Free Is Good (Especially When It Comes to Writing!)

The Nebraska Book Festival is coming up in May. Thanks to the miracle of Facebook, I saw they were offering free writing workshops and of course, I had to check it out.

I'm happy to say I'm enrolled in Nebraska author Timothy Schaffer's writing workshop called "Geographies of Fiction." Here's a short bio and intro:

"Timothy Schaffert is a fourth-generation Nebraskan whose central Nebraska farm has been in his family for seventy years. Three of his four novels have been set in that landscape, and a sense of place, and of the relationships that inform rural communities, have been integral to the development of his fiction. In this fiction-writing workshop, Timothy will offer writing exercises and lead a discussion on how writers use place to portray character, to further the plot, and enhance story and theme."

This is just about as perfect as it gets for me since I have recently realized I am big on "place" in my fiction and in my life. I'm quite excited about it.

Best of all? It's free.

I'm also considering signing up for a weekend workshop at the Nebraska Summer Writers Conference in June. Timothy Schaffer is also the director of this conference, and there are lots of great workshops available that week. I probably can only afford one workshop over the weekend, but hey, since my birthday is in June, this should be the perfect birthday present to myself.