I Went To A Writers' Conference

And Learned Stuff!

Eyo!

God be praised, I have returned from the great gathering of word-mages alive and in one piece. (i.e. I went to Realm Makers again. For those who don't know what that is, or who don't remember when I went last year, it's a writers' conference/expo built specifically for Christian creators of speculative fiction, which now includes film and games.)

Last year, I focused on choosing sessions that had to do with the editing and revision process, not to mention the fact that my head was swimming just to get a grasp on the whole experience. This time, I spent two full days frantically taking notes on the publishing, marketing, and platform world. I knew there was a lot I didn't know, but I couldn't have begun to guess the things I learned at this conference. I'm so grateful I got to attend, and hopefully, I'll soon have chances to put what I learned into practice!

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As for writing, I've actually been putting most of my effort into finishing my first-draft project. Things are falling into place as well as can be expected for an unhinged pile of ideas (I say that with the utmost affection).

My debut manuscript is . . . on the back burner, at the moment, watching in muted disapproval as I shower its younger sibling with attention. I admit I've been intimidated to really dive into the proofread/FINAL line-edit, mostly because I don't want to end up changing things for the sake of change and regretting it later. I know it's not perfect as is (let's be honest, no book is ever perfect) and I won't feel satisfied until I've proofread it, but the week-long break I planned during Realm Makers has turned into 'I'll start as soon as I finish this first draft'. *shrugs*

Perhaps this is for the best, though; I've heard from a couple of sources that a lot of literary agents are busiest in fall, which is coming up fast and makes it that much harder to get an interested response from anyone. (I've only heard it twice, so who knows if it's actually true or not.)

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Speaking of fall, I may actually try to do two autumn-themed posts this year -- one in September and one in October, so stay tuned for those! Don't worry, I'm not gonna go all pumpkin-spice-everything on you. I'm definitely an apple cider and chai girl. Feral Lady Fall, here I come!

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Over the last month, I've been taking a deep dive into what actually makes a story good; why certain stories are being adored worldwide, while others are digging under the already-low bar for mainstream media; and how we as creators can and should do everything in our power to reset the standard for the arts.

I'm still processing much of my findings, but this week . . . something stirred in me that, frankly, I haven't felt in a while. Even at Realm Makers, I don't remember it being this imminent. Just thinking about it makes me tremble a little, perhaps because I almost forgot what it felt like. I'm not saying I think we should seek to feel strong emotions all the time, but I do think I'm being reminded of my why, and for that I am grateful. (I will post on this in the near future too!)

Until next month, my friend: Onward!

~ Lydia