It will take my aging brain several days — possibly weeks — to process all the information I gleaned from the 2009 SCBWI-Midsouth Conference. We were blessed to have the warmest, friendliest, and most inspirational faculty I’ve ever seen assembled in one place at one time.

Several upcoming posts will be devoted to sharing what I learned during the weekend. I’ve decided to start with the one “goosebumps” moment I experienced.

If you ever have the opportunity to hear Cheryl Klein teach “Principles of Plot,” go. Don’t miss it. Don’t make excuses. Just go.

Over the years, I’ve spent tons of money on books that I hoped would give me a better understanding of how to plot a story.

There are rare times when we have a thought or impression that is so powerful that it affects us physically. We get goosebumps. We shiver. We gasp, awed by that “lightbulb” moment.

Halfway through Klein’s workshop, a switch flipped in my brain and the light came on. It was as if a thousand puzzle pieces suddenly clicked together, creating a recognizable image. (Looking back on it, I hope I didn’t gasp out loud!)

At last, the principles of plot were no longer mysterious and unobtainable.

My thoughts raced. I flipped a page in my notebook and started writing. My hands trembled. I couldn’t form the words on paper fast enough.

It was such a relief, at last, to understand — to know.

At the end of the presentation, I tried to thank her, but I was so full of nervous excitement that I know I did a poor job of expressing my gratitude.

Hopefully I can make up for that with this post.

Cheryl Klein, if you read this someday — thank you. Thank you for coming to our conference and teaching the principles of plot in a way that I could understand. Thank you for your workshop. I came away inspired to work harder, to keep writing, and to put the knowledge you shared with us to good use.