How writing conferences break the myth of the solitary writer by Anthony StClair
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Think writers are just solitary? Think again. Conferences can make you an even better writer and help get you published. You might also meet best-selling authors such as Chelsea Cain. Photo Credit: Frank DiMarco"]
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"You're so lucky," I said to my wife, a Suzuki Method violin teacher. "You get to go to your conference, see old friends, talk shop. You interact with all these people who have similar experiences, problems and challenges as you do. I wish there were something like that for writers."
"Have you ever looked into writing groups?" she asked.
Of course I hadn't. Once I did, it changed my life as a writer.
Let's review what a writer is supposed to look like:
The writer hunches alone over their typewriter, no other soul in the world, nothing near them but the thousands of crumpled-up sheets, insufficient efforts thrown with dissatisfaction and disdain across the room. The writer is on their own. The writer is alone. The writer has no one but the writer.
Thank goodness we got that tired cliche out of the way.
The mind of every writer carries some semblance of this stereotype. We've all felt the pull of this mythology: the lonely, alone, aloof, solitary writer, typing to infinity on a solitary road to publication.
It's romantic. It sticks in the craw. And it's utter bollocks.
In 2010, I joined Willamette Writers, the largest writing organization in my home state of Oregon. I also spent a day at their annual 3-day Willamette Writers Conference in Portland, regarded by many as one of the top 10 writing conferences in the nation.
For that day, for the first time in my career, I was surrounded by my people. All around me were writers who faced similar challenges and had similar opportunities. We talked shop. We swapped notes about where we were on projects, how we got there, what was on the horizon. I met dozens of people. I absorbed workshop materials that I'm using today to continue building my writing business and brand.
Heck, I even got to shake Chuck Palahniuk's hand. That alone was worth the conference fee.
Since then, I've become more involved in Willamette Writers, including my local Mid-Valley chapter, based in the Eugene area. It's taught me that while writing has solitary aspects, a successful, published writer also has a team, a network, a tribe of good people they rely on.
Here are a few ways:
You never know whose hand you'll get to shake at a conference. For example, at the 2010 Willamette Writers Conference, the last thing I got to do that day was meet Chuck Palahniuk and shake his hand. Talk about a good note to end on. From speakers to guests, you never know who you might see at a conference. Don't be afraid to introduce yourself, shake an author's hand and ask what brought them there. Friendships and professional relationships galore can come from the simple act of just saying hello. After all, published or unpublished, hobby or professional, we're all writers.
I know. We're all busy, and demands on money and time always exceed demand. Some writers may want to be solitary and not necessarily want to be amongst throngs of people, yapping away when they could be writing.
Fair enough. But here's the thing: just pick a conference near you, and try it out. Go once. Go for one day. Whatever. But give it a whirl. Be open to the experience, to the information and people you'll encounter.
You just might get hooked — and wind up a better writer as a result.
To get you started, here are a few conferences coming up in July, August and September:
Look for more conferences at sites such as Writers' Conferences & Centers and the Poets & Writers Conferences and Residencies Database. You can also do Google searches for "writing conferences" or "writer conferences", and try different locations, genres, or dates.
Writer and editor Anthony St. Clair is co-chair of Mid-Valley Willamette Writers. You'll find him at the 2011 Willamette Writer's Conference in Portland, Aug. 5-7. He'd love to talk with you there, or online at www.antsaint.com or twitter.com/antsaint.
[/caption]"You're so lucky," I said to my wife, a Suzuki Method violin teacher. "You get to go to your conference, see old friends, talk shop. You interact with all these people who have similar experiences, problems and challenges as you do. I wish there were something like that for writers."
"Have you ever looked into writing groups?" she asked.
Of course I hadn't. Once I did, it changed my life as a writer.
We all know what a writer looks like, right?
Let's review what a writer is supposed to look like:
The writer hunches alone over their typewriter, no other soul in the world, nothing near them but the thousands of crumpled-up sheets, insufficient efforts thrown with dissatisfaction and disdain across the room. The writer is on their own. The writer is alone. The writer has no one but the writer.
Thank goodness we got that tired cliche out of the way.
The mind of every writer carries some semblance of this stereotype. We've all felt the pull of this mythology: the lonely, alone, aloof, solitary writer, typing to infinity on a solitary road to publication.
It's romantic. It sticks in the craw. And it's utter bollocks.
It takes a village to publish a book
In 2010, I joined Willamette Writers, the largest writing organization in my home state of Oregon. I also spent a day at their annual 3-day Willamette Writers Conference in Portland, regarded by many as one of the top 10 writing conferences in the nation.
For that day, for the first time in my career, I was surrounded by my people. All around me were writers who faced similar challenges and had similar opportunities. We talked shop. We swapped notes about where we were on projects, how we got there, what was on the horizon. I met dozens of people. I absorbed workshop materials that I'm using today to continue building my writing business and brand.
Heck, I even got to shake Chuck Palahniuk's hand. That alone was worth the conference fee.
Since then, I've become more involved in Willamette Writers, including my local Mid-Valley chapter, based in the Eugene area. It's taught me that while writing has solitary aspects, a successful, published writer also has a team, a network, a tribe of good people they rely on.
How do groups and conferences help writers?
Here are a few ways:
- Exposure to new ideas and techniques
- How-to's for refining the nuts and bolts of story, character, setting, query and book proposal
- What are the latest and on-the-horizon trends for your genre?
- How to run your writing as a business
- Tips and advice on platform, marketing, social media and branding
- Meet new people and reconnect with old colleagues and friends
- Pitch to agents one-on-one time with agents
- Rub shoulders with best-selling authors
You never know whose hand you'll get to shake at a conference. For example, at the 2010 Willamette Writers Conference, the last thing I got to do that day was meet Chuck Palahniuk and shake his hand. Talk about a good note to end on. From speakers to guests, you never know who you might see at a conference. Don't be afraid to introduce yourself, shake an author's hand and ask what brought them there. Friendships and professional relationships galore can come from the simple act of just saying hello. After all, published or unpublished, hobby or professional, we're all writers.
Get thee to a writing conference
I know. We're all busy, and demands on money and time always exceed demand. Some writers may want to be solitary and not necessarily want to be amongst throngs of people, yapping away when they could be writing.
Fair enough. But here's the thing: just pick a conference near you, and try it out. Go once. Go for one day. Whatever. But give it a whirl. Be open to the experience, to the information and people you'll encounter.
You just might get hooked — and wind up a better writer as a result.
Upcoming conferences
To get you started, here are a few conferences coming up in July, August and September:
- July 10-17, Taos Summer Writers Conference
- Aug. 4-7, Pacific Northwest Writers Association
- Aug. 5-7, Willamette Writers Conference 2011
- Aug. 14-19, 49th Annual Cape Cod Writers Center Conference, Cape Cod Writers Center
- Sept. 17-19, Orcas Island Writers Festival, Poets & Writers
- Sept. 23-25, Southern California Writers' Conference, Los Angeles, CA
Look for more conferences at sites such as Writers' Conferences & Centers and the Poets & Writers Conferences and Residencies Database. You can also do Google searches for "writing conferences" or "writer conferences", and try different locations, genres, or dates.
Writer and editor Anthony St. Clair is co-chair of Mid-Valley Willamette Writers. You'll find him at the 2011 Willamette Writer's Conference in Portland, Aug. 5-7. He'd love to talk with you there, or online at www.antsaint.com or twitter.com/antsaint.
