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Are Writers’ Conferences Worthwhile?

April 23, 2015

WRITING CONFERENCES ARE NOT THIS HARD!

Going to a writing conference isn’t going to help you much with rock climbing (at least I don’t think it will … you never know), but a great reason to attend one … perhaps the best reason … is simply to meet other writers.

If you’re anything like me, the non-writers in your family look at you like you’re nuts when you simply stare at your computer screen because the right words just won’t come.

However, a fellow writer would understand a period of writer’s block and empathize with your lack of sleep while your characters won’t speak to you. They understand how difficult writing can be.

Besides gathering their empathy, it helps to hear about their successes … and their failures. Believe me, I know. If nothing else, it verifies you’re not alone.

If you don’t attend a regular critique or writers’ group, I think it’s important to find a good writing conference once in a while, with some real, live human beings with whom to share your experiences, joys, and heartaches.

Improving Your Craft
I’ve attended local area conferences before, and I’ll also be attending the Rochester Writers’ Spring Conference at Oakland University this Saturday, April 25, 2015. The emphasis of this particular conference is social media for writers.

What’s in it for me? I already have a well-followed blog, a web site, a Book of Face page, an author page on Goodreads, an Author’s Database page, a page on the Twitter, and a media page.

What am I going to learn that I don’t already know?

That’s just it … I won’t know until the session ends, but I’ve never attended one of Mike Dwyer’s conferences where I didn’t learn something of value.

I think it has a lot to do with wanting to improve my craft. I often have a “light bulb” moment while at the conference, even if I’ve heard the speaker or topic before. Something will just click and maybe even solve a problem I’ve been having with my writing.

Plus, when other enthusiastic writers and editors surround you for a day, how can you help but leave inspired? Click to read more

Tags:book marketing, Rochester Writer's Conference, using social media
Posted in Award-Winning Fiction, Book Promotion, Writing Conferences | 23 Comments »

Why Does Writing Have to Seem So Hard?

April 8, 2015

OLD TYPEWRITER – photo courtesy Pixabay

When you’re having a difficult time writing and the words you want just don’t seem to find their way out of your head, you sometimes ask yourself … what’s the point?

I thought I was past my momentary writers block … but after only 1,500-or-so words I got stuck again this week.

No problem, right? I’ve been there before and worked my way out of it. The words eventually start flowing again.

So, I brewed a second cup of coffee, took a deep breath and stared at my computer screen. Typed a sentence. Deleted it.

Sipped my coffee. Wrote a new sentence and almost immediately deleted it. Paused. Rubbed my eyes. Scratched my head. Typed a third sentence. Deleted that one, too.

Repeated the whole sequence many times in the course of the next two hours and got some results I kept … a total of 27 words.

Less than one-quarter of a word per minute. Oh well. Been there, done that. I know it will eventually click. I just hope it does before my self-imposed deadline gets here.

At least I’m more environmentally conscious these days. I used to do all this using reams of paper.

Writing, ripping sheets from the platen and tossing crumpled paper pages from an old Royal or Smith-Corona until the wastebasket overflowed and threatened to engulf the room.

Royal? Smith-Corona?

You know, one of those tools youngsters only see these days in retro films (or in their grandparents’ closets). A typewriter.

Now I use a laptop. No paper waste, but the writer’s block is still writer’s block.

Sigh. Click to read more

Tags:award-winning writing, self-publishing, writer's block
Posted in Award-Winning Fiction, Writers Block | 2 Comments »

Why Do I Have to Write Today?

March 5, 2015

It never seems to fail. Just when I think things are going well, the ideas stop. My thousand-words-a-day mantra becomes Why do I have to write today? Even the podcast I’m working on has stalled. It feels like I’m climbing a mountain.

Writer’s block again.

I’m 32,000 words into my next novel, Street Light … the final book in my trilogy … and once again I’m stumped.

Where are these characters going?

At the moment, I can’t answer that. I know where I want them to end up, but how are they going to get there?

I also have the questions for my podcast so many Gentle Readers submitted about the craft of writing, and I know how I’m going to answer them. But I can’t seem to get started.

The Creative Spark
I’ve read a lot of advice about how to spark creativity … and I’ve written about it here.

However, everyone’s creativity takes a different form, so advice that works varies from person to person. Creativity often involves play, digression, experimentation and failed attempts.

It doesn’t always look productive.

I’ve discovered that creativity can be a strange, elusive creature. Sometimes it’s a river flowing so fast I can’t keep up with it. At other times it feels like the river’s caked and parched, all dried up with life-giving water nowhere to be found.

That’s when I take time to explore, try to meet new people (or old friends I haven’t seen in a long time, like I did last week), or read a book by an author I enjoy. Sometimes I just listen to music I like (for me, that’s Bob Seger or Creedence, thank you).

If you’re anything like me, you’re often set on a specific way of doing things and that’s not always good for creativity. Creativity is all about those new, unexplored ideas … and you can’t explore new ideas if your mind is closed by impossibilities.

I find doing something just a little different can set off a creative spark and generate fresh ideas I hadn’t thought about before.

Follow My Interests
Instead of focusing on what I “ought” to be doing, I allow myself to wander. Sometimes by buying an odd book, poking around the internet, or exploring an unusual place.

I’ve always been an avid reader. Some authors claim they can’t read while they’re writing, but I don’t try to curb my reading impulses. Right now I’m discovering everything that new friend Brad Meltzer has ever written about political intrigue. I find good writing is inspiring, all by itself.

I’ve found, too, that reading their stories aloud to my grandchildren (or having them read to me) inspires me, sets a good example and just might inspire them, too … which is a very good thing.
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