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Sep
15
Written by:
lara wells
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
 I just spent an amazing but exhausting weekend with a wonderful group of people – writers, agents and editors – at the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Conference in Denver.
It was Rachelle Gardner’s post from last month that prompted me to pull the trigger on registering for the conference. Of course money is tight for everyone and there are a lot of ways I could have spent that money, but I can’t think of a single thing I could have done that would have led to me starting the week feeling this inspired and motivated and proud to be among this community of writers.
Before I jump into all that I learned over the weekend, I’d like to offer a piece of advice: Find a way to get to a writing conference. You will learn more than you could imagine (as well as having things you already know reinforced or expressed in a brand new way) and you will connect with other writers - invaluable to the (for the most part) solitary writer.
At first I’d planned to craft a very concise post broken out by topic, but I have so much to share and must admit that my brain is still reeling from all that I took in so I’m just going to do it.
Two of the biggest things I took away from the conference weren’t craft related and had nothing to do with getting an agent or selling your book. It was simply good advice about being a writer:
- “Writing is hard.”
There were various variations on this theme – from “creating characters that are real comes down to hard thinking” (Carol Berg) to “Work harder, dig deeper” (Margie Lawson) to “If it was easy everyone would be in here writing books” (James O. Born). Of course this seems obvious but I think we take for granted just how hard writing really is – and fail to give ourselves kudos for the hard work that we do each and every day when we pick up the pen or fire up the computer.
- “We are lucky to be writers.”
Joseph Finder delivered those words during his keynote on Saturday evening and James O. Born echoed that sentiment in his closing remarks on Sunday afternoon with: “Don’t forget how important your gift is.” I don’t think either quote requires explanation, but they’re certainly nice reminders.
On the subject of craft, it was undeniably clear that your characters are the most important part of your story. This advice came across consistently from agents and editors and writers alike. I’m devoting tomorrow’s entire post to all the great character stuff I came away with.
Because of Margie Lawson’s workshop on deep editing, I now start on the right side first when brushing my teeth instead of on the left like I’d always done before. Although hygiene isn’t directly related to writing, Margie used the example of how we habitually brush our teeth starting on the same side of our mouth every time to illustrate how we need be aware of the habits and patterns that unconsciously make their way into our writing. Margie created a system called EDITS where you color code your manuscript throughout the revision process to be able to visualize the pattern of your story and ensure your story is being driven with enough – but not too much – emotion (the “E” in EDITS). This system is also a great excuse to buy more highlighters and what writer can argue with that?!? Margie’s was by far one of my favorite sessions. You can to visit her website to learn more about deep editing and the EDITS System.
When it came down to the business of writing (and isn’t this what most of us are here for?):
- “Take rejection lightly” and “This [publishing] is a business of taste.”
From Friday afternoon’s Agent Panel: Janet Reid, Kristin Nelson, Christina Hogrebe, Emmanuelle Aslpaugh, Jenny Rappaport, Becca Stumpf and Sarah Warner. It was in this same session that Kristin Nelson reminded the room full of writers that agents are people, too. Who knew?!?
- “Learn from rejections.”
Joseph Finder offered similar advice when he shared his career philosophy: “The most successful writers aren’t the most talented, they are the most stubborn.” He reminded us that John Grisham’s first novel was turned down by 22 publishers, Madeleine L'Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time by 26 publishers and the first Harry Potter by 12 publishers. There will be rejections so don’t take it personally and learn from them.
- “Think of your agent as your ‘account manager.’”
When discussing the role of agents in the publishing process, Charlotte Cook (an editor and President of KOMENAR Publishing) gave this explanation and said your agent is your “advocate.”
- “Amazon and Twitter are the future of our industry.”
These prophetic words were spoken by David Rozansky of Flying Pen Press during a discussion around technology, ebook publishing and where the publishing industry is headed.
If you also attended RMFW I’d love to hear what you took away from the conference. If you weren’t at RMFW, share the best thing you ever learned at a writing conference or workshop.
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