5/3/10
The Aftermath of Writing Conferences
Whew...I just got back from the LDSstorymakers conference. My head is swimming with new information, my ego experienced a little tweaking and I'm trying to figure out where to begin! Conferences are a wonderful, good/bad thing. You have access to lots of new facts from established, successful writers, but somewhere around the seventh break-out session you start to have doubts about why you're even there! Can you even write? That's why it's always important to have a little "detox" session when you come home. Don't start making any drastic edits to your manuscript, don't tell yourself you're not really a writer. Just sit and let it all sink in and then decide what, of everything you learned, is going to be of value to you. You don't have to do it all and you don't have to be like anyone else. What works for one writer won't necessarily work for you. Focus on a few of the technical things that you might need to change (punctuation, grammar) and then zero in on one aspect of your writing you'd like to improve (characterization, pacing, plot). If you've gotten good feedback on your writing before now, and especially if you've had a work accepted, you may not be as "broken" as you thought you were--so don't struggle to "fix" everything.
4/18/10
Going to the Head of the 'Writing' Class
If doesn't matter if it's been awhile since you attended school. Taking a writing class can be a great option to keep up your skills. Here are a few ideas about choosing the best one for you:
1) Determine what it is you're hoping to gain...more technical skills, some networking, or just to be surrounded by other writers. This will help you decide how much time and money you're willing to invest.
2) Consider taking an online writing course. Most of these are aimed at the novice writer, though you can find some that cater to the experienced, professional writer. You'll find them genre-specific as well: romance, sci-fi, poetry, scriptwriting. This is a convenient way to network and give you a new perspective on the writing world. Just do your research and make sure the group is reputable.
3) You probably get one of those community newspapers in the mail from time to time. Open it up and see if there's a writing course available...there probably is. If there isn't, let your community college know and they might just add it to their next curriculum.
4) Workshops and conference can be found throughout the year, hosted by various writing groups. Again, they're probably genre-specific and will cost a bit of money. But often joining these groups will cut the fee down dramatically and would be worth considering.
1) Determine what it is you're hoping to gain...more technical skills, some networking, or just to be surrounded by other writers. This will help you decide how much time and money you're willing to invest.
2) Consider taking an online writing course. Most of these are aimed at the novice writer, though you can find some that cater to the experienced, professional writer. You'll find them genre-specific as well: romance, sci-fi, poetry, scriptwriting. This is a convenient way to network and give you a new perspective on the writing world. Just do your research and make sure the group is reputable.
3) You probably get one of those community newspapers in the mail from time to time. Open it up and see if there's a writing course available...there probably is. If there isn't, let your community college know and they might just add it to their next curriculum.
4) Workshops and conference can be found throughout the year, hosted by various writing groups. Again, they're probably genre-specific and will cost a bit of money. But often joining these groups will cut the fee down dramatically and would be worth considering.
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