Day 2 at the Whidbey Island Writers Conference

Should there be a ‘ in writers?  As in writers’ ?  I just don’t know.  But I do know the conference is a wealth of information.  It’s been enjoyable with a lot of practical information wedged in.  Kim and I have been going to different sessions as we have different writing intents (not in tents…..in case Alyse is reading this).  Kim is writing children’s stories and her first memoir.  I, on the other hand, am looking at magazine and blog articles as a means to practice while I figure out what kind of book I’d like to write and if I want to at all.  Actually, I do have one idea I will develop in the coming 5 months, so writing now will help a lot.

I enjoyed the sessions I had with Eva Shaw.  She’s dynamic, a bit kooky in a lighthearted way, and gets her point across well.  One of her biggest pointers, coat-tailing on the book she wrote titled Ghostwriting: For Fun and Profit , was that ghost writing can be quite lucrative if you are able to set your ego aside.  Mind you, this is coming from me with no research and while still on that conference high, so take it for what it’s worth.  I liked the concepts she brought up and how she included everyone, remembered names from the day before (yes, we have name badges on too) and really made the atmosphere positive.

The keynote speaker yesterday and today was Jack Dalton. His presentation today of how he became a story teller was heartwarming and inspiring.  Heck, I even sniffled a few times as his words and delivery really connected with me in a way I hadn’t imaged.  He also possess  great pace and rhythm to keep the audience entranced while proper doses of humor force your body and spirit to alternate between the tenseness of what comes next, and a release of tension through well placed humor. I ended up buying his CD entitled The Two Stories + 1 for Sabrina, although he mentioned it’s not really a kids story.  Sabrina is really starting to enjoy stories on CD, especially Native American stories such as Knots on a Counting Rope , so I hope this will have appeal to her.  I think it’s great she enjoys storytelling in a classical sense, if even on a CD.  It’s better and more imaginative than just watching it on DVD.

Bharti Kirchner was also one of my favorite presenters from yesterday and today.  Both times she provided very helpful and non-overlapping  information on the magazine article side of things.  He information alone cleared up a lot of questions I had about magazine article writing and how to get published (and then what to do next).  She’s a Seattle based author of eight books and has written for many regional and national publications.

I’m really enjoying my time at the conference and would highly recommend it to anyone thinking of getting into writing.  It’s been well worth the admission for this beginner.