THE ART OF THE REVEAL

Okay, so Alabama Writers Conclave was a huge success thanks to SO many great folks. Unfortunately, because I was so involved in the planning/making it happen part, I didn't get to attend many of the actual writing sessions. Which is why I was especially pleased when the timing was right for me to sit in on Thomas Lakeman's "The Art of the Reveal."

I had heard wonderful things about Thomas, author of The Shadowcatchers, Chillwater Cove and the new Broken Wing. Thrillers aren't usually my thing, but oh can we learn from them! In fact, I learned more in one hour with Thomas than [insert super-cool analogy here, just as soon as brain gets un-fried from conference]. And he offered this little gem for those of us who occasionally find ourselves in front of a crowd:

"As long as I sing, people feel like they've gotten their money's worth."

Yes, he sang! (A bit of Mozart from the film Amadeus, which I had to watch again last night, just because he reminded me of how great it was.)

AND then...

Thomas tap danced!! (To demonstrate a point about pacing -- how the rookie mistake is to push so hard with ActionActionAction that the reader doesn't have a chance to b-r-e-a-t-h-e.... yes, we all clap when the tap dancer STOPS.)

Seriously, this guy is awesome. And he will be back at Conclave next year to tackle Screenwriting. I am SO there!