Author Topic: LDS Storymakers  (Read 7683 times)

House of Mustard

  • Staff
  • Level 44
  • *
  • Posts: 2934
  • Fell Points: 3
  • Firstborn Unicorn
    • View Profile
    • robisonwells.com
LDS Storymakers
« on: February 06, 2006, 11:04:20 AM »
For anyone interested, I will be team-teaching a workshop at the LDS Storymakers writing conference, March 24th and 25th.

My class is at 4:00pm on Saturday (the last session of the conference), and is titled "Laugh Your Heads Off" -- a discussion on writing humor.  I'll be team teaching with Tamra Norton, author of the Molly Mormon series.

The conference is down in scenic Provo, so that makes it easy for many of you.
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier.

www.robisonwells.com

House of Mustard

  • Staff
  • Level 44
  • *
  • Posts: 2934
  • Fell Points: 3
  • Firstborn Unicorn
    • View Profile
    • robisonwells.com
Re: LDS Storymakers
« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2006, 11:04:57 AM »
Oh yeah -- here's the link:  http://ldstorymakers.com/conference.html
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier.

www.robisonwells.com

guitarbabe

  • Level 7
  • ****
  • Posts: 217
  • Fell Points: 0
  • I have many true loves, I'm just not that true!
    • View Profile
    • www.stephaniefowers.com
Re: LDS Storymakers
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2006, 10:53:57 PM »
Hey, and I'll be team teaching with Julie Wright. She wrote 'My Not So Fairy Tale Life.' We'll teach a class called, 'A guide to Chick Lit; the newest rage in LDS fiction.'

And I'll also be team teaching with James Dashner 'Let's Pretend: Writing Fantasy.'  Of course, not that I've published fantasy BUT perhaps I'll emphasize the, 'Let's pretend' part, huh? Ha ha!
"You’ve got more issues than National Geographic!"

"You’re like a soggy brown banana, the only use for you now is to get cooked."

www.stephaniefowers.com

Eric James Stone

  • Level 12
  • *****
  • Posts: 519
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
    • Eric James Stone's Website
Re: LDS Storymakers
« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2006, 11:02:34 PM »
I won't be team-teaching -- or even solo-teaching -- a workshop, but I just mailed my registration in today.
Eric James Stone
Nebula Award Nominated Author
Read my serialized novel Unforgettable for free online.

JenaRey

  • Level 7
  • ****
  • Posts: 233
  • Fell Points: 0
  • Give me chocolate...or. ..there is no or.  Gi
    • View Profile
    • Reality By Pass
Re: LDS Storymakers
« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2006, 01:33:47 PM »
So can anyone going give us the notes when you get back?  I'd love to attend, but I'm going to Disneyland the 26th, and I just can't see talking my boss into giving me Friday off when I'm gone for nearly a week after that.

This sounds like an excellent presentation though.
http://realitybypass.8m.com

You know you wanna...

House of Mustard

  • Staff
  • Level 44
  • *
  • Posts: 2934
  • Fell Points: 3
  • Firstborn Unicorn
    • View Profile
    • robisonwells.com
Re: LDS Storymakers
« Reply #5 on: March 24, 2006, 08:13:34 PM »
Eric -- are you coming?  I didn't see you today...
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier.

www.robisonwells.com

Eric James Stone

  • Level 12
  • *****
  • Posts: 519
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
    • Eric James Stone's Website
Re: LDS Storymakers
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2006, 09:55:27 AM »
I'll be there today.
Eric James Stone
Nebula Award Nominated Author
Read my serialized novel Unforgettable for free online.

guitarbabe

  • Level 7
  • ****
  • Posts: 217
  • Fell Points: 0
  • I have many true loves, I'm just not that true!
    • View Profile
    • www.stephaniefowers.com
Re: LDS Storymakers
« Reply #7 on: March 27, 2006, 10:46:37 AM »
Rob, you did awesome! You're a very good presenter. You should definitely do more of those things. And it's interesting to see the marketing aspect of humor, the whole 'suspense' thing and all.

And it was cool to see Eric there too! Where did you go? It was mass chaos, so I guess we pretty much got lost in it. What fun though!
"You’ve got more issues than National Geographic!"

"You’re like a soggy brown banana, the only use for you now is to get cooked."

www.stephaniefowers.com

House of Mustard

  • Staff
  • Level 44
  • *
  • Posts: 2934
  • Fell Points: 3
  • Firstborn Unicorn
    • View Profile
    • robisonwells.com
Re: LDS Storymakers
« Reply #8 on: March 27, 2006, 11:09:55 AM »
It was a lot of fun.  I wish I'd been more prepared -- I spent a lot of time working on my presentation and had to skip several of the workshops.  Still, what I was great.
I got soul, but I'm not a soldier.

www.robisonwells.com

Eric James Stone

  • Level 12
  • *****
  • Posts: 519
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
    • Eric James Stone's Website
Re: LDS Storymakers
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2006, 12:53:43 PM »
> Where did you go?

