will write more about Dusty as soon as I can. For now, I am going to work on the science fiction short story inspired by a recent dream. I'm taking Antonia's advice and encouraging my muse (I'm sure she is responsible for the incredibly vivid dream that inspired the story), because I don't know where it may lead . . .
Happy writing,
Elle
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