Monday, March 26, 2007

The Conference

by Marsha Ward

Aside from ANWA conferences, I have to say that LDStorymakers puts on the best writing conference I've ever attended for the money. In addition, this enthusiastic group of writers endows the conference with their unique look at life as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and how the process of writing fits into it. Great big kudos to the conference queens, Josi Kilpack and Julie Wright and their committee. I'm already looking forward to next year's event, which will be under the direction of Annette Lyon and Heather Moore.

The purpose of attending conferences for writers isn't just attending classes. It's also for getting to know other writers, making contacts with editors, and buying books! My traveling companion, Connie Wolfe, and I excelled at that latter purpose! Between us, we spent over $200. That's a lot of reading!

Both of us are looking forward to putting what we have learned and relearned to use when we get back home. Will we ever forget John Bytheway's impression of Barney Fife?

What writing conferences have you attended?

Thursday, March 08, 2007

The Year of Writers Conferences

Last weekend I got to attend a wonderful writers conference in Gilbert, Arizona, hosted by American Night Writers Association. Their speaker was Connie Flynn, a multi-published author who taught us about her 8-point plotting plan and triangle method of building characters. What a great teacher she is! I enjoyed the conference, and thought my time and money were well spent.

I guess this is my year to attend conferences. I always make it to the ANWA conference, even though it was a near thing this year due to an eye injury. However, I've missed attending Western Writers of America, Inc.'s convention for several years, because of family obligations, surgery, and the like. This year I'll be in Springfield, Missouri in June, revitalizing my friendships and making new bonds with other Western writers and industry people.

Later this month, I'll attend a conference I haven't gone to before: "The Magic of Writing," the 2007 edition hosted by LDStorymakers, Inc. I'm excited to be going, as I've been a Storymaker since 2003, and some of the members are good buddies of mine. I'm looking forward to attending such sessions as "Overview of LDS Market & Genres" with Rachel Ann Nunes; the "Writing & Publishing Myths" panel with Willard Boyd Gardner, Jewel Adams, Janet Jensen, Christine Kersey, LeeAnn Setzer, Carole Thayne, BJ Rowley, Alison Palmer, and Katie Parker; "Agents, Queries, & Submitting Nationally" with Jeffrey S. Savage; and "Structure, Pacing & Flow" with Sierra St. James, aka Janette Rallison. I'm also going to attend their "Boot Camp," a two-day, intensive instruction and critiquing event. You all come and join me. It's going to be fun!
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