This Time We Win
It’s 1989 in Hiawatha, Wisconsin. A secret time-traveling cabal threatens to change the outcome of the Civil War.
Pat Scheckel
I like to write, travel, ride bikes and visit with friends. I'm currently working on two novels. This Time We Win is an alternate history novel about a conspiracy to reverse the outcome of the Civil War. The second, Waterlooplein, is about a Columbia graduate student who finds himself entangled in a centuries old mystery involving famed Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza.
WOrkshops I've Attended
Novel Book Camp
The Novel Book Camp is really well put together. I went through the Book Coach track in 2024. I submitted the manuscript for This Time We Win one month beforehand and received detailed feedback prior to the event. In addition to talking through the feedback, I attended working sessions on Scene and Setting, Character Development, and a lot more. Probably the best part was spending a week with 30+ other very interesting and insightful writers.
Wisconsin Writers Association
The WWA is great, particularly the Critique Groups they run. Great people and great results. I went through the critique group with the incomparable Lisa Lickel in early 2024.
Storm Writing School
Tim Storm runs an outstanding Writing Craft Club. He takes a deep dive on a different topic each month. Some of the topics include Escalation, Antagonists, Setting, and Emotional Scenes.
Madison Writer's Studio
I participated in the Fourth Lake Writing Retreat in 2022 and 2023. The first year, I got a lot out of it because it was my first formal writing instruction in quite some time. The second year, I was fortunate to build some lasting relationships with other attendees. One of them, Myrtle, invited me to join a local Shut Up & Write chapter, which has been a rewarding experience.