4 Things You Get from a Writing Conference That You Can't Get Anywhere Else

So. The LDStorymakers Conference on Friday and Saturday was amazingness served in a bucket of awesomesauce. This was the second year I've gone, and it was even better than last year. Five hundred fellow writers. Three amazing agents-- all of whom I'm planning to query. Incredible authors and presenters.

This year I didn't think I'd be able to afford it. It's actually cheap, as conferences go, and it's less than an hour drive from my house. But things are tighter for us this year. However, I decided I wasn't going to miss out, and asked for extra hours at work. It. Was. So. Worth it.

There are a million amazing helps for writers on the internet. There are blogs, podcasts, chats, Twitter, and Facebook. But there are a few things that you can only get at a conference that make it absolutely worth the money to go.

Encouragement - Blogging is great for getting encouragement from fellow writers. But there's something about actually being there, meeting each other in person, that makes the encouragement stick. You get to meet those who've made it, and those who are where you are. You're all reaching for similar goals. You sit down at a table with complete strangers, and in five minutes you're all friends because you get each other. I met some incredible people at Storymakers, and got to catch up with friends from last year.

Networking - There is literally nothing better than a conference for networking. There are pitch sessions and panels with the agents, and other authors and writers to meet. People are there to help each other. What can I offer you, and what can you give back? It's also a great place to realize editors and agents are people. They're funny and friendly and get a little nervous before giving a class. They want to talk to you. I was lucky enough to get introduced to agent Sara Crowe by her client Dan Wells. (And I finally got a picture with this author and friend who has helped me in my own writing!) Whatever happens, you meet people and are in a position to help and be helped.

Education - The classes offered at Storymakers were amazing. After attending Larry Brooks' master class (taken from his book, Story Engineering, which I HIGHLY recommend), I have a whole different take on the writing process. Hearing him talk about it, even after I'd read parts of the book, is what really made the information sink in. He had us apply what he was saying to our own work-- literally write things down, sort of a mini workshop-- and things just clicked. If you go for nothing else, getting an education from the professionals is more than worth the money of the conference.

Entertainment - I don't know how it is at other conferences, but Storymakers is just flat-out fun. The MC, Sarah Eden, was hilarious beyond words. Her videos (matching authors to genres, her 7-year-old explaining book genres, and Love's Secret's Passion) kept the entire crowd wiping laughter tears from their eyes. The fellows at Writing Excuses recorded a live podcast including agent Sara Crowe. When they played a game cobbling together random bits of stories to make a new one, Sara got stuck (and really, how you could weave a high-stakes poker game into a Matrix-like world with a harlequin heroine and a jock is beyond me). So Sara just rejected the story! I couldn't stop laughing (and neither could Howard Tayler). There are few places in the world you can go where people get your writing jokes, and you get theirs. While not a vital component of a writer's education, it sure makes it a lot more fun.

You can get a lot of these things in other places. But getting them all bunched together in two days? There's no better place than a writing conference!

So, my friends, have you been to writing conferences before? Are you planning to someday? What are your thoughts and experiences?

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Updates from the Sick House

NOTE: If you're here for the Show Me the Voice blogfest, you can find my entry here!

So the Kiddo got sick a few days ago, hence the sparse posting this week. It's always sad to see him lethargic and feverish, but luckily he's on the mend. Which is good for several reasons, not least of which is I can't bear to watch Ninja Turtles one more time.

Unfortunately, now I'm starting to feel under the weather, so I still have no real post for today. Just a few housekeeping things.

First, thanks to Karen and Gale for my most recent awards! You ladies are awesome. :)

Also, you can now find me on Goodreads! I had an old account with my maiden name I haven't touched in years, but last night I created a new one and spent WAY too much time on it. If you're there, find me and friend me!

And my crit mate and friend Chersti is holding a contest of awesomeness on her blog! Enter your first line and get a chance at some awesome agent critiques-- plus a discount on the Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers conference in June!

