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Sunday, September 12, 2010

Review: Kentucky Women Writer's Conference

I attended the Kentucky Women Writer’s Conference this weekend – my first ever writer’s conference! Full of expectation and yet expecting nothing at all, I went with an open mind with my spontaneity sensors all tuned up and shiny.

I can’t tell you yet specifically what I learned because I’m still swallowing it; it isn’t yet mine. Only when it is truly mine can I give it away. I can, however, turn to what Heather Sellers refers to as “the decoy” – the story I can talk about.

1)    1)   A two-part session with Heather Sellers titled Page After Page: Inspiration Meets Craft: 10 tips for finishing your book was serendipitously exactly what I needed to hear. Some of her tips are already a part of my writing ways and hearing them validated was both encouraging and energizing. I especially loved #3: “You won’t find time because Time isn’t hiding, you are”. In discussing this one, she commented that if you are creative enough to write, you can be creative enough to find time, or rather, use time creatively. Entertaining as well as relevant and real in a raw kind of way, Heather is an awesome presenter who made the conference well worth my hard-earned cash and precious time.

2)      2) Agent and publicist Erin Cox was the other great gem of the Kentucky Women Writer’s Conference for me. I was ready and ripe for words from the inside of the publishing world.

Kudos to the conference organizers and supporters! The Kentucky Women Writer’s Conference is a great conference – not too big; not too small; not too long and not over-packed. My first writer’s conference experience was tremendous and I would definitely recommend this one to other aspiring writers. Look forward to next year’s conference and be sure to register early so you can participate in small, specialized workshops because they fill up quickly!

4 comments:

  1. Wow, it sounds great. You just loved being washed in words and encouragement. You needed that. I am looking forward to hearing more.

    I am trying to send you a brochure about the Oct9 retreat. However, I am having difficulty attaching the file. I will keep trying.

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  2. Heather Sellers is an amazingly gifted writer. She was an instructor at Midwest Writers Workshop a few years ago and we're planning to have return for our 40th MWW featuring the Best of the Best. I keep her books on my desktop for inspiration and read all her blog posts.

    I'm so glad you had a great time!

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  3. Keep swallowing so it becomes yours and give it away in your Riverwrites persona and we'll all become better writers!

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  4. Thanks for the encouragement ladies, and yeah, I'm still swallowing!

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