I'm pumped! This weekend, I'm off to the writers' conference
in Surrey, BC; one of the best writing events in the Pacific Northwest. Conferences are great opportunities to socialize, network, and renew. A large gathering of like-minded individuals, re-affirms that what we do is of worth and importance.
Writers, in particular, are an isolated bunch. They often work from home, only interacting with editors and agents. Writers may have a friend to share a cuppa java, but the very nature of the writing job requires solitude and separation from others.
If you moonlight as a writer, your isolation is magnified by your situation. Like me, you probably have a full-time job and your circle of friends may not include others who share your interest in writing.
Why go to a writers' conference?
Writing conferences, critique groups, and classes are wonderful for meeting other writers who have experienced the awesome high of doing a final edit or the incredible struggle of starting the next story.
A good conference is worth more than the admission price. The workshops offer new ideas of how to set the story or find the next sale. They also show us new areas to explore, unique topics to try, and better ways to write.
Surrey Writers' Conference 1999
At the Surrey conference, the food is always great. Sharing a meal is one of the best ways to socialize with new friends. All writers eat (usually as an excuse to not hammer out that last difficult paragraph), so it's an easy transition into friendly mealtime conversation. Soon we're all sharing our latest foray into the writing arena. There are heroic stories, sad tales, and more often than not, hilarious anecdotes about our chosen calling.
Diana Gabaldon, author of the best-selling Outlander series, will again be entertaining and inspiring us in Surrey. She is a fantastic speaker, offering brutal honesty about the job of writing.
Once you hear her speak, you are no longer under any illusion that writing is some spiritual quest to find your muse. Instead, Diana hits hard between the eyes with the realities of writing. She reminds us that all those marvelous words are created from the sweat of your brow and the ache in your butt. Her secret to writing? --Spend an enormous amount of time and effort doing the job. If you want to be a writer then you better make writing a priority. This is one writing rule we can never hear too often.
Writers, in particular, are an isolated bunch. They often work from home, only interacting with editors and agents. Writers may have a friend to share a cuppa java, but the very nature of the writing job requires solitude and separation from others.
If you moonlight as a writer, your isolation is magnified by your situation. Like me, you probably have a full-time job and your circle of friends may not include others who share your interest in writing.
Why go to a writers' conference?
Writing conferences, critique groups, and classes are wonderful for meeting other writers who have experienced the awesome high of doing a final edit or the incredible struggle of starting the next story.
A good conference is worth more than the admission price. The workshops offer new ideas of how to set the story or find the next sale. They also show us new areas to explore, unique topics to try, and better ways to write.
Surrey Writers' Conference 1999
At the Surrey conference, the food is always great. Sharing a meal is one of the best ways to socialize with new friends. All writers eat (usually as an excuse to not hammer out that last difficult paragraph), so it's an easy transition into friendly mealtime conversation. Soon we're all sharing our latest foray into the writing arena. There are heroic stories, sad tales, and more often than not, hilarious anecdotes about our chosen calling.
Diana Gabaldon, author of the best-selling Outlander series, will again be entertaining and inspiring us in Surrey. She is a fantastic speaker, offering brutal honesty about the job of writing.
Once you hear her speak, you are no longer under any illusion that writing is some spiritual quest to find your muse. Instead, Diana hits hard between the eyes with the realities of writing. She reminds us that all those marvelous words are created from the sweat of your brow and the ache in your butt. Her secret to writing? --Spend an enormous amount of time and effort doing the job. If you want to be a writer then you better make writing a priority. This is one writing rule we can never hear too often.
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