Moonset Dreams

I attended my first Writer’s Workshop in 2020. It was a fairly expensive endeavor, especially since I had to drive three hours to get there. But if you can make it work, financially and logistically, I highly recommend the experience.  

Here are the five reasons you should attend a workshop:a

1. To meet other writers. This is probably the number one benefit. Living in rural Vermont, it’s not often that I meet other writers. Add to this the fact that so many writers are introverted by nature, and the combination is extremely isolating. The biggest piece of advice that I received from EVERY speaker at the conference was to make friends with other writers. These friends serve two important functions: To encourage you to keep going, and to tear apart your work and help rebuild it. Of course, you should be willing to do the same for them.
2. To get great writing instruction. I realize this could be hit or miss, but I took two workshops in one day from this one writer/instructor that completely changed my writing style for the better. I went home after the conference feeling inspired and delved into my book, and I’m sure that I wasn’t the only one. The things I learned from him helped me to breathe new life into my novel, and I would go to a conference again just for the chance to take another creative writing seminar of that quality.
3. To gain perspective. I almost didn’t attend the conference because I didn’t feel worthy. These things are for successful people, right? Writers with published works, thriving bloggers and freelancers and novelists? That couldn’t be farther from the truth. If anything, attending a conference gave me the sense of belonging to the writing community. While there were writers there that had successfully published, there were many more amateurs, the majority of whom seemed anxious and uncertain. Most of the people I met were there to make their first big pitches to agents. Which brings me to my next point.
4. To pitch to an agent. The ability to meet with an agent one-on-one is invaluable, especially if they are willing to give you honest feedback. Agents receive hundreds of queries per month and being able to meet with one in person could give you a huge leg up. Even if you botch it, the experience will be good practice, and you will likely gain some tools to use next time. Many of the agents at conferences were in your shoes at one point.
5. To gain perspective. Didn’t I already say this one? Well, I’m saying it again, because it’s that important. I took a class from a successful middle grade and young adult novelist, who, in addition to also struggling with the balance of raising three kids and writing novels, was rejected over a hundred times for her first book. She was not a superhuman. She was a regular person – a mom, a wife, a person struggling with a learning disability even, who found success simply by not giving up. By doing things like attending conferences and meeting writers and facing failure and trying. You can do it too.