Recent Adventures in Chicago...
October 14, 2000
Stanley P. Mole III kindly drove me up north for a book signing/writing workshop at Barnes & Noble in Chicago. We took a rental car just in case some aggressive city driver smashed into us. (Only in America would a Buick LeSabre be considered a "mid-size" car!) The rental was a metallic purple-gray coffin on wheels. The engine was so quiet it seemed like we were driving with the ignition turned off. But I digress...
When we got to Chicago we saw lots of men in suits even though it was Saturday. I suspect they were with the American Dental Association because they had a big convention scheduled for that weekend. I am sure we were seeing secret, conscientious flossers at every turn.
Besides the American Dental Association Convention, there was the special event that brought me to Barnes & Noble. Barnes & Noble Booksellers organized its first international, in-store writing workshop. On Saturday, October 14th, every Barnes & Noble store had its own activities and/or guests for aspiring writers. I had a chance to conduct a writing workshop for the Diversey Parkway Barnes & Noble that day.
Here's how it went...
About a dozen chairs were set up, and at first there were only two people there for my workshop. But others straggled in, and it turned out much better than I had hoped. (Actually, I had been startled awake at 3 that morning by a very bad dream about the very workshop I was to offer.)
Since I didn't feel altogether qualified to "lecture" to the group of writers, I conducted a discussion/networking session instead. Different members of the group shared their insight about getting motivated to write. I shared my insights on self-publishing and some of my favorite self-publishing resources too.
I learned a lot from the writers who came to the workshop too. A woman named Lianna told us all about a couple of websites she likes. One is www.zoetrope.com and the other is www.epinions.com.
There was also some talk of good books. A writer named Steve was lurking in the stacks near our workshop; eventually, he decided to join us. I'm glad he did. He told of a series of books that he likes. They are called Conversations with... and feature different writers, their methods, etc. He said he thinks they are published by the University of Mississippi.
Also, George recommended a book called The Thirsty Muse which is all about alcoholic writers. I am definitely going to look for that one.
In case they are reading this, thank you for coming, and thank you for staying for the whole thing!