Well, here it is as promised: my take-aways from the Kansas Authors’ Club 2009 Convention.
- No excuses. If you are a writer, write. There is no excuse good enough for not writing. If you have a day (or night, or evening) job, get up early or go to bed late. If you have young children, elderly parents or difficult dogs, find somewhere to write for some time each day. One woman locked herself in her bathroom to get her writing time in.
- It isn’t easy. Writing is hard work. Then revising is hard work. Then selling what you wrote is hard work. Be prepared for it to be hard work.
- Take yourself seriously as a writer. Do what works for your writing. You’re working hard. You’re putting the words down. It matters.
- Take care of yourself. A tired body leads to a tired mind. Get out of the house. Take a walk. Talk to other people. Laugh every day.
- There are no short-cuts. Do your research. Be willing to dig into the pain you feel. Show your characters as fully three-dimensional. Tell the truth in language that is easily understood.
Every speaker was extremely generous in sharing their time and experience with us. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to each of them. It’s up to me to put the learning into practice.
No excuses.
Are you a member of KWA?
Update: I did some research and found that KWA is the Kansas Writers Association. I am not currently a member but I am looking into it.
I must confess my ignorance as I don’t know what the KWA is. I don’t think I’m a member (if I am, I’m not a very good one). I am a (very new) member of the Kansas Authors Club in District #5, which includes Wichita.