NCWA blog welcomes Josh Mosey!
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Whether you have just started writing or have ten bestsellers under your belt, you have something to gain from a writers’ conference. Here are four ways a writers’ conference can help you become a better writer.
1. Encouragement
Writers’ conferences by their very nature are designed to affirm your passion as a writer. There, writers of all ages, genres, and ability levels gather for the purpose of bettering themselves and their writing. Writers’ conferences are the one place where you are surrounded by a community of people who share your interest and believe it’s a worthwhile pursuit.
2. Instruction
Newsflash: You don’t know everything about writing. No one else does either. But we all know something, and together we can learn. Writers’ conferences are built with learning in mind.
3. Meet Other Writers
Writers are often introverted, and it can be difficult for us to come out of our shells. But if you haven’t experienced the self-affirmation of sharing your struggles with other writers, you’re missing out. Relationships that begin at writers’ conferences have the potential to last a long, long time.
4. Meet Potential Publishers
Writers’ conferences are often populated not only by writers but by publishing professionals. Where else can you sit down and chat with an editor about what they are looking for? Talk with marketing professionals about building your platform? Ask a literary agent about the pros and cons of representation?
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Northwest Christian Writers’ Association’s Renewal Conference is May 17th & 18th. Just click on the picture in the right-hand sidebar for more information.
This post first appeared February 6, 2013 on Chad R. Allen’s blog. Re-posted by kind permission.
Josh Mosey is a husband, father, writer, and bookstore employee. If books were food, Josh would be morbidly obese. He enjoys flash fiction, fantasy, and dystopian literature. He is currently seeking publication for three of his many manuscripts. Follow Josh at joshmosey.wordpress.com.
Good advice, Josh. I attend at least one conference every year. It’s a way to keep up on what’s happening in the market place, reconnect with friends, network, and disocver new technology that’s always changing. But most of all, I’m encouraged by other writers’ stories of how they struggled and how God worked in their lives.