Unfortunately, after lunch I started feeling a bit sick, so I went home.
Eric James Stone
Nebula Award Nominated Author
Read my serialized novel Unforgettable for free online.

guitarbabe

  • Level 7
  • ****
  • Posts: 217
  • Fell Points: 0
  • I have many true loves, I'm just not that true!
    • View Profile
    • www.stephaniefowers.com
Re: LDS Storymakers
« Reply #10 on: March 27, 2006, 11:36:29 PM »
Oh, that's too bad. There is this awful flu going around though, so I understand BUT that means you missed Rob's thing. Maybe he can give you a recap. I'll give you the beginning part...he had a nail through his head and he was wearing these huge glasses...ha ha, he really was. Yeah, he took them off as soon as he could though.

So, uh, okay, I'll give a small recap anyway, Rob and Tamra talked about what made comedy funny and here's a few:

1-Close to home (something you can actually relate to)

2-the ridiculous (Seinfeld Style), though it can't be so ridiculous that you can't relate to it BUT the tiny things that irritate can actually make you giggle.

3-Taking the dramatic and making it light. I thought it was really interesting (and something I hadn't thought about before), but Rob pointed out that 'Life is Beautiful' is a comedy...a very sad comedy, but a comedy nonetheless. I remember laughing (and uh...crying) very hard while watching it. I suppose you could have someone tell the same story (say of a date gone wrong) and you can get a very different meaning out of each take, be it drama...or comedy, it's all in the take.

There, I hope that helps a little, and hope your tummy feels better, oh, will I resist, will I resist? No, I'm going to be cheesy...laughter is the best medicine, and I hope you feel better already (ack, I'm sure you probably feel worse)!
"You’ve got more issues than National Geographic!"

"You’re like a soggy brown banana, the only use for you now is to get cooked."

www.stephaniefowers.com

Fellfrosch

  • Administrator
  • Level 68
  • *****
  • Posts: 7033
  • Fell Points: 42
  • Walkin' with a dead man over my shoulder.
    • View Profile
    • Fearful Symmetry
Re: LDS Storymakers
« Reply #11 on: March 28, 2006, 03:47:07 AM »
Woody Allen has a movie called "Melinda and Melinda," which is the same story told twice: once as a comedy, and once as a tragedy. I haven't seen it, but it sounds fascinating and is high on my list.
"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die." --Mel Brooks

My author website: http://www.fearfulsymmetry.net

House of Mustard

  • Staff
  • Level 44
  • *
  • Posts: 2934
  • Fell Points: 3
  • Firstborn Unicorn
    • View Profile
    • robisonwells.com
Re: LDS Storymakers
« Reply #12 on: March 28, 2006, 12:05:38 PM »
Well, I don't think I'd call it a comedy, but it's a drama with a lot of very funny stuff in it.  The great thing about that movie is the reason that all the humor is in there: the father uses it to help his son cope with the horror of the holocaust -- and it does the same thing for the audience.  The movie does nothing to hide the reality of the concentration camp from us, and never sugarcoats anything, but we can deal with it because of the father's intense optimism.

My favorite line from the movie:
Quote

Son:  " No Jews or dogs allowed."  Why aren't Jews or dogs allowed to go in?
Father:  They just don't want Jews or dogs to go in.  Everybody does what they want to. There's a hardware store there.  They don't let Spanish people or horses into his store.  Further ahead, there's a drugstore.  I was with a Chinese friend of mine yesterday who had a kangaroo.   I said, " May we?'"' No, we don't want any Chinese or kangaroos here."   They don't like them. What can I tell you?
Son:  We let everybody into our bookshop.
Father:   No. From now on, we'll write it too.  - Is there anybody you don't like?
Son:  Spiders. What about you?
Father:  I don't like Visigoths. Starting tomorrow we'll write...  " No spiders and Visigoths allowed."  I'm sick and tired of these Visigoths.



I got soul, but I'm not a soldier.

www.robisonwells.com

Eric James Stone

  • Level 12
  • *****
  • Posts: 519
  • Fell Points: 0
    • View Profile
    • Eric James Stone's Website
Re: LDS Storymakers
« Reply #13 on: March 28, 2006, 01:29:52 PM »
Some advice I've been given about writing humor is that if the situation is ridiculous, your characters need to take it seriously; but if the situation is serious, your characters need to make light of it.  Basically, your characters' response needs to be incongrous to the situation.
Eric James Stone
Nebula Award Nominated Author
Read my serialized novel Unforgettable for free online.