The great Florida workshop experiment culminates tonight in our very first session. Over two months have passed since I called out to Fringe blog readers for help with naming our business. A bunch of you commented after the post, a couple wrote to me privately, and I appreciate all of the input. After dismissing such terrifying (and probably terrible) ideas as Composite Monster and Shibboleth, we settled on WriteByNight.

Since that moment, life has been a whirlwind, but after nearly three months of planning and schmoozing and pleading, our eight-week creative writing workshop finally begins at 6:00 tonight in an art gallery at The Arts Council, Inc., our sponsor. We have eleven official members at present, although we’re expecting a last-minute registrant or two.

Of course, if we had a nickel for every person who said he or she would join, we’d have about three bucks. But as many of you probably know, 8-12 is a good number for a workshop, and we couldn’t be more pleased.

We even have a website. Now, I know as much about computer coding as I do about DNA coding, but with a little help from Wordpress and some friends, I managed to create something that isn’t a total embarrassment.... more »

Fringe blog followers may remember a post I wrote last month about the lack of non-corporate bookstores in my new Florida environs, an area I labeled Fahrenheit 101 (running the risk of having Ray Bradbury call me a “screwed asshole,” as he did Michael Moore when the corpulent latter released “Fahrenheit 9/11”). Readers suggested that I spend more time writing, open a bookstore of my own, or even pack up again and move to a more happening place. All good ideas—but I’m taking none of that advice and doing none of those things.

Instead, I’m co-founding a writing workshop in Fahrenheit 101.

Brainchild of Fringe friend and Duhr girlfriend Justine Tal Goldberg, the [Working Title] Writer’s Workshop is … well, so far it’s just a helluva lot of work. We find ourselves talking to financial advisors about Florida tax laws, talking to Chambers of Commerce about occupational licenses and zoning, local rags about ad rates, local bookstores (yes, we expanded our search area and found one or two in the county. Two, to be precise) about cross-promotion. It’s all very adult. We hold weekly meetings on our back porch where we discuss syllabi, reading lists and seminars, and we’re even thinking of joining a local Young... more »