Thursday, April 6, 2023

Attend A Writers Conference (and Refill Your Creative Well)


I’ve just returned from my first writers conference of the year, Write In The Springs (WITS), hosted by ACFW Colorado Springs chapter. I’ve attended this conference many times over the years and have never been disappointed. This year, the location of the conference was Glen Eyrie Conference Center located close to the Garden of the Gods. 

I pinch myself every time I visit Glen Eyrie, it’s a tiny touch of heaven on earth. I mean, who wouldn’t want to explore a nineteenth century castle (they offer guest rooms in the castle, but my budget isn’t in that range), stroll across acres of maintained grounds, snap pictures of a resident herds of mountain goats, a flock of turkeys and the ever-present deer? The location is a definite draw for this conference, but the speakers each year make it a must-go for me.

Glen Eyrie Castle Conference Center

Couple this beautiful setting with the amazing Melanie Dobson as our speaker, and all the attendees enjoyed a day and a half of incredible immersion into the world of fiction writing.

If you’ve been penning word to page for any length of time at all, you’ve probably attended workshops on all the prerequisite topics for successful novel writing. Structure, plotting, setting, etc, right? Since my writing resume extends over decades, I think I have a solid grasp of technique and concept, but I continue to attend conferences and workshops to gain as many new nuggets of wisdom as I can to tuck away in my toolbox. 


Melanie Dobson is not only prolific in her writing career, but she also has the gift of presenting mundane topics and making them spring to life. Her enthusiasm is contagious. We spent an afternoon studying characters and characterization and within the first 1/2 hour, I’d already scribbled down more notes on bringing characters to life than I can remember. That same zeal carried through the next day as we tackled questions about what made books and movies successful, how to pull emotion from readers, and leave them wanting your next book.

I must confess, I came to this conference looking for some method of bringing the male protagonist of my current WIP to life. Using a combination of power point, movie clips, book quotes, and her own warm, unique style of presentation, Melanie Dobson shared ideas and techniques for bringing characters alive on the page that had me experiencing V-8 moments again and again. At the end of the afternoon, I no longer had a 2-dimensional character composed of values and traits, but a vivid, 3-dimensional hero who was ready to fight for his ideals, as well as the woman he loves.

As Melanie Dobson reminded us every step of the way, God is in the details. God gifts us stories. We do not have to walk through the writing process alone. God will see us through, if we only let Him.

Pray for your plot. Pray for your characters. Pray for your words. God listens.

Powerful stuff, that. 

Melanie Dobson

No conference is all work, right? The fun of attending conferences is meeting new peeps and reuniting with old friends. As we all know, and most prefer, writing is a pretty solitary endeavor. Let’s face it, if we were surrounded by our fellow writers all the time, we’d be talking story, piecing together plots, building the perfect characters, etc, oohing and aahing over all the ideas and never get our stories written. 

So, when we get together for a day or a week, we work hard, stretch our brains, incorporate new ideas and techniques. But after the learning is tucked away for the day, free time offers the opportunity to go to the local hangout and enjoy great food.

Friday Night Fun - WITS

When you look at this photo, you’ll see dishes lining one side of the table. The restaurant was busy since it was Friday night and it just so happened that everyone on one side of the table were served first. And then we waited. And waited. Finally the rest of the dishes arrived, but in the meantime we dubbed this photo the “haves and the have nots.”

Roaming around the castle and the grounds, I couldn’t resist seizing a photo op of my own. Have I mentioned that my new series is historical? That visiting a castle segues right into my setting brainstorming? That touching antiquity and breathing in the fragrance of time gone by dusted my imagination with possibilities? 


Have you attended any conferences or workshops lately? I’d love to hear about them. Let's talk! 

Remember, the ACFW conference will be held August 24 - 27 this year at the Hyatt Regency at the Arch in St. Louis, MO. Talk about a great time to learn, network, and make new friends!!

