New York City is a great place to be a writer.  OK, I was born and raised in Manhattan so I’ll admit that I’m a little bit biased.  Setting that aside, this city has some wonderful things going on for writers.  Here are some of my favorites.

Readings and Events
Conferences are loads of fun, but they can also get expensive and exhausting.  If you’re in the NYC area, though, and you’re craving some writerly fun that’s easy on your wallet and schedule, there are a few great options.

• Teen Author Festival (NYPL Jefferson Market Branch on 6th Ave and W. 10th Street)  This is a fantastic monthly reading event.  For more info and a schedule, check out the Teen Author Festival group on Facebook.
• Brooklyn Book Festival (Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St.)  The next Brooklyn Book Festival will be on Sunday, Sept. 18th, 2011.

Favorite Places to Caffeinate and Write
Grab that notebook and pen, and treat yourself to a writing date.  Places I love:

• s’Nice  (Manhattan–45 8th Ave, btwn Jane St. and West 4th; Brooklyn–315 5th Ave, btwn 2nd and 3rd St)  Yummy vegetarian food and their coffee drinks are delish.  Also, while the do have rules about laptops–communal tables only–the staff is really cool about letting people sit for a while.
• Lincoln Center Atrium (Broadway btwn 62nd and 63rd Street)  The Atrium has got to be one of New York’s best-kept secrets.  It’s got ample seating and it’s an open public space so you can sit there all day.  Sometimes they close the space for private events, but they’re really good about giving advanced notice.  Also, there are free concerts there weekly.
• Aroma (72nd Street btwn Columbus and Amsterdam Ave.)  OK, this place seriously makes the best cappuccinos EVER.  And the outdoor patio upstairs and in the back is one of the best places I’ve found for summer writing.

Other Awesome Stuff

• NYPL (Main Branch on 42nd Street)  They have all sorts of amazing items in their collection, including the original Winnie the Pooh toys.
• 826NYC An affiliate of 826 Valencia, this Brooklyn-based organization is a great way for writers give back to the community by working with kids on their writing.  This is an amazing place where writers interested in teaching can gain valuable experience.  It’s also a great way for writers to meet and connect with other writers–I know I’ve made some great writing friends through 826.  For more information about the program or to volunteer check out 826NYC.org Oh, and did I mention that the center is located behind the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company?  How cool is that!

Publishers Weekly Blog: Beyond Her Book

My dear friends!  It’s been too long, no?  I am soooo sorry to leave you in the lurch and not post with my usual somewhat-regularity this past week.  Things have been especially nuts on this small slice of the planet where I reside.  Here’s what’s been going on:

1)  SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC!  OMG, such a fantabulous conference and sooooo much fun.  I have sooooo much to tell you.  Promise I’ll dish all the details real soon, but in the meantime, check out my guest post recap on Barbara Vey’s (of Publishers Weekly) blog: Beyond Her Book. 

2)  Sooper-seekrit collaborative project shall be unveiled soon!  Actually, Ghenet and I were supposed to unveil it on Friday but an unavoidable incident made it such that I couldn’t access the internet for the latter part of the week so we decided to postpone for a week.  Don’t worry.  It’s coming…

3)  OMG why won’t it stop snowing?  It seems like every week we get more snow dumped on the city.  Or ice.  Or sleet.  And to add insult to injury, it’s almost always on a Tuesday, which is when my writer’s group meets.  While I happen to live and work only a few short blocks from the meeting place–making the snow only a minor inconvenience for me–we have folks coming in from all over the tri-state area and for them it hasn’t been as easy.  Basically, I haven’t gotten to see some of these super-awesome writers in, like, two or three weeks and I seriously need my fix.  Enough with the snow already.  Oh, and did I mention what was in the forecast for Tuesday?

4)  Today’s the Superbowl!  No, I don’t watch football.  No, I don’t have a favorite team.  Actually the only interest I ever have in that sport is watching the Patriots lose and they’re already eliminated so as far as I’m concerned, I don’t much mind who wins.  But after the game, they’re doing a new episode of GLEE, which is the best show EVER.

5)  So what’s in store for iggi&gabi this February?

