Mad Anthony Writers’ Conference

Tomorrow I take a small break from my Fast Draft madness to go to the Mad Anthony Writers Conference. It’s about an hour south of where I live and I went last year and really enjoyed it. Really looking forward to going again this year.

I’m particularly interested in the workshop about how to create evil characters when you’re a good person. That’s something that I’ve had difficulty doing in the past. I’ve been told by my crit group that my antagonists/bad guys don’t come across as evil enough and I’m not sure how to make them that way…so here’s hoping this workshop helps open my eyes 🙂

I will try and update on Monday about the conference. Have a great weekend!

Mad Anthony Writer’s Conference Review

I’ve been lazy the last few days in updating the blog 😛

Anyway, the conference on Saturday was good. I met a few writers from all over Ohio and one that traveled from Iowa. It’s interesting to see what everyone’s writing. I think I was the only one who wrote historical, but that seems to be the case most of the time.

I liked the sessions I went to, although a few were a little disappointing. The magazine writing one was done in about 45 minutes, when each session was scheduled for an hour and 15 minute time slots. Oh well! The info she did give was helpful, if I ever decide to try and pursue that path.

The session about creating dynamic characters was very inspiring. The speaker was an author as well as an actor, so he really knew how to capture everyone’s attention. He said that he likes to create his characters by pacing through the house and acting each of their roles out; he even likes to act them out in front of family and friends. I think that’s a good idea, although I don’t think I could act in front of people. 😛 I know that I’ve often rehearsed scenes by talking to myself and “acting” as said character while I’m in the car (other drivers must think I’m insane) or in the shower, so I can definitely relate to that.

Another session, though a little on the odd side, had a few helpful tips on how to jumpstart the creative process. The speaker was a psychologist, so a lot of what she was saying was a little too “shrink”-ish for me, but she did have some good points. She said that writers, and artists in general, often think  the creative process is something that should be done entirely alone and independent from others; many will think they are weak if they need help or support. She said that in reality, writers and artists need support and encouragement from others, those she calls “mirrors” (people who reflect us and appreciate what we do), “idols” (those who inspire you) and “twins” (people who are in the same area we are and are facing the same struggles). Though it wasn’t anything completely new, she did have good points: many writers do think that we have to face our projects on our own but having support through the process is crucial and would probably help many writers and artists get out of the creative “slump” they are in.

There was also an agent and publisher Q&A session. I found that many of the questions that were asked by other writers, I already knew the answers to, thanks to reading all the agent blogs I do (as well as various other blogs by writers).  It was funny because when someone would ask a question, I’d answer it in my head and it would be pretty similar to what one of the agents said 😛  Still, it’s always nice to hear it again: repetition helps me to remember for when the time comes for me to submit.

Anyway, I am going to try and go next year. I do wish I went to some of the other sessions they had, like creating compelling villains. But what I went to was worth the money and networking with others and seeing everyone’s passion for the craft was really inspiring.

Writing Conferences

I know as a writer aiming for publication that attending a few writing conferences are crucial. However, I’m trying to find the ones that I think would be beneficial for me to consider.

For one, attendance at these conferences are NOT cheap and tend to stretch the budget of a young married couple with a mortgage payment, not to mention the added stress of the economic turmoil the whole country is in. Still, I think it is something that I need to do as a writer–and should be doing before family obligations (like children) come along.

Anyway, I was wondering –have any my regular readers attended a writer’s conference? Are there ones you suggest? I’ve been to one a little over a year ago, though it was rather small (probably no more than 100 in attendance). I learned a great deal from it but I would love to attend more conferences. It stinks though that there seem to be none in the state of Ohio 😛