What I Learned at the Writers Conference • Reflections

Four Days of Immersion  

It's over.  The last talk at the PNWA Writers Conference was given by Robert Dugoni, New York Times Best Selling author and a really funny, charming and inspirational guy! His talk was the perfect end to an amazing four days.

I'm sitting at a coffee shop with a iced Americana gathering my thoughts and reflecting on what I am taking away from the conference.  There is so much to sift through, but here are some of the highlights.

Waiting in line to pitch my book to an agent

I pitched my book, Becoming Zia, to four agents.  It was scary and exciting.  I practiced my pitch in the pitch practice room and at the Power Pitch Workshop so I thought I was ready.  When I sat down with the first agent I totally blew it.  She was less than impressed and basically told me to come back when I had a real pitch. Ouch! Honestly I wanted to leave the room and bail on the entire thing, but I pulled it together and decided to just be myself.  I got in line for the next agent and when my turn came I sat down and just told her about my book in my own words.  It was a completely different experience!  She was wonderful,  she liked me and my book idea. She gave me her card and asked me to send her the entire manuscript. Wow, what a rush!  I pitched four times, two agents wanted the full manuscript, and one wanted a full query letter and the first ten pages.  For my first time I am feeling quite successful! Plus the experience was priceless!  

The Memoir: Your Life, Your Story workshop with Bill Kenower was transforming.  I liked him the minute he started talking and I resonated with everything he said.  He really helped me see writing my book in a new light and the motivation behind it all.  He said one thing that put it all into perspective for me and I will use from this point forward. "Memoir is using you life to create a work of art to share what you have learned or come to understand. Writing is art! Writing is a feeling experience not a writing experience."  I just love that!  

Cherie Tucker is a grammar expert, who should be a comedian. Her workshop on How to Clean up Your Manuscript was so entertaining. She took a very dry and usually boring topic and with the help of her trusty overhead projector, turned it into a unique leaning experience.  The most important thing I learned was the rule about affect and effect.  These two words have always driven me to distraction.  The rule: affect = action, effect = results. Simple. How come I never learned this before now?  

In the Authorship as A Business workshop I finally got how to put all my interests together  in one place and use them to build a platform.  I am a multifaceted person and all of theses parts may look separate but they are each part of the whole - me! How I connect with people, what topic is important, but ultimately they are still connecting with me. All aspects of me, all my interests and pursuits. My silly black and white thinking brain always compartmentalizes everything. Thanks to this workshop I can now see the bigger picture and it shifted everything.  

The greatest part of the weekend was meeting and connecting with other writers. I  met so many interesting people and heard lots of amazing stories. I've made some lasting connections. It was enriching on a level I never expected. There is nothing like being immersed in something you love with a bunch of other people who love it too. Invigorating and inspiring.  I'm so glad I came.

Today I have a better understanding of the publishing industry and how I see myself fitting in as a writer. I learned about the process, the culture and the people. I learned about grammar,  story arcs, narrative, character development, building a scene, and structure. All of which I'm sure will make me a better writer. Plus there is much more to uncover when I read through my notes.

In four short days I have grown leaps and bounds as a writer.  I have a new outlook on my life and my future. I am deeply grateful for the experience. 

Big love,

Zia