Deb Raney Mini-Conference a Success
I can’t remember if I mentioned as President of the local ACFW chapter, I helped organize a miniconference with Deb Raney. I actually didn’t do much except get the room, help set it up, and do introductions and such, but I’ve been so busy with my boy’s play, I didn’t even think to blog about it. It was the first for our writer’s group, but definitely not the last. We hope to make this a yearly event and adding to it each year.
One of our members wrote an article about the day and I couldn’t have said it better myself!
DEB RANEY MINI-CONFERENCE A SUCCESS!
JoAnn Reno Wray
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The rich scent of coffee mingled in the air with laughter and a buzz of conversation as I walked into WIN-ACFW’s Mini-Conference featuring award-winning novelist, Deb Raney. Held in a room at the People’s Church near 71st and Mingo in Tulsa, this first special meeting had almost thirty in attendance. After a welcome and introduction by Gina Conroy, WIN’s President, Deb wasted no time and dove right into her program.
Bent heads, the scribble of pens, nods of affirmation, and occasional bursts of laughter were evident as Deb Raney expertly guided conferees through her “10 Steps to a Killer Rewrite.” One of her first statements was “Great writing is all about re-writing.” Deb also said that there are many approaches to writing, adding, “Take what you learn here that works for you and apply it.” Covered in the day-long class were Character Makeovers, Real Dialogue, Show Don’t Tell, Point of View, Use of Sensory Detail, Seamless Subplots, Elevated Suspense, Marking Time, Fine-Tuning, and a 10-point Checklist for Writing a “Keeper.”
Not only did the conferees listen and take copious notes, but Deb also put us through the paces with multiple writing exercises to illustrate various points that she addressed during the program. Regarding dialogue, for instance, Deb suggested that it should be used often. “Try not to let two pages go by without dialogue,” she said. “Lack of dialogue for several pages can be a clue to your manuscript falling into the ‘telling, not showing’ category. When creating conflict in your story, ask, ‘What can make it worse?’ This ramps up the interest and keep readers reading.”
Deb graciously brought and gave each conferee a mug with her “Latte-dah!” Logo and website URL: DeborahRaney.com. Conferees eagerly snapped up her books for study, and I suspect, pure pleasure. The low cost of a mere $20 for WIN members and not much for non-members for this information-filled day was a great bargain which included skilled teaching by a pro, fellowship with fellow scribes, and a chance to improve writing skills.
A big thank you to all the volunteers from WIN who brought beverages and shared their culinary skills with a tempting array of treats so none of the conferees were embarrassed by growling stomachs! Thanks also go out to those who pitched in the day before to set up the room and all who joined the work crew after the session ended to help put things back in order.
If you missed this mini-conference, you can purchase a CD of the program. Then next time WIN hosts a special meeting, be there! Sign up early – get under the spout where a shower of knowledge on the craft of writing will surely pour out.
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