An author visit, a new friend, and art

Local 2k9 author Fran Cannon Slayton is coming to our library tomorrow evening. You can get more information on the library website. We talked to Fran about her middle grade novel, When the Whistle Blows back in August. Her discussion will be family-friendly, so definitely come by if you can, and bring your kids.

Meanwhile, in NaNoWriMo land, things are rolling right along. Sarah, Bridget and I met for coffee Friday afternoon. Bridget hasn't been as active in the Slushbusters lately, due to her other commitments, but we wanted to catch up with her. While we were filling her in on our latest writing adventures, a young woman came over to us from the next table.

She said she'd overheard us talking about writing. I immediately noticed she was wearing a NaNoWriMo t-shirt! She was working on her novel right there in the coffeehouse. We invited her to join us, and continued talking about the writing process, NaNo, critique groups, and the like. Before we left, we swapped email information. You never know where you're going to meet a new writing buddy.

I gave myself a day off writing yesterday, since I've been doing well staying ahead on my word count. My friend and I went to the Workhouse Arts Center. It was a refreshing change to talk to artists who aren't writers. I'm the first person to notice sensory information in a story, or if it is missing and needs to be there. It had been a while since I spent time in a space where I could see the colors of the paintings, touch glass and wool and wire, smell clay and watch a glass blower manipulate shapes with a flame. After all this writing, what a relief not have to imagine the sensory information in my head!