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January 20th, 2010

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Writer’s Wednesday

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

So let’s try this again – since I don’t see a regular Wednesday weekly, I’ll try and fill that gap by posting something writer-ish, be it about an author, about my or your writing, or about words and structure and all that good stuff. Maybe I’ll turn it into an “official” weekly by creating a button and posing a specific goal, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, hm?

Yesterday, Brandon Sanderson posted on his blog that he’s accepted an invitation to run a workshop at a writing conference in Pasadena in March. I was thinking, “Hey cool, I should check that out, I’ve got friends down there, it’d be a nice little getaway.” ….. To the “early bird special” tune of $599. Hmm, not so accessible for this kid, with all the travel plans I’ve got for the next few months.

So, that got me to thinking – what would I pay six hundred bucks for, in terms of a writing workshop? Who would I want to be there presenting, what would I want to take away from it, what sort of networking would I hope to do? Further, forget the price tag – what would my dream writers’ conference consist of in terms of the above?

After some thought, I’ve decided that while I’d love to meet a writer whose work I admire greatly and whose style and voice bears similarities to my own, I don’t want my writing to mimic theirs – I’d sooner learn from someone who writes very differently from how I do, so I’m adding to my skill set rather than simply being validated in my own style.

As far as networking, I don’t see myself collaborating on a fiction work, but I’d love to meet others who might have an interest in the same sorts of anthologies, histories, and multi-media collections as I have. I’d also hope to connect with down-to-earth people from the publishing world who could provide realistic and effective advice for pitching my work. Finally, I’d hope to connect with someone with similar writing goals to my own – frequency, time dedicated, etc. – so we could be accountable to one another and encourage each other when we hit stumbling blocks.

Finally, I’d really like to take away a new perspective of some kind, be it about style, content, or end goal, as well as a rejuvenated love for the craft.

How about you? What do you think a writing conference should be able to offer, or what have you gained from attending them in the past?