By Paul Atreides
I was speaking on the
phone to a member of our writer’s group, and conversation rolled around to the
upcoming conference. She happens to be putting the finishing touches on a
follow-up to her previous Indie best-seller. She wasn’t planning on attending
for a variety of reasons. Then she asked why conferences are important. “What’s
the point?” she asked.
Outside of landing an agent or publishing
deal, there will be an expansive array of subjects on the craft and business of
writing. The experiential effects are accumulative; success stories from
faculty and attendees alone can inspire.
“I’ve had a top-notch editor tell me my work
is exceptional. She said, ‘you don’t need classes or workshops.’ And I ran a
newspaper, too.” Her response took me aback.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. I’ve heard that about my
novels, plays, and published non-fiction work (Thanks, Honey! Thanks, Mom!). My
response to anyone heaping such praise: “Stop blowing smoke up my back end.”
Regardless of how many novels you sell,
regardless of how many shows up on best seller lists, regardless of how high
they rise in the Amazon ranks, there is always something to learn. Our industry
changes, it’s in constant flux. If we don’t change with it, we’ll eventually
find our work hitting the bottom of the slush pile. And that’s not a pretty
place to be.
Honing your craft is about more than learning
proper punctuation, or when to use upper case or italics from the AP Style
Guide (a new edition is out, by the way). It’s about more than being able to
join the Grammar Police on Facebook (we know that can be fun, but still…).
Agents and acquisition editors who attend
conferences as faculty, and are there to accept pitches, know you’re serious
about your craft. That’s why you’re there. To soak up every scintilla of
information. To head home with your head spinning, drunk on new knowledge and
eager to put it to work, your publishing track record notwithstanding.
Perfecting craft, though there is no such
thing, is the ability to build a new world, or even describe the one we live in
with just the right words to captivate readers. Finding the right turn of
phrase that makes a character pop and remain in readers’ minds makes you, as an
author, remain there as well. That helps sell the next book. And the next.
These are all the things faculty at a
conference is there to teach you. No matter how long you’ve been at this
writing game. The most surprising thing I ever witnessed at a conference,
though it shouldn’t be, was faculty slipping into a workshop. I mean, these are
the experts. These are the folks who control the whole shebang. They decide
which queries get the rejection letter and who receives the multi-book deal.
What in the world are they doing in someone else’s workshop?
Believe it or not, they’re honing their craft.
Just like that member should. And there is no better place to do that than a
writing conference. Unless, of course, you convince Stephen King, John Grisham,
Jodi Picoult, or the like to mentor you one on one.(And, if that happens, give me a call, would you? I’d like that inside track.)
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Paul Atreides is
a theatre critic and columnist for EatMoreArt!Vegas.com,
and contributor to Desert Companion, a NevadaNPR/PBS publication. He is the
author of the series World of Deadheads, a paranormal humor
series. Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paul.atreides.391
https://twitter.com/atreides_paul?lang=en Gallery of
Stars http://authors.southernwritersmagazine.com/paul-atreides.html
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