I am a self-proclaimed craft geek. I love craft books, craft classes, online or when possible, in person. I have traveled as far as Maui to take a workshop and have purchased audiotapes and videotapes and bid on private craft lessons with superstar instructors at online auctions. Sounds a bit like an addiction, I’ll admit it. But for nearly two decades, writing workshops fell under my idea of a great vacation or fantastic weekend excursion. Unable to write full-time or even part-time due to my-then work schedule, I immersed myself in writing classes whenever I could. But there are also a wonderful number of must-have craft books on my shelf. I am a devotee of the classic Goal, Motivation & Conflict by Debra Dixon. I have Lisa Cron’s Story Genius, Larry Brooks’ Story Engineering, and I LOVE the classes I’ve taken with Micheal Hauge.
I also have a crush on two instructors — Donald Maass and Margie Lawson. Much of my travel can be pinned on either one:)! But their in-person sessions (and books and websites) are among the top five in my craft journal.
Recently, well, more than a year ago now, I took a couple of classes from David Corbett (both he and Donald write regular features at Writer Unboxed, a brilliant resource for writers, you should check out). He is on my list now, too.
Since I desperately miss traveling, I am posting photos of some of the trips my craft journey has prompted:). Las Vegas is/was a regular stomping ground, as were cities in Texas and Rome (London and Paris). New Orleans (I love that town) was a hotbed of conferences and included the opportunity to meet such famous authors as Sylvia Day and Beverly Jenkins. A Texas conference also gave me the chance to meet famed romance author Brenda Jackson. Well, that’s it for my CRAFT journeys for today. I do recommend the books and instructors mentioned. And read as many books as possible.
The ladies pictured in red are some of the co-authors of Ribbons of Scarlett and include from left to right: Kate Quinn, Sophie Perinot, Heather Webb, Eliza Knight, and Stephanie Dray (not pictured Laura Kamoie).
