Are Writers Conferences Really Worth It?

And for All Writers?

Even for Writers that, for whatever their reasons, have self-published….???

Interesting that I should stumble across this blog post 

After James River Writers Twitter Chat other day with Cherise Fisher, @ScribesWindow on Twitter

One of the great people going to be at James River Writers Conference in October!

If you missed the Tweet Chat… well, you missed it.  Live, anyway.  You can look it up by looking at : 

#JRWC12

Cherise Fisher, @ScribesWindow

@JamesRvrWriters

#JRWC12

Check it all out on Twitter.    A lot of us breeze in and out there, and hang out sometimes.  When we aren't hanging in person at JRW things such as Writers Wednesday [this coming Wednesday!], Writing Show, etc….

It had some great information so you might want to do that.  

Not to mention you might want to get on the James River Writer website and email list, and twitter list, so you can be there for the next Tweet Chat!

And all the other great info’ that’s shared.  

And yes, I came across this blog post I’m talking about — okay, so going to talk about!    I’m getting there, give me some time here! — from Twitter as well.   So a Thanks shout out to :

Wendy A.M. Prosser ‏@WendyAMProsser

Writers' Conferences–Valuable for an Indie Author? http://dld.bz/b8eDS via @GoblinWriter #selfpub

Retweeted by Richard Stephenson

The blog post questions, and gives answers, to the question of does Writers Conferences benefit Indie Authors?    

Or to those of us still coming up to the book on these things, writers who chose to self publish their work instead of going main stream traditional publishing route.

There are some interesting points in there that you might not have considered.  No matter what path to publication you choose.

There were some I hadn’t quite thought of, and I’ve been going to the James River Writers Conference since the beginning - 10 years ago this year!!  So this year’s Conference is Extra Special!!   Just saying.

I’m such an eclectic reader, and thus, writer, that I didn’t even think about how others view - as the blog post puts it, cross-pollination — and how that can give you much needed different views and insights into your own writing, no matter what genre you are writing.

I already knew that.

But now you can too.

[You might even pick up some hanging around here with me.]

There are a Lot of great reasons to attend conferences.  

But with everyone watching money more carefully these days, especially those of us that are writers still working to get published, looking at which conferences give the biggest worth for the money is often an individual personal thing.  But a needed consideration for the pocketbook.

No matter which Conference you can manage to attend it’s only ever wasted money if you allow it to be.

So the workshops, panels, speakers, didn’t turn out as helpful as you thought they would be.   You still learned something.  Yes, you did.   You learned what Not to do.   And possibly how much you’ve grown in your knowledge of writing already.  [So Use it Wisely, grasshopper.]

The greatest benefit of attending Conferences - and all Writerly things such as JRW offers, Writers Wednesday [This coming Wednesday, by the way!], and Writing Show at the end of the month - the biggest benefit you will come away with from a Conference is the meeting of, even if you start out shy and are only rubbing elbows with, other writers.  Some will be already successful in their careers, where you want to be, right?   There will be some where you are — no matter where in the process you are.

And Everyone has been in the same place - okay, at least similar place - of where you are, no matter where you are.    We can learn from each other.   A lot.   A little.  Could be that one nugget of wisdom or help you need to get you to where you need, or want, to go.

So save your money and take a chance on going to a Conference.  

It’ll be worth it - especially if you smile and stick out your hand.   There’ll be a lot of others around that understand the nervousness.

And even some that will stick out their hand as well.

If you are, or want to be, in the Richmond, Virginia area in October, join a bunch of great people, writers and readers and all, at James River Writers Conference.   This is the 10^th year so it will be even more … well, more.    

Come and find out for yourself.  ::Grin:::

Survive and Thrive As Writers

I like to read.   Okay, so I Love to read.    EVERY writer Must be a Reader.   Everybody says so!

I haven’t figured out how to make it a paying job though.

Not that I’ve made writing a paying job so far either.   But that’s a whole different tangent.  For now anyway.

It’s so much easier to read than write.

Just like it’s so much easier to spend time reading other writers’ blogs than writing on my own.   WAY much easier.   Huh.

But you should be glad!   Since it gives me lots of fodder for posting here.   ….when I get around to actually posting it….. Instead of just reading it, and copying it….and pondering it all myself….   

So for your pondering self  —  I give you a link to a great list I discovered on another blog :

16 Tips on How to Survive and Thrive as a Writer

There are some really good thoughts here.    Some aren’t exactly new of course, but they are put in a different enough way that you should go at least look at it.

Which is what we are doing as writers, letting our own voice tell our stories.  No matter how similar or how often told, we are different, so our voices of how we tell will be.

