Painting With Light

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 »

What’s the Main Task of a Storyteller?

March 27, 2015

I recently came back from Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic (I know … tough duty, but someone’s got to do it).

My bride and I met our eldest son and his family there for a week. I enjoyed seeing them all and relished the opportunity it gave me to recharge my batteries. Now, back to business.

In my last post you heard me grouse again about my writer’s block. It’s safe to say most of that has passed. But I’m still struggling to get my latest novel written and edited by the end of May.

Why? Because I want to submit it to this year’s Readers Favorite contest for review.

Why Do I Bother?
I watched the movie “Birdman” here at home on Tuesday with my wife and youngest son.

Michael Keaton plays a former movie star/action-hero (Birdman) named Riggin Thomas, who opted out of the franchise and hasn’t had much movie success since.

The Thomas character has supposedly adapted the Raymond Carver story “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” for Broadway; writing and directing the play in the hopes it will revitalize his career.

One of my favorite scenes featured Edward Norton, who plays an actor named Michael Shiner, a not-so-very-likable-character. In this scene he defends Thomas to Tabitha Dickinsen (played by Lindsay Duncan), a smarmy theater critic he sees sitting in a bar.

“He’s taking a chance. He’s willing to lose everything for this. What are you willing to lose?”

I think Tabitha, a character name undoubtedly chosen for its witch-like associations, serves a twin narrative purpose.

The first is to serve as a convenient antagonist. Her character has apparently decided in advance to give the play a lousy review, so she embodies evil incarnate.

The second is to highlight the purpose real critics have served for as long as there has been a creative process: the need for validation. It’s something the Michael Keaton character desperately needs to preserve his own creative sanity.
Click to read more