Our 2003 Conference is just around the corner. If you haven't made your reservations yet, get the form mailed in or call me right away! I always learn so much at conferences and come away eager to settle down and get some serious writing done. What a fun way to break through a bad case of writer's block!

After I attended my first conference, I was determined not to miss any in the future. We had wonderful guest presenters. My favorite was our own Jeni Grossman. I thought it would be fun to share with you again the valuable tools she gave me that day.

First, Jeni drew three things on the chalkboard, a rectangle, a long straight line, and RES. Ah, visuals! I was hooked and couldn't wait for her explanation, especially when she said these three things would save hours, prevent mistakes, and avoid frustrations.

#1 Rectangle = Index Cards

The rectangle represented index cards. She recommended that for each character, you write up an index card listing any and all statistics about that person. A quick glance at the card verifies eye color, height, scars, color preferences, anything at all that you use to describe your character. Great idea! Now my heroine won't cause the hero to drown in her limpid blue eyes in Chapter 8, when in Chapter 1 I described them as "melting brown." No embarrassing mistakes, no time and frustration wasted in looking back through the earlier chapters to verify a detail.

#2 Line = Timeline

The long line represented a timeline. It allows you to plot the chronology of all the events in your story and avoid confusing errors such as a too-long pregnancy. It is a wonderful tool for allowing flashbacks, and keeping the timing realistic.

#3 RES = Research

The RES is an abbreviation for RESEARCH. Of upi ise actual events in your story, you need to know the facts. However, you may not need to know everything about the event. Instead of spending three months researching an event that plays only a small part in your story, you can do minimum research to start with, begin your story, and insert RES in your text where you need more information. That way you don't waste time with a shotgun approach to research if you actually need only a few details.

That is the summary of Jeni's presentation. Why do I remember it so well? Because I went home and applied what I learned. Does it work for me? You betcha! Does it work for everyone? Try it yourself and see.

So here is the writing challenge for October: Come to the conference, participate in the workshops, network with others, and find those nuggets of wisdom that will help you in your writing. Most importantly, go home and USE what you learned.