LA Banks's workshop: Wrap-Up

Today it's the last day of this workshop, and all I can say is that had the best time of my life. I learned a lot from it, not only from the comments done to my writing, but also from the comments done to the others. Leslie is a tough critiquer, I give her that. She doesn't let you slide or take shortcuts. Check out her critique of my dialogue: She felt his bulging erection, and all her anger vanished and was quickly replaced by a burning desire. {NOPE. I’m not allowing you to get away with burning desire… if you tell me what his action is doing, how it makes her feel, you don’t have to say “burning desire,” smile…] But that woman has such a wonderful sense of humor that even when she is pointing out the worst parts in your work as she critiques it is you can't help but grin and agree with her. She points out what you're doing right because she gets into what you're writing, you know. And if she doesn't like something, instead of putting you down and making you feel like whatever is wrong you can't fix it, she encourages you to do it right in a way that makes you feel like "yes, I can do it!" Leslie posted the last lesson with some great advice. This one especially talked to me. So, for example, if you write good dialogue, begin there by adding this new technique of sensory awareness to that which you’ve already mastered, and so forth. It will make what you already do well, sparkle. This is definitively me. My strength: dialogues. My weakness: Adding sensory images.