By Jodie Cain Smith
It was that time of year again, that magical season when one
hundred or so writers gather with a select faculty to geek out about the craft
of writing for two and half straight days at Myrtle Beach. And the 2014 South Carolina Writers’ Workshop
did not disappoint.
But first, bring on
the usual conference trappings.
I am now properly carb-loaded for a marathon thanks to the
mass catering proteins with all the flavor and texture of wet cardboard. Too
bad I don’t run. Or eat fish off of a
buffet.
The hotel had its annoyances, put in place to remind us that
Dorothy was right, “There’s no place like home.” My room phone was possessed by the devil and
rang throughout night one until I ripped it from the wall. O.K., so maybe I merely unplugged it, but I did
so with gusto after learning the importance of tension in my Friday
session.
And of course, the class hijackers were in full swing, ready
and waiting to commandeer a session.
Yes, I know he knows everything there is to know about computers and the
Internet and blogging and she re-reads Edgar Allen Poe’s complete works before
bed each night, but for the love of Pete, I paid to hear the actual expert
speak!
Now, for the good
stuff, the classes!
My fears of being bored, maddened, and humiliated were
unfounded. Although the class topics
were familiar, the information was not.
Scott Lax’s character development offered insight into the
mind of a successful author and his process.
The marketing class, Promoting Yourself:
It’s a DIY World taught by the delightful Barabara Claypole-White,
offered fresh ideas and practical, realistic solutions. In The 12 Dos & Don’ts of Crime Writing
Ann Collette taught me to keep it real, keep it simple, and keep it moving. I wish I had met Joan Edwards, instructor of
How to Add Pizzazz to Your Blog, two years ago when I first started my
blog. I want to wrap her in a bear hug
for the information she relayed to me regarding controlling spam, finding free
photos, and creating usable content. But
I won’t grab her while yelling, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
She seemed rather shy, and I wouldn’t want to discourage her from
teaching strangers again. Finally, the
last panel, Discover the Depth in Your Writing, led by Aurelia Sands provoked
more deep thought with questions such as “Does my character like mayonnaise?”
and the suggestion to take a personality test as my character in order to
understand her better.
Clearly, I had a lot to learn and much more work to do, but
by noon on Sunday, I felt energized and up to the challenge. That energy, that desire to conquer the
world, is the best takeaway from a conference like this. After all the networking and note taking, the
exchange of ideas and business cards, I now feel I have a huge community of
writers and industry professionals pulling for me, hoping for my success. And that is the cherry on my conference
sundae.
Definitely a lot of useful tips, hints, and exercises in the conference this year. I was pleased with the faculty and their interaction with the writers. What a treat to get to focus on craft for two full days!
ReplyDeleteLoved your recap of the Conference. The thing I was pleased with was the level of support from not only other authors but the faculty as well.
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