The more I teach, the more I learn
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by Yvonne Perry
Last night’s Writers on Call teleclass was very interesting and informative. Plus, we enjoyed great camaraderie among the participants.
One of the writers in this co-op is Diane Eble, who has 28 years experience in the publishing industry as an editor (magazines, fiction and nonfiction books), author (11 published books, more than 400 articles), and copywriter. She is now a book publishing coach as well, helping people to write, publish, and make money with books and other information products. She has some terrific articles you can use on your Web site or blog here: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_Eble
Last night Diane helped me understand why I can’t seem to “let it flow” when I’m writing. It’s the same reason I do so well writing non-fiction. I am a structured writer rather than a free-flowing writer. Most people tend to over edit and criticize their own work. I edit, format, and document sources in each paragraph before I go to the next one. This can make it difficult (maybe impossible) to flow with the plot and characters as a fiction writer.
I’m not a fiction writer. That’s why I called in an expert to help me teach my class on How to Write a Fiction Book. Taryn Simpson, the author of “Glittering Secrets”, shared some extremely helpful material on developing characters and plot when writing a fiction book and she also shared a bit about setting fees and the collaborative process for ghostwriting fiction for her clients. Even though I’ve known Taryn for over a year and she is a premier writer on my team, I was fascinated by her writing knowledge and speaking/teaching ability.
Suzanne Lieurance, the working writer’s coach added some helpful comments during the teleclass about “plot-driven” writers versus “character-driven” writers. I learned that I am a plot driver, which means my writing tends to focus on what comes next, how it happens, and how to move the story along without involving much of the character’s personal lives or emotions. Dan Brown and John Grisham are “plot” men. Romance writers are most likely to be character driven.
The more I teach, the more I learn. That is one of the things I like best about this co-op and about Writers on Call–I get to do both. In all of life, we are both the student and the teacher. Sharing with other writers is one of the best ways I know to learn while helping others find their strength.
Yvonne Perry
www.yvonneperry.net
Topics: Yvonne Perry, Taryn Simpson, Diane Eble, the working writer's coach, suzannelieurance.com, teleclasses, writers on call, freelance writing |
February 27th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
Yvonne, I don’t think I will EVER get tired of seeing this picture of you! LOL!
Seriously, I enjoyed being on the podcast and thank you for the nice words.
Taryn