Arkansas Diamonds

Plotting Bootcamp, that is. Last January, the Diamonds were invited to attend a Plotting Bootcamp Weekend at Stacey's house. Our willing and able hostesses were the girls from Rose's Colored Glasses. We converged on Stacey's house for two days with a basic premise for a story, suitcases for our stay, and food (aka chocolate). But what I took away from the weekend will last much, much longer.

Of course, whenever you have a gathering of like-minded women, camaraderie ensues. We enjoyed harassing Stacey's husband and talking over meals. An editor bravely joined us for the fun, as well. We shared our experiences in writing and publishing, and I enjoyed getting to know everyone better.

The ladies from Rose's Colored Glasses, Delilah Devlin and Elle James, provided each attendee with a useful packet of information on plotting a book from start to finish. One by one, we each took turns with the group sharing our characters and premises. With our hostesses guidance, we fleshed out plots and outlines, morphing our concepts into ready-to-write novels. For me, this help was invaluable.

I'd been struggling with the plot for my novel, but when the Diamonds brainstormed, it came together. They took my ideas and ran with them until I had an outline I was happy with. When I got home, I used what I'd completed at boot camp to finish my book and start another. Now, two contest finals later, I couldn't be more satisfied. It was a terrific weekend, and I'd gladly attend another.

When I think of how much my writing has grown since I've become a member of DSRA, it amazes me. I can't imagine why anyone would write in isolation. I highly recommend anyone considering a career in writing to join us for a meeting. Who knows...maybe you'll have a boot camp story of your own to tell someday.