cj Sez: I’ve attended sooo many conferences in my
writing lifetime and have learned that there is always more to learn about the
craft. The weekend of July 15 I joined a diverse group of authors and poets in Birmingham,
AL, for the 2016 Alabama Writers Conclave conference.
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The AWC is a small conference in comparison to a Killer Nashville or Bouchercon,
but it is chock full of information in workshops conducted by a really
knowledgeable faculty. I attended presentations on building a website, the
important beginnings and endings, and demystifying mystery (the demystifying presenter was
the fabulous and multi-award winning fellow SinC /Guppy Kaye George, who
writes three best-selling mystery series).
They offered poetry workshops with titles such as: “Writing Historical Persona Poetry,”
“Exploring imagery and Language in Poetry” (also useful for prose authors), and
“Poets Without Borders.”
Barbara Kyle, who had a twenty-year acting career in
television, film, and stage, AND is the author of seven internationally
published historical novels, led a master’s class on “Secrets to Creating
Powerful Scenes,” and spoke of “The Actor Inside the Writer” in her keynote
address.
The AWC is a conference, run by a small group of dedicated
volunteers (Thank you T.K. Thorne, Debra Goldstein, and all the others). I attend often, not only because of its proximity to my home, but also because
of the variety and quality of the information it shares. . . . and I can afford
it.
A few years ago, I decided to limit my conferences to those
that I can drive to in less than a day, and the 2016 Alabama Writers Conclave
is one of those. This year’s Bouchercon in New Orleans is the other that I will
attend. That’s not to say I’m not continuing my writerly education. I invest
time in critique partners, writers’ organizations, workshops, and online
classes…especially those that are endorsed by Sisters-in-Crime and Guppies.
Practice makes perfect is an adage that definitely applies
to writers. The nature of the craft requires that writers work alone, but we
can’t work in a vacuum. We need the input and critique of others in order to
improve our skills. I’ve told you what I do to improve…what is that you do?
Okay, you-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do
the same.
I’m traveling again this weekend and may not get
back in time to put up a guest post on Wednesday, but please stop by anyway . .
. just in case.
cj
cjpetterson@gmail.com
Deadly Star -- Kindle / Nook / Kobo
Thanks for the mention. Love your cat meme!
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