Blogger: Michelle Ule
Filling in for Rachel, Janet and Wendy over the next three days as they attend, and I write about, the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference.
Why Should You Attend a Writer’s Conference?
Writing can be a lonely profession, vocation or passion.
Attending a writer’s conference has five advantages for a writer:
Craft
Conferences usually feature workshops on a variety of subjects, but the majority often circle back to craft.
It can broken down into small pieces: grammar for the writer; how to make your sentences sing; research tips, and so forth
At Mount Hermon I twice took the fiction critique group track where I met with Gayle Roper and half-a-dozen other writers.
Over four days we closely examined each other’s material and learned how to improve it, questions needing answers, suggestions about plot and to develop the necessary thick skin.
Business
I’ve learned how to improve my website, rules for periodicals, what belongs in a children’s book, how agents look at proposals, how to write a proposal, and so forth.
This year’s Mount Hermon includes classes in the following: “Turn Your Written Words into Platform Presentation,” “The Day in the Life of an Agent,” “No Missed Deadlines,” and how to put together a podcast.
Conferences often include workshops on independent publishing, marketing ebooks, how to take care of your physical body and once a discussion of how to make your memoir more saleable.
(Attending a writer’s conference can be a business deduction on your income tax for some writers, as well).
Inspiration
Every keynote speaker has been terrific, reminding me of why I write.
Most made me laugh. Several made me cry.
Robin Jones Gunn changed my writing life.
The speakers I heard were writers and artists who told stories out of their experiences.
They enabled me to recognize my “art” could reach outside of myself into a broader world, where it could help others.
I loved them all.
Encouragement
The solitary writer’s life can be lonely.
Writer’s conferences brought out a panoply of emotions every time I attended one.
I went to dinner one night completely broken, convinced I had no purpose in attending a conference.
I sat at the empty table thinking, “I need help, Lord, to process this.”
When I looked around, I realized I was at a conference filled with Christian writers.
All I needed to do was ask someone for help.
The woman who sat next to me, Ingrid, took my hand and prayed with me.
I left dinner encouraged and with my head up–looking for someone else I could bless the same way.
Vision Expansion
So often we write alone. We have our stories, our plots, we think we are unique.
We are in some ways, but not in others.
It can be helpful to talk with other writers about our ideas and listen to their suggestions of how to broaden them.
Honest writers will tell us if our stories are unique or not.
They can spark new ideas, new markets, new possibilities if we let them in.
A writer’s conference can open our mind to things we never thought about before–both personally, but also in our writing.
Fun
If you allow a writer’s conference to take you wherever you end up, attending with no expectations but open to anything, you can gain all the points above.
And you can always have fun, no matter what happens.
Because the unexpected always surprises you.
Why attend a writer’s conference?
You tell me!
Tweetables
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Business, inspiration, encouragement, craft: why attend a writer’s conference. Click to Tweet
Writers Conferences and Networking
Why go to a writers conference? To sow and to reap. To encourage and to be encouraged. To learn and to teach. To befriend and to be a friend.
Shirlee, if there were a universal motto for a writer’s conference, this would be it!
The t-shirt, Shirlee, don’t forget…been there, done that, got the t-shirt.
Exactly! I don’t know why so many of us fear attending our first one. But, often, once we “break the ice,” we’re anxious to return.
Maybe next year for Mount Hermon . . . 🙂
Making the investment of time and money, and asking one’s family to tolerate one’s absence, compels the writer to a professional attitude..
And, perhaps, this…
* By listening, to give our heart over as hostage to another’s hopes.
Lovely. Encouraging. Helpful. Thanks, Michelle. Maybe I will get the chance to attend some day. I truly can relate to the story of sitting alone at the table. Until we have validation, it seems pretty lonely (and crazy) . . . but there is this deep feeling that we have it to do.. I’m so glad you persevered.
Someone pointed out yesterday that local writer’s groups can accomplish many of the same things as a writer’s conference, with the additional benefit of being local, much cheaper and more frequent.
I haven’t investigated my local group for a variety of reasons, but I know they’re active and involved with the library–which is also important.
It can be hard for introverts to mingle and show their writing, as Andrew pointed out so well yesterday (no surprise, Andrew!), but unless you’re just scribbling for yourself or your descendents, someday your words will need to go out into the world.
And then what happens? People comment! 🙂
Much better to start with a group who are sympathetic, who have shown their work and know what it takes to pour that blood onto the page.
Theoretically, they’ll be more encouraging than total strangers, especially if they’re seeing you face to face for your reaction.
Of course you should ignore those awful people who are just looking for an opportunity to troll in person, not just on the web . . .
So, there’s another idea.
Even after the published books, I’m still uneasy about showing my work–except when I’m not! 🙂
Pity my poor husband!
Thank you for this information and useful ideas, Michelle. Have a great day!
I’m attending ACFW this year–the first time I’ll have attended a writer’s conference. Since it’s in Nashville (and I live an hour away) I couldn’t resist. I’m nervous but I’ll get over it.
I’m so excited for you, Hannah. I’m not sure that I’ll be able to go this year. But I’d sure love to be there to meet you.
Shelli, I would love that, too! I won’t know anyone.
Thank you so much for this, Michelle. You are right on.
Some time ago I read that people do not advance by one small step at a time. What actually happens is they progress by leaps. If someone is a planner, and has laid out what he needs to do to accomplish an end, he would start by taking the first small steps, but suddenly, a leap of faith would be presented to him, which is usually quite fearful but full of opportunity. It is his choice to take that leap or not. If he doesn’t, he often fails in achieving his goal. And if he does jump, some more steps later another leap waits for him.
Going to a conference is a leap. And I honestly do not think a writer can get anywhere close to what you learn and are given at a conference, through what we call a normal writer’s group. It is the difference between Olympic athletes and the high school track team.
I attended Mount Hermon to find out if my book was good enough for professional people to consider for publication. Agents, editors, publishers.
What happened was I breathed the air of success, and it bubbled up into my brain and completely changed my thinking. I looked around and saw authors I admired, never expected to meet in my life, listened to them, learned from them and a feeling of anticipation filled my heart. “I can do this too.”
That’s what you get from attending a writer’s conference.
Well said, Wanda, thank you.