Conference Follow-Up

I'm glad to have had the opportunity to go to the Writers' Guild conference in Cape. Some of the highlights were Christine Taylor-Butler speaking on juvenile fiction, Harvey Stanbrough speaking on how to lose a reader, and Kate Angelella speaking on the publishing process.

The critique sessions were a little nerve-wracking for me. I went in with confidence, but the vast majority of the pages critiqued were absolutely ripped up. I agreed with most of what was being said, but I wasn't ready to hear it about my own work. Lee Goldberg was playing the role of Simon Cowell (honest, accurate, and brutal). He squashed a few dozen dreams over a couple hours and the ground them into the dirt to make sure they were absolutely extinguished. I thought that he at times just looking for things to pick on because he'd linger on some minor problems in the very good submissions. He seemed genuinely offended at some of the worst ones.

When Dreamcatcher was read, he started cracking up at the second line, which had been a bad sign in previous submissions. The reader started laughing, too. Then, when the reading was over, he quickly announced he wouldn't change a thing. And my heart did cartwheels down the hall, while I sat motionless in my chair, waiting for it to return. Just as good, though, Kate also liked Dreamcatcher, but mentioned she'd like more forward action on the first page. Something had been nagging me about the intro, and she really hit on it. I made some very simple changes, and it made a tremendous difference.

This book is in good shape. I can't wait to see how far I can go with it.

Writers Conference

I'm exciting to be heading to Cape Girardeau. Never thought I'd see those words typed out in front of me. The annual Missouri Writers' Guild conference is taking place in Cape on April 3-5, and I have signed up. My favorite thing about events like this is being around people like me. It's like Barack Obama heading to Kenya in Dreams from My Father, only completely inconsequential. Still, I feel at home around people who write. That's why I loved grad school: I was poor and over-worked, but my colleagues all had the strange minds of writers.

The theme of the conference seems to be the business side of writing, which at times is overlooked. I've worked in an advertising agency for nearly five years, so I considered myself savvy in marketing, but I have tons to learn about the publishing industry in general. Hopefully, I'll glean some nuggets. "Collecting bullets for the gun," as one of my instructors used to say.

Critiquing with 5th Graders

I have handed Dreamcatcher over to the fifth grade class at St. Peter's here in Jefferson City, and I'm surprisingly nervous about it. I've had my work critiqued by many groups before -- my writing group, college classes, friends and family -- but this feels different. What if they want dragons fighting unicorns? What do I do then?

I supposed my greatest fear is the possibility that this project isn't as clear as I've always seen it in my head. This is the most fun I've had writing anything in a while, and I think I have a pretty good understanding of kids. (My nephew would probably tell you I'm childish, if you asked, and he's five.) Though they are complicated in their own way, kids never seemed like much of a mystery to me, not like adults. Maybe I'm wrong.

We'll find out soon.

AdamVeile.com is up and running

Most of my writing time is spent alone in my office, a coffee shop, or (for some reason) my wife's hyper-organized closet. Just that work time alone makes my day worthwhile. Writing, however, is ultimately a form of communication, even in its most creative forms. Without an audience, the whole exercise would be pointless. I have had the opportunity to publish some material, and I thoroughly enjoy sharing my work with my writing group and other close friends. This website is about getting the word out a little further. I've been honing my craft for more than ten years now, steadily building steam, and I'm eager to share my upcoming projects with the world. I'd like to thank everyone who is taking the time to visit AdamVeile.com. Please have a look around and let me know what you think.