One Armed Boys and The Sound of My Own Voice

Dear Feral Armadillos,

I finished Hannah Tinti's "The Good Thief" recently--on a deadline no less (those libraries and their pesky due dates and tyrannical renewal regulations). I am happy to report that it was quite enjoyable, as orphan-against-the-world stories generally are. The ending wrapped up a little too neatly for my taste, but it is still better than anything I have ever written, so what do I know? I'd give a solid recommendation for this one.

In other news, I'm currently reading Christopher Buckley's "Supreme Courtship" with Tess Gerritsen's "The Keepsake" on deck. Buckley has always been a favorite of mine as is any author who has a gift for comedy. Gerritsen has always been reliable as well, so the next couple of weeks should be good reading. Still deciding if I want to touch "The Lost Symbol" though. It seems like a retread, even if I did enjoy "The Da Vinci Code."

A few posts ago, I mentioned that I was joining a real live honest to goodness writing workshop. I had the first session last week (where I was fashionably late at 15 minutes) and I must say it is an entirely different experience than what I have online. On the one hand, I think you get less constructive criticism. It's just harder to tell someone to their face what you think might be wrong. In fact, I almost get the sense that this is discouraged. I'd rather get the tough love; I can take it. I also have a difficult time coming up with anything at all at times because you don't read the stories, you hear them. Because of this, you can't go back and reread anything or have anything clarified. You have to go by the author's voice and stories can get hard to follow especially since these are generally first drafts that we have written in about an hour. Also, minor things like grammar, spelling, punctuation, general stylistic decisions are hard to review because you just can't see if when someone reads their work. Those are the disadvantages.

The advantages? Well, having live breathing people hear your story has its benefits. You get quick feedback, most of which is usually supportive. You get to hear what they came away from the reading. They tell you what worked. You also get to hear yourself speak, which in of itself is worth the price of admission! Actually, I must say that for me, it's very strange to hear my own voice reading for minutes at a time. I'm not a naturally comfortable speaker, but reading the stories out loud do help pinpoint anything that just doesn't sound right.

What may be the most interesting about the workshop is the demographic, because I, by myself, fulfill so many minority positions. I am the only guy, the only non-white person, and am under thirty. True, the group is small and we should be getting two more in the next session, but I am skeptical if there will be any addition of testosterone.

Not that that's a bad thing.

I've rambled on long enough. Aloha suckas!