Master the Art! LDStorymakers 2010

I'm a little slow to recap my weekend at LDStorymakers. I love the casual, friendly atmosphere of the conference and learning from the best.

Here are my notes from my first class on Friday:
How To avoid The Common Mistakes of a Novice Writer by Heather Moore
Flashbacks:
Don't start your book with flashbacks or dreams. If you have to, keep them short.
It's hard to keep romantic tension with flashbacks.
Info Dump:
Info dump doesn't need to be long.
Don't start book with info dump.
If your reader skims to next scene it means there is too much info dump.
Hook:
Set the hook in the first sentence of the first paragraph.
Set hook at the end of the chapter in the middle of action, with the unexpected or with a new question being raised.
Point of View:
Write from point of view of the character with the most to lose.
Dialogue:
Don't dumb down.
Cliches:
Avoid them!
Use different senses and unique metaphors or similes.