I've Got Some Studying to Do

I noticed the other day that I have 278 books on writing in my "to read" file. I don't keep track of how many I've read, but I promise I've studied my craft.

Here's the thing though. I still feel jipped. See, I live on the wrong side of the United States.

I write for the LDS market. Where is the hottest base for that market? Utah.

I write fantasy. Where's the biggest pocket of writers and conferences for fantasy writers? Yep, you guessed it: Utah.

Where do I live? Michigan.

Are you getting the disconnect here?

While I'm sitting at home in MI, all of my friends are working together in critique groups who really "get" where they're coming from. They're going to scads of conferences to hone their craft. Then having the audacity to gush about how good it was and how inspired they are because of it. I blow raspberries in their general direction.

If that's not bad enough, life circumstances have dictated that I will also be missing the one conference I haven't missed in, um, 6 years.

Hence, I was overjoyed to find I actually could attend a little bit of those conferences.

Dan Wells has posted links to his presentation at LTUE (Life, The Universe, and Everything) conference on Story Structure, both on live YouTube videos, and the powerpoint presentation he used.>

John Brown and Larry Correia have also posted videos of their class at LTUE on "How to Write a Story That Rocks"

Thank You!

I think I need to declare myself "on vacation" this weekend and hole up in my office watching writer's conference videos.

2010 ANWA Writers Conference & Book Signing

2010 ANWA Writers Conference
"Start Write Now!"
with Keynote Speaker
J. Scott Savage
Author of the "Farworld" Series

Saturday, February 27, 2010
Best Western Dobson Ranch Inn
1666 South Dobson Road
Mesa AZ 85202-5699

Presenters include Helen Bair, Sara Francis Fujimura, Dr. Pamela Goodfellow, Doug Johnston, Aprilynne Pike, Nancy E. Turner, and Marsha Ward

Open to the Public

Registration in now open at
http://anwa-lds.com/conference.html

LDSstorymakers 2010 Writers Conference

The registration for the 2010 Writers Conference is officially open!

The 7th Annual LDStorymakers Writers Conference
Will be held at:
The Marriott Hotel in downtown Provo, Utah
April 23-24, 2010
2-Day Conference - $165.00
Friday-only Conference - $95.00
Saturday-only Conference - $75.00

Clear your calander for April 23 and 24, 2010, then click here to register and come join the party at the best Writing Conference you'll ever experience.

See you there!

Fun New Stuff from LDStorymakers

Okay, a few quick announcements about some fun stuff from my fabulous friends in LDStorymakers.

There are two new blogs dedicated to books and writing.
The first features the Storymaker authors, their new releases and their wonderful book trailers.
You can find it at http://www.ldstorymakers.blogspot.com

You can also subscribe to the Storymaker's new release newsletter on the Yahoo groups setting, or from LDStorymakers.com

Then, there's the new writing blog at
http://www.ldstorymakerauthors.blogspot.com

This blog will feature a huge variety of LDStorymaker authors (including yours truly) with tips and thoughts on writing, reading, publishing and the world of books in general.

Lastly, registration for the 2010 Writer's Conference will open December 1. They're starting to post some of the awesome guests and other information, with more showing up all the time.
I'm getting really excited, so save you pennies and your time for April 23 and 24, 2010!

I'll even greet you at the registration table. :)

2010 LDStorymakers' Writer's Conference!

Whooppeee!

The first notices for the 2010 Writer's Conference have been posted to the LDStorymakers' website. For me, being at this conference is one of the things I look forward to all year long. Even if you've been to other writer's conferences, trust me when I say the Storymaker's conference tops them all. It's a must.

So, go check out the details and save April 23&24, 2010 to come join in the fun!

Hi, My Name is . . . Tired

Yes, ladies and gentlemen I’ve just returned from what I consider the best weekend of the whole year. I’ve been hanging with my friends at the LDStorymaker Writer’s Conference and the Whitney Awards Gala. A big shout out goes to the awesome Josi and Candace for carting me to and from the airport. It was great to spend time with you! I am of the opinion that I have the coolest writer friends known to mankind.

I promise to write more soon, but I’m afraid my brain is still too jumbled at the moment. In the mean time here are a few links to articles about the conference and the gala.

http://www.mormontimes.com/arts_entertainment/books/?linkTrack=mtEmail&id=7434

http://www.mormontimes.com/arts_entertainment/books/?id=7449

Renewed and Refocused

I've just finished my favorite time of year. As I've mentioned before, I love attending the annual LDStorymakers’ conference. Though I live many miles from where it is held, I wouldn't miss it for all the world. It wasn't easy this year. I had promised my daughters the Book of Mormon cruise we had just been on the week before. It was much more expensive than I would have liked. Then, I turned right around and came out west for the conference. I tried to spend as little as possible, but as you know any trip will most likely end up costing you more than you would like. I blew my budget for new books by over $20 and had several other unexpected expenses along the way. By the end of the week I was silently calculating exactly how many writing assignments it would take me to pay off my nearly 3 weeks of vacation. It wasn't pretty.

