Other Stuff 10/22/11

Attended my first writer's conference, and the South Carolina Writer's Workshop Annual Conference totally ROCKED.  Was hoping to meet local writers.  Instead, met writers from across the country.  Several said the SCWW is the best conference they've attended and keep coming back year after year.  The faculty taught like they were having a discussion with peers, not like someone who's sold a gozillion books talking down to a rookie writer that doesn't even know what a story arc is (I sure the hell didn't know before the conference, but now I do!).  Exchanging a "where are you from and what do you write?" with other writers, learning the language of word count and scenes versus exposition and how to build a platform for your work, feeling the passionate energy zing around the room when people talked about their work, gave me the sense of community and belonging and this-journey-is-real-and-I'm-a-writer I'd been yearning for forever and didn't know it.  Was sad to see the conference end but taking with me so much knowledge that will propel me forward to being an even better writer.