Interesting thoughts, and I agree with the list where it talks about believing in yourself and not depending on others for that belief and all.  But writing is lonely enough to do, and while yes, we have to believe in and depend on ourselves for that belief, it can really help to have a group of friends, especially writers who will understand, to reach out to when we are feeling a bit….’delicate.’       We all have those moments.  I’m sure we do.    Don’t you?     I don’t think I’ve ever met a writer, no matter how successful they are, or were, in their career, that didn’t at some time have a bit of insecurity and doubt.

So it helps to have some kind of support somewhere.   Yeah, I agree that we really have to depend mainly on ourselves, and not let other’s unbelief become a detriment holding us back…. But it does make the lonely hours spent writing a bit easier when you know that at least sometimes, you can reach out and there will be others reaching back.

Besides sometimes our biggest fighter, pro and con, is our own selves.  We beat ourselves up so much is there any reason for anyone else to join in?    (Yes, I have my own bruises.   No, you can’t see.)

There are fellow writers out there that will offer you words of encouragement.

If you need to find some of those people, check out James River Writers in Richmond, Virginia.

In fact, there just so happens to be a Writing Show tomorrow, Thursday, night.  Where there will gathering all kinds of writers to hear, and talk about, how to get published.

And the second Wednesday of Every Month, JRW has a casual meet up that you can come and, well, meet up with other writers!      Just remember to cut some of us some slack, some of us are used to spending time alone with characters.  So real conversations can be a little different for us.

Do go check out the List and see what you take away to help you Survive and Thrive as a Writer.

And come back and give me your thoughts on it.

Writers Want

Or at least the ones that come to James River Writers Writers Wednesday and remind me I haven’t posted this yet.

So Marina - and others - this is for you!  **Grin**

And Denise - you and others might find some interesting things here also. **Grin**grin**

First this site is Terrific to search for … well, more things than you’ll have time for in one sitting, or more, I think.

I might have mentioned in a previous blog post, but it’s so GREAT it’s worth putting out again :

This great site to show you to other Great sites!

http://hiveword.com/wkb/search

For getting - understanding - ways to put emotion into your stories…. And HINT, that’s what Every story could use.

Great info’ Emotional Thesaurus … with a free download of companion to the book offer!

http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/

Denise - you might find interesting  - Starting Erotic Stories: Two Things That Work, and Two Things That Don't

http://www.writesex.net/?p=416

Marina especially, here’s the site you’ve been asking for - with the facial expression changer thingy -

http://grimace-project.net/

And here’s couple sites I discovered while hunting these down that I found interesting and worth exploring :

https://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/body-language-an-artistic-writing-tool/

Sticky Note Cheat Sheet -  http://midnightwriters.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-four-one-word-writing-prompts.html

So — I’ve shared these … what have you got to share?

Great Revision / Rewriting Advice

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What a great insight on Revision. Uh, here

{I'm sure I would have gotten around to it - someday. ;)}


Also be sure to read the comments at the end of it, was some great ideas there as well.

Thought this was even more appropriate to post right now for all those that will be heading into NaNoWriMo starting November 1^st.

[in Richmond, Virginia, this NaNoWriMo effort, and cheering leading, is headed by the wonderfully vivacious Lucky Jean -

lucky jean (@luckyjean) on Twitter

twitter.com/luckyjean

Sign up for Twitter to follow lucky jean (@luckyjean). ... Also, I'm reading up on my resonsibilities as a volunteer for NaNoWriMo= lots of work now; ...

Since at the end of NaNo you’ll have to head into this process. Do yourself a favor read this first - it will help you a Lot I think.

And read it especially if you are facing your own revisions and rewrites on the what you feel is the cold dead novel lying around on your hands. [Yes, I Know it’s Halloween season, but Don’t kill it off until After you read this. It might save You, and Your novel.]

Here’s a few insights that might help from the article - but do go over and read it, and the comments. Then come back and let me know what stood out for you.

[Again the Bolding is mine - so go read and tell me what your Bolding is.]

Revision Is a Receptive, Intuitive Act

Listen to your draft. Our work is smarter than we are. Embedded inside it are clues to what our story is trying to become.

Consciously or unconsciously, all those disparate images, symbols, objects, and memories you dialed up made it onto the page for a reason.

When reading your work, tune in to the recurring elements, images, and so forth that strike thematic chords. Which of these have an emotional or psychological charge? Unwrap them. Even the most seemingly random detail can unlock the emotional essence of a scene. Examined closely enough and from enough angles, a single image can bear the meaning of your entire story.

Rewriting is Essential

That’s because we evade our material more than we realize.

We’re often motivated to write because of certain memories, emotions and events that are far too powerful and complex to be fully grasped or articulated in our early drafts.

As memoir writer Larry Sutin says, “We rewrite because we didn’t have the courage to face it the first time.”

Each time we revisit our material, we gather more courage and momentum to dive a little deeper.

And if we stick with it, we come out on the other side with something coherent, unified, artful, and above all, moving.

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