Road Trip Report...

I love Madison. It's my favorite cold-weather city. By that, I mean if someone asked me where I'd like to live in the U.S., Maui would win. Hands down. Shortly followed by San Diego. But if somone asked me where I'd like to live in the snowy/cold regions of the U.S., it would be Madison, WI. The energy there on campus is so amazing. I swear, I go to these writing things sometimes feeling so beaten up and tired, but when I leave, I feel like I can actually do the things talked about in these classes.

I got to Madison on Friday night and checked in to the Lowell Center, the hotel/conference center where the class would be held on Saturday. I dropped my bags off in my room and headed to State Street to get something to eat. For anyone who hasn't been to Madison, I have to say it's extremely liberal, which can be surprising if you're not expecting it. Sometimes I wonder if I'm comfortable there because in my own youth, ah, so long ago, flannels, unwashed hair and baseball caps were in fashion. People still dress like that in Madison and I love it. There are little outdoor cafes, which no one was inhabiting this visit, unsurprisingly, and dogs everywhere! Not to mention this contagious vitality that somehow pulses beneath surface there -- I swear it feels like the fountain of youth sometimes.

After getting some food, I headed back to my room to catch Stargate Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica and Stargate SG-1 -- yea for hotels with Sci-Fi Channel! I made a conscious decision not to wrestle with my outline for book two any more that night. I wanted to be fresh for thinking about it in the morning. I crashed around 10:30--sad, I know. I laid out my clothes for the next day, showered and praised myself liberally for remembering my hairbrush this time.

I always have trouble sleeping in hotels, though I'm getting better at it. Too many random unexplained noises. And this time, some yahoo's cell phone was ringing, loudly, at 11:30 in the hallway and he felt the need to answer it and have a conversation, loudly, right then and there. It was nearly enough to pull me out of bed, but I decided to try to ignore it. All these years away from dorm living have softened me, evidently.

Next morning, I got up about two hours before class was to start. I got a couple pages of writing done on my laptop, then had to put it aside to get dressed. Got dressed and packed up, then went downstairs to the free continental breakfast. Another proud moment for me. Ninety percent of the time I miss the free breakfast because I can't talk myself into getting up that much earlier for a stale doughnut. But this time, the doughnuts were definitely not stale.

I ate upstairs while I finished packing, then I dropped most of my stuff off in the car, checked out and headed to class with my bag and my laptop. I plunked myself down in a chair right at 9:27 or so. On time. Yea, me!

Chris DeSmet was the instructor for my class. I've attended most, if not all, of her sessions at Writers' Institute during the summer. She's smart and an excellent teacher. She scares the heck out of me. Not like in a mean way, but just intimidating in that she-knows-so-much-my-stuff-is-such-crap kind of way. Which is good. I like going in feeling slightly over my head. Makes me want to work that much harder and do that much better. I don't want to think even for a flash of a second that I already knew what was being taught or could do what the teacher is doing. Don't get me wrong. I like to succeed. I'm hugely competitive -- ask my poor husband. But I want to learn, I want to walk out knowing more or knowing better than I did when I walked in. Chris is marvelous at taking complex ideas and making them make sense to even the most novice of us. And she's always willing to help and offer her thoughts on your work, which is so valuable.

For lunch, I headed to State Street again -- Einstein Bagels, yum! When I returned to the Lowell Center, the classroom wasn't open yet for the afternoon part of class, so I just chilled in the lounge. Which totally brought back memories of my own college experience. Lowell is a reconverted dorm and you can tell. The lounge is huge with sofas, a television and the requisite group of lounging college students. As I sat there, I eavesdropped on a group of three students, two girls and a boy. I had to laugh to myself, quietly of course, because it sounded so familiar.

Girl A: "Hey, I looked for you at breakfast."
Boy: "Yeah, I just grabbed something and then went back to bed for a few more hours."
Girl B: "I know. Tell me about it. I was totally up before 9:00 this morning. Went to bed at midnight last night."
(shocked murmuring)
Girl B: "It was so much easier without classes. I mean, before I was staying up until like 4:00 a.m. talking to [some indistinguishable name]. But now, it's like I can't."

If I make it to midnight these days, it's because I fell asleep at 10:30 and woke myself up to wash my face and change into my pajamas, which never fails to make me an insomniac. But, oh, that conversation could have been heard, and probably was, in a Valpo lounge some eight years ago. Ed, we all know you're the guy. : )

The rest of the class was equally enlightening. Learning about the rule of three (dialogue is usually three lines or less. People, without even realizing, like a series of three in movies, books, etc.), what not to include in a screenplay (no stage directions or camera angles --thank goodness, I'd have no clue about that) and a whole bunch more including a very interesting discussion about outlining (creating a list of 20 scenes, putting them on the continuum) vs. not outlining that I may attempt to discuss here as well at some point in the future. Very interesting and helpful ideas there.

Okay, here's the funny thing: I took this class for help with writing books. And I think it's going to be a HUGE help with that, as long as I remember and practice the techniques that I learned. But I think I may actually try my hand at a screenplay. It's sort of been on my list of things to do someday, but taking this class really bumped it up a few dozen notches. Plus, The Silver Spoon has always played in my head as a movie. Not like I imagined it in a theater (okay, maybe a few times) but that I can see the scenes playing out in my head. That's how I wrote it. It might be fun to try to translate that to a screenplay and see what happens. I still have movie rights. *grin* And Chris said she knew someone in her online class who was doing that very thing. So, something to consider, definitely.

After class, I headed out, feeling good about being in Madison, taking a dip in the (cold) fountain of youth, and leaving re-energized and ready to work. : )