HomeWhile at the Philadelphia Writer’s Conference this weekend I ended up taking a class on novel plotting and pacing by a writer named TL Higley, and I can’t speak highly enough of the experience. She’s a local fiction writer and a success on a lot of fronts.
Higley is a six time published author with a seventh book coming out in October. Her most recent series of books are historical mysteries, and when I say historical, I mean Ancient Egypt. Ancient history, mysteries, I’m sure you can see why I might have been initially concerned. At first blush, that sort of story can run the risk of being dry and slow as some authors might get caught up in the details of the setting and the cleverness of their own writing.
Now I haven’t read Higley’s books (yet) but I can say if she practices what she preaches, I’m sure she’s written seven fantastic page turners. Her method is simple, but elegant, breaking the arches of excitement or plot movement into clearly defined units. Each unit is flexible and clear and I wish I’d thought of it all years ago. Ms. Higley herself was energetic, friendly and knowledgeable. She spoke with enough enthusiasm that I feel like she uses her own method. (I’ve seen writers trying to sell a book on writing, talking about a method they didn’t buy and didn’t believe in. Suffice to say, I don’t read those writers.)
After her classes, she was readily available to answer questions, listened to thoughts during class and was above all personable. I thought while she was speaking, and I know I’d go to see her speak again should I have the chance.
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