~ ~ ~

Audra Harders writes "rugged stories with heart" featuring fearless men who
haven't a clue about relationships, rescued by ladies who think they have all the answers. In real life, she's married to her own patient hero, has two adult children, and a very strong-willed Corgi. She began writing right after her second kidlet was born and sold her first book to Love Inspired mere months before that same young adult graduated from high school. Surviving those years in between reminds her God does have a plan for her life...and that He has a tremendous sense of humor. You can visit Audra at:

Website: https://www.audraharders.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audrahardersauthor/

19 comments:

  1. I've had a chance to go to only 2 writing conferences, and my favorite was at Glen Eyrie. My fondest memory -- when Jim Bell was giving some of the guests a spur of the moment castle tour, and my friend and I invited him and the group in to see our tower room.

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  2. Hi Michelle! Isn't the the castle just incredible? I love poking around all the various rooms, hiding and reading in some of the nooks, and especially attending a conference or workshop on the grounds. It's so inspiring for both writing and my faith.

    Luck bucket! To have Jim Bell as a tour guide AND for staying in a tower room! Staying at the Pink House is the closest I've come to living the dream, LOL!!

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    1. Oops, sorry. I forgot to sign my comment as Audra...Blogger refuses to acknowledge me!!

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  3. I haven't been to any conferences in several years. It is a great time to learn and to meet other writers.

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    1. Good morning, Sandy. I didn't really have much of a budget for conferences since my day job took all the inspiration from my writing. And then, COVID precautions crimped everyone's joys and activities! WITS hosted Susan May Warren last year after having to postpone her workshop for two years. It was so nice get back in the groove of normalcy.
      Audra

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  4. This writing conference is on my list of "someday I'm going!" The bonus is the setting at Glen Eyrie, and another bonus is that it's within driving distance (when you live in the Black Hills, there aren't many writing events that happen within a day's drive!)
    And they always have a great line-up of presenters, don't they?

    Maybe next year in the Springs!

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    1. Yes, Jan! I'll be there with you! The attendance has grown and they're hoping to be able to use the Grand Hall within the castle for the workshops next year!

      Audra

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    2. I keep thinking this is one I'd like to go to as well. I see a road trip in the future...:)

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    3. Glynis, I don't think you'll be disappointed! ~audra

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  5. I'm with Jan! Someday I want to go to Glen Eyrie! This year, however, the Lord provided for me to go to the Write to Publish Conference in Wheaton, Illinois in June. This will be my first ever writing conference. Please pray for me! I'm incredibly excited, but I also have a sneaky, trepidatious bugaboo that visits me some nights and gives me anxiety dreams.

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  6. Oh, Terri, no! No anxiety allowed. I'll be praying for peace to settle your mind and for joy to fill your heart. I'm so happy for you!

    Audra

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  7. Audra, first, it was soooo wonderful to catch up with you and Candee at WITS! You two alone filled my well. :) Melanie is such an amazing teacher. I gleaned a lot from her over the weekend too. Lots and lots of notes. I have attended ACFW National for years, but I'm going to have to miss this year. Sadness. But, moving the youngest into his dorm kind of trumps meeting with writer friends this year. This was a wonderful recap of the weekend. I love the pic of you at the antique desk. :)

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    1. Jeanne, it was beyond terrific seeing you at the conference. I can't believe we stretched a Chik-Fil-A dinner for 2.5 hours!!! LOL!

      The conference was amazing. Melanie shared from her heart and her insights reached straight to my heart. If God gives us the inspiration for our stories, why aren't we seeking Him in writing them? Such a simple, yet complicated concept! I love WITS for all it offers each year, but most of all, I get to see YOU!!

      The ACFW conference will miss you this year - and if I can make the event - I'll miss you, too. Stay strong, my friend!

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  8. Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience.

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    1. You're welcome, Connie! ~audra

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  9. Love this, getting together with writer friends. It really does refill a sometimes leaky bucket!

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    1. Friends seeing friends is the best part of all. Well-filling is essential to good story health, not to mention our own happiness health. If we happen to write words or find nuggets of inspiration, well, BONUS!

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  10. What a special conference...and I love Melanie's books! Thanks for sharing, Audra!

    Wishing everyone a prayerful Good Friday!

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  11. It was so wonderful to spend time with you, Audra! Thank you for your kind words. I enjoyed every moment of this conference. Hope to see you again soon!

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