Have you ever written thousands of pages of a novel, only to realize, with horror, that development-wise, you haven't really moved past Chapter 3? With what I can only look back upon as blind hope, I entered the Möbius strip of a novel during the years 2000-2003, logged volumes of research, attempted 30 different openings, tried out 15 POVs, self-sabotaged through toiling weeks of procrastination, and watched, helpless and awestruck, as friends (geniuses, all of them) churned out complete, perfect, lovely novels without breaking stride. (Maybe it was harder than it looked.) Thankfully, I realized I needed to quit the novel before decades were squandered on the bootless gig (short stories are about the distance these days), but it's heartening to know that (a) novels can, in fact, get written, and (b) they can be great. Lighthouse instructor (and One Book, One Denver honoree) Nick Arvin will mete out advice, anecdotes, and perhaps even an exercise or two at "Write Your First Novel" on Thursday night. I'm happy to serve as the cautionary tale for those who enter the spectacle unknowing. Don't do it! Come hear what Nick has to say. Details from the www.denvergov.org/onebook Web site here:
Write Your First Novel, Presented by Lighthouse Writers Workshop with Nick Arvin
The first time you attempt to write a novel, it can feel like a daunting task. Come hear from Nick Arvin, author of Articles of War, about the process of writing his award-winning debut novel, along with group discussion and writing exercises designed to help you with your own novel.
October 11, 7 p.m.
University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
Dravo Building, Rm. 470 (a.k.a. the “CU” Building)
1250 14th St.
Denver, CO
Please RSVP to Lighthouse Writers Workshop at 303-297-1185 or [email protected].
See y'all there. Oh, and go Rox.
--AD