Still, I wouldn't trade the experiences I gained.

When I come to the Storymakers’ conference, it's like coming to a great big family reunion. The only difference is we have closely followed each other's careers and lives since the last conference and do not spend our time comparing notes and trying to "one-up" each other. We are truly happy for each others successes, even if it means our own dreams haven't been realized. Sometimes that one takes a moment, but it's still there.

There are times when in the midst of things I'll have a feeling of being the distant cousin who will always be on the outskirts. I miss so much by not being closer to the central areas and people for the type of writing I love most. My friends are truly amazing people and little worries that I will never be able to live up to the example they show me will sneak in. But, those times are brief. Mostly, I feel loved. Both by those around me, and my Heavenly Father.

This year I came already very tired. The conference is also very exhausting. So, I'm sure many of my friends who sat near me in different events wondered about the extreme amount of eye problems I was experiencing. Being tired meant my emotions were not as guarded as I like to keep them. A simple brush with the spirit present at the conference, my love for those around me, a tiny witness from the spirit that the message I was hearing was meant for me, if I would have the courage to heed it; these were all it took to start the waterworks again. How embarrassing. Even so, those are the best parts of the experience.

I love witnessing that God is aware of our group and the good we hope to do. Every year the experience gets better and better because those who lead the event are led by His hand. I love even more that He is aware of me and once a year allows me to come to a place where I can easily feel His loving support for my personal dreams and goals. The experience, as always, has renewed my spirit and allowed me to refocus on what really matters to me as I develop myself as a writer.

Oh, and I get to leave the kids behind for this one.

Yes, the Storymakers’ conference is my favorite time of year. See you next spring!

Did You Miss Me?

I tried to get a post up last week to let you know I'd be MIA for most of the month. Sadly, the site was giving me fits and it didn't get done.

For the past week or so I've been on a cruise with my oldest children and my parents wandering around in the Carribean. Great fun, greatly tiring. I'm home for the day, then off to Utah for the Storymakers conference. Candace and Marsha, and everybody else, I'm giddy at the thought of seeing you soon. Either that or I'm just seriously sleep deprived. Honestly, I'm totally looking forward to it!

I'll give you a full report when I make it back at the end of the month.

In the mean time- here's a picture of my oldest getting kisses from "Anthony" in Roatan, Honduras.

Every Writer Needs a Support Group

I'm so grateful for the first time I stepped out of my cozy little writing world to attend a writer's conference. I chose one that spoke to who I was both personally and as an author. I found a unique home there that is still one of my favorite places to be.

I'm looking forward to attending the Storymaker's conference this month. The Storymakers are some of my favorite people. When I joined their group the next year, I was exposed to an even greater amount knowledge from these wonderful people. I am in awe of the amount of awesome stuff that this group can accomplish both individually and as a group. In the last month we've had conversations about motives, promotional efforts, other conferences, what to call the parts of a boat, and how to choose our next project. There have been many well wishes for each other's success and support for those who are struggling.

Every writer needs a few good writing friends who understand the weird ways our brains think. Every writer needs a few good readers in the form of a critique group or other method, to strengthen and stretch their writing. Every writer has a dream that needs friends to help cheer you toward those things you hope for most. There is nothing better than being able to log on with a question on structure or plot, or most anything else and have such an awesome knowledge base to pull from. I love to log on to their various blogs and find even more wisdom and glimpses of what makes them tick. If you haven't yet, try a few of the links under my favorite blogs. You never know where you might find a friend or an answer to a writing question. A good place to start would be with sixldswriters or writersinheels. Not because I favor them over my other friends, but because you get to see all kinds of personalities and information in one spot. Go for it.

Writing is lonely, but it doesn't have to be.

My Favorite Time of Year

Some people choose a holiday, or other well known event, as their favorite time of year. For me, I'd have to say my favorite definately comes in the spring.
It's not Easter.
It's the LDS Storymakers writers conference.

This may seem a little strange if you don't know me. If you do know me you'll realize I live for my religion and my writing (well, ok, my family is in there somewhere). To me the very best things that can happen are when I get to combine those two elements.
I am proud to be a member of the Storymakers. I've met some of those I consider my dearest friends among their presence. They understand and share the values and dreams I do. It's an awesome experience to be able to rub shoulders with them once a year at this conference.

There are many types of writer's conferences out there. Some are better than others. But, really, where else can you begin your confernce experience with prayer and come away being filled not only with new ideas and inspiration, new knowledge and techniques, but also with your cup filled spiritually as well. To me, no other group of writers understands how closely related the talents of writing and the seeds of the gospel can be.

So, here's my pitch. If you want to spend the best Easter weekend of your writing life. Join us in Utah for the LDS Storymakers conference. I'd love to see you there!
http://www.ldstorymakers.com/conference.html