It’s been a busy week. First I taught my NO MORE LAZY SCENES craft course online to the Outreach International Chapter of Romance Writers of America. I was fortunate to have roughly twenty-five engaged and enthusiastic students study the structure of scenes and sequels with me. They did homework, asked challenging questions, and soaked up information like greedy little sponges. Teaching these online classes is a lot of work, but I really enjoy it because it gives me: a) the chance to pass along what I’ve learned; and b) feel like I actually know something about writing. The feeling never lasts long. Yesterday I attended the Jenny Crusie/Bob Mayer all-day writing seminar. Crusie and Mayer, you’ll recall, are the bestselling collaborators on this spring’s romantic adventure novel, DON’T LOOK DOWN. They are also phenomenal teachers who covered a wide range of topics - everything from characters and plotting to pacing and unity. I already knew lots of the stuff they covered. I didn’t know lots of the stuff they covered. *Sigh* I spent the day soaking up information like a greedy little sponge and thinking about all the aspects of writing a writer needs to master. Here’s what I’ve already studied: Scene and structure; Goal, motivation and conflict; Plot; Setting; Pacing; and Characterization. Here’s what I still need to study, or study further: Scene and structure; Goal, motivation and conflict; Plot; Setting; Pacing; Characterization; Viewpoint; Dialogue; Voice and style; and Theme. *Sigh* Learning about writing is, I suppose, one of those lifelong things like yoga. You can never learn it all. Or like tae kwon do, where the learning really starts only once you get your black belt. That got me to thinking about other lifelong journeys in learning: Cooking; Parenting; Crocheting. I’m a beginner at all these things, I suppose. But I’m learning. What about you? What are you working on these days?