Tag: writers conferences

The Joy of Coordinating a Writing Conference

lindaktaylor5 Comments

This past weekend (August 4-5, 2017), we held the second annual Taylor University’s Professional Writing Conference at Taylor University.

Last year, 2016, we did our first conference. We started with zero dollars and hoped that we’d break even or perhaps have a little extra to have seed money to hold a second conference. We didn’t know if we’d make it or not … until about two weeks prior to the conference when a flurry of activity brought us above our minimum (100 attendees) and encouraged us that we were meeting a need and should hold another conference.

Which we just did.

And this time? We got to 120  … 130 … 140 registrants, plus 20 faculty and staff, and suddenly my behind-the-scenes self was worrying about having large enough rooms for breakout sessions. So I closed the conference registrations (and still let through about 10 more people who begged) and held my breath that we’d have enough space.

THEN, our main session room was determined to not be ready, so we scrambled for another room and another breakout room. Thanks to staff at Taylor U, we moved to another room (holds 190, so we were tight but had close fellowship), and located another large-enough breakout room.

Then our folks arrived. Sessions began, keynoters encouraged, faculty taught, one-on-one meetings went on in the Campus Center, books were bought, snacks were consumed, staff people ran around, and while I used the passive voice here nothing was passive at all. It was proactive, energized, encouraging, and … from my perspective … so much fun!

It’s always terrific to get to communicate and rub shoulders with authors and agents and acquisitions editors and editors in the industry — some I’ve known for years, some I’ve known of, and some I’m getting to meet for the first time. They prepare talks and handouts, they sit on panels, they talk individually to conferees in one-on-one appointments, they stay overnight in college dorm rooms — simply because they love writers. All of them are amazing professionals with a heart for helping and encouraging.

And conferees? We couldn’t do a conference without those amazing people who set aside the time and money to come to a two-day conference. These folks were appreciative, which makes it all worthwhile!

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In addition, I had wonderful staff (former Professional Writing students) who spent two days running (which, as writers know, is not part of our general activity). They helped me put together conference packets, they ran to the store to purchase 160-people-worth of snack items, they checked on technology in the breakout rooms prior to each session, they got water for speakers, they ran extra copies of handouts, they carried boxes … they basically did whatever I asked them to.

And they made me laugh.

I couldn’t have run this conference without them.

Thanks guys.

If you’ve never attended a writers conference, get thee to one! They’re a great place to be with like-minded folks, discuss the craft, be encouraged, and fill your tank for a few more months of lonely writing. Conferences happen all over the country (and world) at all times of the year. Look here and here and here for some listings of conferences.

And, of course, you can always consider the 2018 Taylor University Professional Writing Conference. We’ll be here!

 

Midwest Writers Workshop–Day 2

lindaktaylor4 Comments

It’s the middle of day two of the Midwest Writers Workshop here in beautiful Muncie, Indiana.

Writers are scurrying from pitching an agent to a social media tutoring appointment to their next session from one of our amazing faculty to a manuscript makeover appointment to finding a bathroom to grabbing a snack to checking out the book table to heading to yet another session.

And that’s what it’s all about. Learning more about the craft that we all love.

We’re all here supporting one another as writers. Some with published books. Some with dreams of publishing. All with a passion for words.

That’s why I love it.

This place reeks with people who love words and writing. We’re all geeks sort of geeking out over words and how to put them together. This place reeks of geeks.

And it’s awesome.

There are lots of writers conferences, and I’m a strong proponent of all writers attending a conference for the continued training, support, and encouragement from other writers. I’m new on the planning committee for the Midwest Writers Workshop (we’re celebrating 40 years with this conference), and I’m amazed at how this team pulls together to make a great conference happen.

This year, Cathy Day and I worked together with some savvy Ball State students. Several of the students are acting as assistants for the five agents who are taking pitches, and the others are working in the social media lab giving one-on-one tutoring advice in the art of social media (websites, Twitter, Facebook pages, etc., etc.). Here’s a photo of our social media lab:

The social media lab with one-on-one tutoring about social media for writers
The social media lab with one-on-one tutoring about social media for writers

I’m sitting in the social media lab listening to the students talk about how great the attendees are, how they feel like they’ve both been able to teach something to their clients as well as learn something from them, and how they’re enjoying connecting with other writers. We’ve built in time for the students to attend a couple of workshop sessions as well.

We’re all in this writing life together.

And we’re having a perfectly awesome time.

You ought to think about attending next year!

Get Thee to a Writers Conference

lindaktaylor3 Comments

It’s great for us to be able to connect virtually with so many writers–we can build our tribes with people literally all over the globe. But then . . . there’s something to be said for that personal touch, getting to talk and laugh with other writers face to face.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a local writers group that meets regularly, give those folks a big hug next time you’re together. Many writers are laboring away alone because they haven’t been able to locate a group with whom they can connect. Hey, if it was good enough for C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien to meet with others in a group called the Inklings and read one another’s work, it’s certainly good enough for us!

Many of our college students in writing programs are worried about what happens when they leave. Their college community and the folks in their major provide a positive and supportive group that disappears once the diplomas are handed out. What next? We want to help them understand that the writing world has many, many places where they can connect with other writers.

One of these is the writers conference.

I’ve spoken at my share of conferences and am currently privileged to be on the board of an excellent midwest conference–appropriately named the Midwest Writers Workshop. Our conference is held for three days every July on the beautiful campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. This is our fortieth year!

As a new member on the board, I’ve so enjoyed watching my committee members in action. They work hard to bring in agents who are eager to hear pitches and faculty who can teach about a variety of genres. This year we’re expanding our social media training module to help writers do exactly what we’ve been talking about here–increasing their presence by building a website and using other social media. Some of our older attendees just need a little guiding hand to help them get over the hump and engage in the online world–and incredible Ball State students offer their expertise. This year we’re also including a time for writers of different genres to get together and read a few pages of their work to one another (again, a la Lewis and Tolkien). Many of our attendees go away having found new tribespeople, maybe even discovering folks in their own backyard with whom they can meet regularly for reading, critiquing, and encouragement.

At writers conferences, faculty teach about the craft of writing. I really want that message to come through in all of this social media talk: First you need to be a good writer–and you need to hear that from others besides yourself and your mom. If you need improvement, go to a conference where a faculty member is talking about how to pace your plot (if that’s your problem), or how to create strong characters, or how to build a scene, or how to write dialog. These folks come to these conferences to help the likes of you–of all of us. Take advantage of their expertise.

Conferences are happening literally all over the country at all times of the year. You can probably find one within driving distance. Prices vary depending on what’s offered, how long they are, and who’s speaking, but you can surely find one that works in your budget (perhaps the Left Bank Writers Retreat this June in Paris? . . . ‘twould be magnifique! Twist my arm!). The Poets & Writers website offers this link about writers conferences, and then includes this link with listings for various upcoming conferences. Newpages.com includes a listing where you can browse writers conferences by state.

So set aside a little time and money for you to spend a few days honing your craft and meeting new friends.

As citizens of the literary world we should continue to learn, continue to improve, and continue to challenge one another to be better writers.

And that’s why thou must get thyself to a writers conference.