Going to a writer’s conference

I went to a writer’s conference in Black Mountain, NC in May.

M2 (aka Mary Margaret) went with me. She visited the little stores, bakeries and coffee shops, while I attended workshops and appointments.

At night, she showed me all the things she’d bought our kids. I talked about the things I’d learned and people I’d met. We both enjoyed the week doing things we like to do.

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The retreat center is an attractive, modern facility set on a mountainside.  Hotel rooms have a relaxing view of the Blue Ridge Mountains . . . and the six sets of stairs to descend to get to breakfast! (There’s an easier route through one of the classroom buildings. It has an elevator and reduces the number of stairs to use to just one flight.) But anywhere you go on campus, count on at least three or four sets of stairs to climb.

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Four hundred writers attended the conference. Most of us came nurturing our dreams to become published authors. Some came hoping for contracts with book agents who loved their stories as much as they did. All of us wanted to make connections, to learn the craft of writing and to find at least one person who’d listen as we talked about the characters we’d created, the plots we’d crafted. A few were honored for their writing and won recognition with Selah awards.

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I still hear the words of one person repeating in my head. (She seems willing to represent my book to a publisher.) “Get me the edited manuscript and I’ll read it.” The “edited manuscript” is one which corrects the head-hopping in the first draft. I know what to do, but the learning curve is steep. I mentally coach myself: editing and rewriting are tasks everyone experiences on the journey toward becoming an author. There are no “first draft wonders.”

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I attended a workshop on the “High Concept Novel.” It was interesting and I was intrigued, but I’m not ready to tackle that project. The workshop on Deep Point of View and Building Tension was designed for me where I am right now. It offered terrific, practical information and I was able to talk to the instructor one-to-one before the class began. I sat in classes on using AI to outline my novels (again, not there yet), maximizing my manuscript, blogging (great suggestions here), and self-publishing through Amazon.

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Vincent led those self-publishing workshops. He has several novels available; most are set in the early Roman Empire. (Think gladiators and such.) He is a successful author and has expanded to run a business which helps other writers self-publish. His processes are impressive and, gauging from his success, highly effective.

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“Becoming an author is a very long process,” one presenter said. “It’s more than just telling a story with engaging characters and compelling plots. It takes practice to learn to tell a story well. You must hone your craft.”

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I am trying.