•  SCBWI Winter Conference recaps
• A few last recaps for the Writers Digest Conference
• Other random iggi-licious things

 Are you excited?  I’m excited.  For those of you who celebrate: have a Happy Superbowl.  For those of you who prefer to watch the post-game GLEE episode… I’ve got your back.

What’s happening in your slice of the planet these days?

Some people collect stamps or seashells.  Some collect bottle caps or baseball cards.  Some even collect parking tickets.  I collect characters.  I squash them between the pages of my notebook, the way you might press flowers (or faeries).  I’ll let you in on some of the secret sources I turn to when I need to boost my stash.

In Real Life:  Basing characters on real people has some major advantages.  For starters, you’ll be able to observe an actual person (or if the real life person is dead, you’ll most likely be able to rely on primary source material).  Not only that, if you’re ever wondering what your character would think or do about something, you can just ask.  That said, there are two drawbacks you’ll need to consider if you decide to base a character on someone from real life:

1. You could get sued.  You can avoid this problem by doing one of three things.  A) Avoid saying anything that could get you into trouble, which could lead to a very boring story.  B) Change enough of the details so that it’s no longer obvious that you’ve based the character on a specific person.  C) Base the character on someone who can’t sue you… like, say, your cat.
2. You might get so caught up on being true-to-life that you’ll kill your story.  Remember, fiction is by definition fictional.  It’s not about getting the facts exactly right; it’s about crafting a story that reveals a greater Truth about life, humanity, all that good stuff.  Of course you can base certain elements of a character on a real person but in the end, you may have to discard some details that echo reality in favor of ones that will serve the story.

Situations:  The place where I discover most of my characters are in the situations themselves.  I often start with a vague idea like: “What if when you die, your job becomes to convince other newly-dead people about the benefits of being dead?”  Then I work on developing a character who would be the worst possible candidate to cope with that situation.  I know this sounds counter-intuitive.  After all, we’re usually taught to develop our character first then throw obstacles at him or her.  But if you think about it, this method accomplishes the same thing.  The only difference is that instead of starting with a character and developing obstacles that will throw him or her for a loop, you think of the situation first and then develop a character who’s most likely to freak out in that scenario.

Pictures:  I love looking at a picture and trying to figure out the story behind it.  Some of my favorite artists for this exercise are Edward Hopper, John Singer Sargent, and Edgar Degas.  Photography is also a great resource–especially antique portraits or work that’s photojournalistic in style.  Every time I go to a museum, I’ll get a handful of postcards that I think might spark interesting characters.  These days with the interwebs at our fingertips, we can find inspiration without even leaving the comfort of our office chair.  Here’s one of my favorites:

 

What about you: where do you go to find characters?  I showed you my sources, so now you show me yours, k?  Awesome.

You know exactly what I’m talking about, because we’ve all seen That Guy in action.  You may have even met That Guy, or *gasp* been That Guy.  (If the latter is true, STOP.  Seriously, right now.)

When might you have encountered this rare specimen?

•  Sitting next to you on a cross-country flight, That Guy says: “Oh, you’re a writer?  I thought about writing a bestseller once… you know, like in my spare time.  I’ve got this killer idea.  Maybe you could ghostwrite for me.”

•  During the Q&A session at a conference, That Guy says to an agent: “I’m writing a book on the mating habits of Komodo dragons.  What kind of book deal could you get me?”

• When you’re a publishing intern reading slush and answering phones, That Guy calls saying: “Everyone who’s read my book loves it.  Even my lover/warden/kid/pet goat.  It must be the Best Book Ever and you’d be a fool not to publish/represent it!”

That Guy isn’t always a guy; in fact, about 50% of the time it’s a girl.  That Guy isn’t necessarily a bad writer, either.  That Guy might even get published someday if he/she/it stops being so That-Guy-ish.

So, how do you avoid being That Guy?  Two words: common sense.  Seriously.  It amazes me how many writing and publishing hurdles can be navigated if you use your noggin.  Actually, that’s kind of true in life too.

More importantly, how do you avoid the temptation of punching That Guy in the face?  I still haven’t figured this one out.  But I’ve discovered that watching this video helps.