As the Western Liaison for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, I schedule workshops about seven times per year on the Western Slope. It’s a long way from our side of the mountain to the Front Range, and the cost to attend events over there can be considerable. It’s a 500-mile round trip, about four hours each way for starters. And just about any event requires an overnight stay, with hotels running more than $100 per night (if they don’t have bars on the windows). Then there are the registration fees. So I understand when people tell me they can’t afford to attend events out of the area, or even in it. But…
I’ve been judging for RMFW’s Colorado Gold contest and doing some critiques for Romance Writers of America lately. I can tell you it’s pretty easy to spot submissions by writers who haven’t attended very many, if any, craft classes or workshops. I can also tell you that the hours you spend at conferences or in classes, learning about the mistakes someone else already made so you don’t have to, are worth their weight in GOLD (see, RMFW has that figured out). No matter where you go, classes and conferences exist for all types of writers – beginners to experts. I think I’m safe in saying that no one knows everything – everyone will learn something they didn’t already know about writing if they attend workshops, take online classes, network, and listen to banquet speakers.
If I see issues with writing, you can bet an agent or editor will, or if you self-publish that manuscript before it’s ready, your readers will. By taking craft classes and workshops, you give yourself the best chance possible of snagging that agent, getting published, and winning long-term readers by putting out a great book. You will reap much greater than you sow, so sow those wild…opus? You know what I mean.
Yes, it costs money. So does going to the gym. You still do that, right ? (Okay, maybe you intend to – but it’s not the cost that stops you.) You want to do things that either are good for you or make you feel good. So do this thing for your writing career. Whether it’s RMFW, RWA, Mystery Writers, Sisters in Crime, Horror Writers, Sci-Fi, yada yada yada, they all have events where you can learn to be a better writer. So go.
And Write On!
Spot on, Terri! The inspiration that comes from attending is also a good benefit. Thanks for the reminder!
It just makes me so sad when I read something that could be really good, if it weren’t for all the mistakes that are easy to find out about in the classes. And I know those mistakes because I made all of them before I realized there was help out there in the form of associations and classes. And yes, I never fail to come back inspired (and absolutely exhausted) from conference. Thanks, Janet.
Nice blog, Terri. (I must go now because I’m a little panicked regarding how many mistakes are in my entry this year.)
The fact that you worry about it means you’re probably OK. It’s the writers who don’t know what they don’t know, and don’t realize how easy it is to find out. See you there!