My Media Bistro Day

My friend Lee has been taking MediaBistro classes since we became writing buddies and hey, she's been published in none other than the New York Times. So what did I have to lose? I signed up for an afternoon workshop, Children's Book and Young Adult Novel Writing, with Joy Peskin. A terrific way to spend a post snow day downtown in the city. Joy is an editor with Penguin and a really good workshop leader. There were 13 of us gathered around the table in that 4th floor walk-up, small room. I sat next to the heater and was warm and toasty. Others shivered near the windows, wrapped in sweaters.

Each of us brought something to read and Joy offered great comments. She was both honest and encouraging, and those two don't always go hand in hand! One comment sounded especially true and I will go right to my manuscript and check this out. She suggested to one writer that her male voice would ring truer if she wrote in short sentences. Makes sense to me. Some of the boys I know, young and old, frequently speak in sentences so short I wonder why they bother to answer me at all...