Writing for the Love

Another October, another FWA Conference over! This is the fifth year in a row I've attended and I always walk away...well, exhausted was the first word that came to mind. But also filled with new ideas, inspired by all the amazing people I've met or reconnected with, and better informed about this business called writing. A few highlights: The food. Always absolutely fabulous. Ben Hale led a couple of phenomenal sessions, one about world-building and one about making a two-year plan. Both helpful for me in terms of Livinity , my epic fantasy novel. Bobbie Christmas spoke about the second draft and beyond. She's a well-respected Book Doctor with wonderful editing tips. That session was quite timely for me and extremely helpful. A session called Understanding Disabilities and Mental Disorders For Character Creation was very interesting and helpful for me in my editing process for Little Angel Helper , a novella with a mentally disabled character with mental di...

At the moment, life, in a word, is insanity. Yet I'm determined to talk about the FWA Conference, however briefly. It was over a month ago now, and I'll probably start to forget some of the great details if I wait much longer. This was my fourth time attending, first time staying at the hotel. I was so happy to be sharing a room with my dear friend and fellow critique group member, Rachel. No driving back and forth. The sessions were awesome. The ones that stood out: Backstory led by Julie Compton and Jamie Morris. Julie was a keynote speaker for the conference. POV Part II led by Rebecca Melvin. I had done Part I two years ago when I first met Rebecca. Side note: she's a publisher with Double Edge Press who is currently reviewing Sprinter ! Agents/Publishers Panel facilitated by Vic DiGenti. This open mic Q & A is excellent every year. They revealed many current trends of publishing and what agents/publishers look for. The highlight was Benjami...

Part II The sessions Before I get into the results of the RPLA banquet, I want to mention more of the amazing sessions I attended. Each and every one was so helpful with fantastic and knowledgeable speakers. My first session was on e-books led by  Robert and Sharene Martin-Brown , publishers. I've had the privilege of hearing them speak at past conferences, and they continue to impress me with their insight. I learned a lot about how the e-book industry is in a frequent state of change and improvement, and that reaching a broader audience can be capable with e-books, especially when the author utilizes online marketing tools such as social networks and blogs. The Browns shared their insights into publishing contracts with e-books, variety in the technology available and specific ways one can self-publish their e-books if desired, and they provided information about royalty pay-outs to authors, which is often higher than print books. All in all, re...