I just got the flyer for this year’s Deadly Ink—”New Jersey’s biggest little mystery conference” with some killer headliners, including Meg Gardiner and Roberta Rogow—and I’m so pleased to be attending for the first time myself and presenting as well! I’ll be part of the Academy Workshop on Friday, August 10, then on a panel (still to be announced) on Saturday morning. Here’s info on the workshop:
BRICK BY BRICK: STRATEGIES FOR PRODUCING A WELL-PACED PLOT
A professor and book critic in addition to being an award-winning author, Art Taylor’s fiction workshops at George Mason University have long focused primarily on the shape and structure of a story’s plot.
This workshop looks at several aspects of plotting, pacing, and more, first for short stories, then for novels, drawing on sources as diverse as Lester Dent, Patricia Highsmith, Madison Smartt Bell, and the folks behind South Park. What is the difference between linear storytelling and modular storytelling—and how is suspense built in each one? How do you shape the various building blocks of a short story or novel—the scene, the chapter, the act—and what are the possible connections between those blocks? How do you fold in subplots? Should every chapter end with a cliffhanger? And yes, if you’re a pantser instead of a plotter, this discussion is still for you!
Look forward to seeing many fellow mystery writers and readers there—and if you haven’t registered already, full info is here.