Wednesday, March 14, 2012

More contest news, The Moral Premise, and going the last mile

Good news! The entry deadline for the Writing North Idaho Short Story Contest has been extended to Friday, March 30. That's an extra couple of weeks to write your story, so warm up that keyboard and get your creative motor running. Details here.

The Inland Northwest Christian Writers Conference in Spokane Valley and the Idahope Writers Conference in Boise are taking place this weekend. Who's planning to attend one of these? (Waving! I'll be at INCWC. Hope to see some of you there.) I understand that both conferences still have a few spaces available for walk-ins, if you haven't registered but find that you're able to attend. Check the websites for details.

I'm finally getting around to reading a book that's been on my nightstand since last fall, and now I'm sorry I didn't pick it up sooner. It's The Moral Premise: Harnessing Virtue & Vice for Box Office Success by Stanley D. Williams, Ph.D. The author, a veteran filmmaker, directs his attention primarily to filmwriters, but his insights into elements like story structure, cause-and-effect, and character motivation will prove useful for storytellers of all genres. Peppered throughout with examples from familiar movies, this is an eye-opening book for novelists, playwrights, short-story writers, and other yarn-spinners, in addition to screenwriters.

What's on my desk today: I'm in the home stretch of my novel, a romantic comedy set in 1920s Chicago. I had set a personal goal of finishing it before attending the Inland Northwest Christian Writers Conference, which starts in--oh, let's see--two days. Yikes! I don't know if I'll make it all the way to "The End" by Friday, but I'll be awfully close--much closer than I'd be if I didn't have a deadline to work toward. Between now and then, caffeine is my friend and Facebook is my enemy!

What's on YOUR desk?

4 comments:

LL Bolme said...

Hi Jennifer,

Thank you for extending your deadline. I have an entry just about finished but I am wondering what document format I should use for my entry. The contest guidelines didn't say. Do you want .doc or .pdf? Thank you for the opportunity.

Jennifer Rova said...

Hi LL Blome,

A .doc submission works best for our judges. Good luck!

JENNIFER ROVA (the other Jennifer blogger)

LLBolme said...

Thank you for the quick response "other" Jennifer.

I viewed your blogger profile and noticed you are from North Dakota. I spent the first 4 years of my married life in North Dakota. Brrrr!

Jennifer Lamont Leo said...

My mom grew up in southern Manitoba, just a few miles north of the North Dakota border. I agree...Brrr! (Except in the middle of summer, when it can be blazing hot--perfect for lake swimming!) :-)