With any luck, my voice will hold out for me to keep reading Devs out loud over the next few days. I may still have a few revisions as I go through this final read-through, but my goal is to finish and start querying by May 1-- just in time for the LDStorymakers Conference! Wish me luck. :)

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How to Write (or not write) Families in a YA Novel

The LTUE conference is now over, and it makes me a little sad. One of my absolute favorite things about conferences is connecting with people, and I was able to connect with a lot of people! Seeing old friends and meeting new ones makes my heart happy.

Me with an old friend (David, whose blog I yoinked the picture from) and a new friend (Kate, who is an amazing teen writer).

And of course, I learned a ton. One of the panels in particular made me think. It was about the "orphan phenomenon" that occurs in YA-- you know, the fact that every hero/heroine either has no family or a disfunctional/disconnected one.

The basic consensus is that this happens because YA books are about teens finding themselves. If they have a supportive, functional family, they have someone to run to who helps solve their problems. And the character needs to solve their own problems for a YA novel to ring true.

There were some things in the panel that I agreed with, and some I disagreed with, but here's my basic takeaway: whether your character is an orphan or has a huge family, there MUST be a reason for it.

In the book Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (which I HIGHLY recommend), family is a huge deal-- the MC's brother has died, and much of the book is her coming to terms with it (and dealing with parents who, in their own ways, aren't coming to terms with it themselves). In The Maze Runner by James Dashner (another great book), no one has a family-- they're all amnesiac teens trapped in a gigantic, death-filled maze.

In both of these cases, the inclusion or exclusion of a family is purposeful, with a good reason that is tied to the plot. It makes sense within the story. Creating an orphan character simply so she can run off and save the world without a curfew isn't good enough.

Of course, your character is the one saving the world. They need to be the ones to solve the story problem, and have a reason not to run to their family to solve things. The family doesn't have to be gone, but there needs to be a reason your teen can't rely on them.

In my own stories, family usually plays a key role, but there are always REASONS the teen has to solve the problem on their own. In Devolutionaries, Ash's grandfather (his parental figure) is the problem-- he's been kidnapped. In The Unhappening of Genesis Lee, Gena knows her overprotective parents would flip out if they knew who she was working with to solve the problem, so she doesn't turn to them.

Whether you make your character an orphan or give them a family (dysfunctional or otherwise), you'll be facing cliches and stereotypes. To avoid them, just make sure whatever you do is purposeful. If you give reasons within your story for things to be the way they are, you can make just about anything work.

So, my friends, what are your thoughts? Do you write orphans or characters with family? Do you think YA books need more families-- or need more orphans? What books have you read (or written!) that makes either situation work or not work?

And remember, this is the last week to enter the raffle for a chance to win a critique from agent Sarah LaPolla and editor C.A. Marshall! Go enter for a chance to win-- and to help a few kids in Africa get an education!

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Lessons from Writing Conferences-- Your Name Really is Your Brand

So, I've made a little change to the blog. Or a big change, actually. You'll notice my blog name is no longer Life, the Universe, and Writing (that's now relegated to the sad position of tagline). And for good reason.

Today was the first day of BYU's sci fi/fantasy/horror writing conference: Life, the Universe, and Everything. It was exhausting, exhilarating, and inspiring. I made a few new friends, saw a few old ones, and learned something interesting.

I met someone I've so far only known through her blog. She thought she'd been to my blog as well, but couldn't remember my name. I mentioned the name of my blog, and she said, "Oh, yeah, I remember now."

You know what my immediate thought was? BLOGGER FAIL.

My writing blog, like many of yours, is for two main purposes: to share the writing journey with other writers, and to basically market my name. If people who come to my blog don't immediately associate my name with it, I'm not reaching that second goal.

I've heard time and time again that for writers, your name is your brand. Today, that message finally hit home.

So, my friends, think about it. Are you getting your name out there the way you want?

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