Los Angeles Writers Conference

I went to the Los Angeles Writers Conference on Friday and Saturday. I've considered going to this in the past and decided to take the plunge this year. I found the website hard to figure out and didn't really have a good idea of what the classes would be, so I showed up on Friday afternoon thinking I might end up ditching most of the weekend. To my surprise, I stumbled into something called "Novel Cram," led by Drusilla Campbell and I found it very worthwhile.

We spent a day and a half learning about some of the essential elements of planning a novel and an overview of how to plot a novel. The emphasis of the class was definitely on writing a book that can be sold. Campbell was very good at listening to the ideas for novels of people in the class and making on the fly suggestions for ways to think about gaps in plotting, etc. The people in the class were generous and interesting and it was fun to hear what people are cooking up. And not a vampire plot in the group.

On the first afternoon I got a number of ideas of how to address some of the gaps in the novel I am working on and felt very energized. It was interesting to think of my novel in a structured way and take a little step back. But as the second day wore on and we got into some more technical discussions of plot points, when they should come in the book, how the resolution needed to work, it began to feel more and more formulaic to me. I could come up with ways to accomplish these things within the story I have in mind, but it felt like a party trick rather than putting together a story I am interested in writing. As the day went on I kept thinking of books I've enjoyed reading and realizing that most of them broke the rules I was learning about.

I've attended other classes on the novel and I've left with the same feeling. Is it just me?

After I left I listened to an interview with E.L. Doctorow, talking about his new book "Homer & Langley." He talked about writing it and how he didn't know how it was going to end as he wrote, etc. Of course, I was already familiar with his famous quotation about writing: “It's like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” I've always loved that quotation and find great daily comfort in it. It's the opposite of what I spent the weekend learning about.

I realized something as I drove home. I'm not interested in writing a book in order to sell it. I want to write a good book. I'll take all the input I can and write what I think is right. And if it sells, that would be great. But I think I'm more of a night driver than a plotter.