Jenny, Donna, Piper, Me, & Kristen
This past weekend I attended the DFW Writer’s Conference and had a ball! The workshops were fab, the keynote speaker James Rollins was a gem, and I met some ladies who I just know will be dear friends for years to come.
But what did I learn from all this fabulousness?
A lot. Here’s my Top Five Bits of Wisdom from DFWCon:
1. Give yourself permission to fail. Bestselling author Candace Havens stressed this fact over and over again in her Fast Draft class. Can’t wait to take her class, by the way. The only way we can get to the good stuff is if we allow ourselves to create crappy stuff first which means, turning off our internal editor. You know, the little voice in our head that likes to tell us we’re a horrible writer and shouts nothing but negative banter at us? Yeah… that one. But by giving ourselves permission to write crap, we free ourselves up to bring forth the real treasure that lies within.
2. You never stop learning. New York Times bestselling author James Rollins revealed that he still refers to craft books when writing his novels. I was floored when I heard him say that. I think we sometimes have this idea that published authors have arrived and clearly must know it all. But as Rollins pointed out, we never stop learning. This means maintaining humility and openness even as our careers soar to greater heights.
3. Always write from a point of passion. Another stellar bit of advice made by Rollins. We have to be passionate about what we’re writing/creating. And I can attest to that. Whenever I try to write about something I’m not that vested in, it’s nothing but an uphill battle. So art must come from the heart.
4. Rejection is par for the course. With his first book, Rollins was rejected 49 times by agents before he finally heard a yes. 49 times! So it’s important to never get discouraged. Keep learning. Keep writing. Keep submitting. Because perseverance is the name of the game.
5. Now is the best time to be a writer. Or any creative professional for that matter. The Internet and social media have given us endless opportunities to express our art and find a much wider audience more quickly than ever before. Social media expert Kristen Lamb, who also taught at the conference, has been preaching this for quite some time. Read her post The Age of the Artist — Time for a Revolution and get inspired. Vive la révolution!
So what lessons have you learned through the years as a writer/creator? What advice did you hear that encouraged you along your journey?
Ingrid Schaffenburg's Blog 
Hi Ingrid. I recognize that picture! I believe the exposure time was 2 days, 19 hours and 37 minutes. Plus breakfast, of course!
LOL!!!!! I’ve never laughed so hard! You should’ve been in this picture, not taking it. SO good seeing you! Let’s get together and workshop soon 🙂
What a cute picture! So sad I missed out on seeing everyone, but it is nice to hear what everyone took away from the conference. I love that James Rollins gave that figure on rejections. Totally encouraging for anyone entering the dreaded submission stage.
Thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome! James was awesome. Such a sweetheart. And it was SUCH a fun time. You should’ve been there!!
I am hoping to work it into the budget for next year. I was definitely thinking of you all!
Hope you do work it into next year’s budget.
Thanks for these reminders and notes! This conference was terrific, so much to absorb.
Kaitlin
Yes! It was AWESOME!
Great reminders, Ingrid. And all so true! So glad you had a blast at the conference. 🙂
Thanks August! Join us next time 🙂 The WANA peeps ruled the place.
Yes, Yes, YES. great post Ingrid.
Thank you Louise!
What an encouraging post! I like hearing that stories about rejection as a reminder that we just have to keep trying. It seems like it’s kind of like dating. We don’t expect the first guy we meet to be the one we marry, so why should the first agent be the one to sign us? I also like the part about passion. I feel the same way. There is no point in writing something we aren’t passionate about because we won’t like what we write. Thanks for the reminders!
🙂 Love your analogy about dating! I’d never thought of it that way but it’s true! It’s a long-term commitment once you find your agent (or so you hope) so it stands to reason it may take some time to find the right one. Great perspective.
I find the best advice comes from the ladies in my critique group who are both supportive and wise and allow each of us to grow at our own pace. Thanks for the insight, Ingrid!! Like Rollins, I think I’ll be using craft books all of my life, just for that extra chance to strengthen some writing muscles.
Awesome. Another that was said a lot was the value of having a really great critique group. Sounds like you’ve got that which is awesome.
So jealous all you cool kids were there! I hope to meet you IRL in the future. Maybe next year? 😉 I plan to be rejected 99 times. I even made a file filer with that as a title. We’ll see. Gotta finish draft 1 first.
That’s awesome! Already planning ahead. Love it. Yes! You should join us!! It was SOOO much fun. We were the loudest group that’s for sure 😉
It was a great conference, Ingrid. Good to see you there.
Likewise David:)
Great, encouraging advice–my favorite kind 😉 Looks like you all had a great time!
It was so fun Coleen. Join us next year 🙂
Great stuff, Ingrid. I’m glad you had a great time at the conference. I wish I had been there with all of you.
You should’ve! Plan on it next year!
I was rereading Stephen King’s On Writing book, and he said that one editor who rejected one of his earlier stories told him that he should take out 10% of the first draft when writing the second draft. I think that was helpful for me too, because I’ve been finding lots of little things in my draft that I need to take out.
I think it helps to know that other writers (particularly the successful ones) get rejected too, because it shows that rejection is something that all writers have to go through. It’s a good learning experience, even if it can be disappointing.
Absolutely. Candace Havens said in her workshop it’s usually the first 100 pages that need to be chopped. A lot of times writers begin by telling backstory then the finally get to the action 100 pages in. But nice to know it’s a process that everyone goes through.
Another great post. Super information. I’m especially glad to hear I’m not the only one referring to the how-to long after I “already did.” 🙂
Thank you Tim! That’s what keeps us inspired is hearing from those of you who’ve had success that you started out just like us. 🙂
Great post. I have been writing for years, and still learn, too. More about getting noticed and social media, than to do about writing. Although I still learn about writing through getting my work edited. I try to make notes of what I need to learn so I can use it for the next book.
What excellent advice and points to share. Thank you!
Wonderful lessons, Ingrid. I have experienced forcing myself to write something I wasn’t really passionate about. And if you’re not fired up to write a particular scene, likely your reader isn’t hooked up by it either.
How I wished I were there. All those crazy peeps IRL!