Writing Conferences
Conference I Attended in 2007
This past Spring, I was able to attend the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference. It was a worthy investment. The classes were wonderful and I enjoyed meeting authors like Eva Marie Everson, Linda Hargrove, Diann Mills, Steven James, and so many others.
The Fiction 101 class taught by Eva Marie was a real eye-opener and I have to say I won’t look at movies quite the same way now. A movie is a good reference for how to structure a novel.
I’m still shocked, but encouraged my WIP When Rain Falls won second place in the novel category. Funny, since May, it has undergone some major changes. I’ve dropped POV’s and restructured the plot, all with the hopes of making the novel stronger and of course “a sale” for a traditional publisher.
I’m not sure if I will attend Blue Ridge next year, but I will be back and I will definitely enter the contest again.
There is a special conference for novelists taking place in October. It’s called “Novel Retreat for Advanced Writers.” If I wasn’t already presenting at another conference, I would love to attend this one since it’s only a three hour drive for me.
Other Conferences I Want to Attend …
I really wanted to attend the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference this year, but I’m going to have to wait until 2008. A plane ticket adds a little extra to the cost since the conference is located in Dallas, TX.
My goal is to pitch two manuscripts, a Women’s Fiction and a Cozy Mystery. Originally, my goal was to market When Rain Falls as a suspense, but now that others have critiqued it, I’m going with Women’s Fiction (with suspense) as the genre. I feel pretty comfortable with this now. I’ve been working on the WIP for over a year now. It still being shaped, but the pacing is slower than suspense.
I’ll keep working at it, I know there is a suspense novel in my brain somewhere. In another post, I will talk about the Cozy Mystery brewing on my laptop now.
An Alternative … Attend Online Conference
If you’re like me and feeling blue about missing ACFW or have not been able to make any conferences at all this year, check out the SORMAG Online Conference. It starts tomorrow, August 26th and lasts until September 1st. There should still be time to register.
Click here to see the schedule and register.
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