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Besides that incident on my last day at the Writer’s Conference (See: When a Writing Conference Becomes a Battleground), I had a wonderful time mingling with established and newbie writers. Hello, I’m a newbie.

The organizers packed the schedule to the rim. With sweat on my brow, I read the read-ahead scheduled emailed to me and dreaded choosing. My hand hovered over ‘The Structure & Science Behind Writing a Bestseller’ and ‘Writing Better.’ Two classes, I wanted to take, but I had to choose since I couldn’t break myself into two people. Decisions, decisions…

Once I put tiny tick-marks next to the classes I wanted to attend. I loaded my pink and purple business card, my trustee Mac and my purple Barnes and Noble notepad. I was ready to rumble… err go to the Writer’s Conference.

I scoured Twitter to gain feedback on Writer’s Conferences. This was my first ever. A fellow writer shared, to drop any expectations of finding an agent and signing a contract. Most likely, it will not happen, she explained. Instead, go there to network with other writers and industry professionals.

I thought, ‘You can sign with an agent at a writer’s conference?!’

Shoot! I was just ecstatic to meet other weirdos like me and get sprayed with fairy dust from the established authors.

But I had a secret. You see, I wanted to figure out my method to write. I know that everyone is different, and I also know that when I get it, I will know. That it will seem so naturally dumb, I will slap my forehead and say, “Duh!”

No, I haven’t found it yet. But you will be the first to know when I do.

I hated that I came out of this conference angry. But there’s no need to dwell on the negative. I purged those angry thoughts already. Let us focus on the positive and hunt the good stuff. Without further ado, I give you the ten things I learned in my first-ever Writer’s Conference:

Syke! Before we begin, I must say, my first class was not what I planned. When I read the title, I thought, ‘this is great for non-fiction’ writers. Since I write fiction, I figured I didn’t need to know how to talk to anyone. Plus, have I told you I’m a closeted introvert? But the classroom was half-way crowded. After traveling for six hours, I didn’t have the energy to deal with big crowds. Have I told you, I’m a closeted introvert? But the universe, or God (pick your poison), works in mysterious ways, and I’m glad it does.

1. In Talking to Strangers, the instructor explained that to have someone open up, you must do two things:

• Appeal to their self-interest
• Convince them, they are in good hands.

Boom! Mind-blown, right? So easy yet insightful. He also told us librarians have superpowers and can find anything, and I mean anything if you ask…nicely.

2. In Finding the Heart of Your Story, I learned to construct a sentence for my story idea. Here’s the formula:

• Who?
• What happened?
• What’s at stake?
• When did it happen?
• Where?
• How does the hero think he/she will get out of it?

Note: If you can do this, you also have the beginnings of a pitch. You are welcome.

3. In Punch It Up, we used the Hemingway app to make a paragraph better. We pulled out the clunky sentences and restructure them to make it easier to read, and we read it out loud. The instructor explained that if we are writing commercial fiction, we want to be at a grade 6 or 7 readability. The app is no longer free, but $19.99. Is it worth it? Let me know, I’m editing this in it.

4. In What is the Foundation of a Story, I learned the three building blocks are scene, setting, and conflict. The instructor gave us a tip on the latter: Keep a conflict tracker. This will help you resolve each conflict. Even in a series, the readers enjoy a sense of closure.

5. Revisions, make me cringe but is a necessary evil when writing. After all, no first draft is ever perfect, and sometimes not even the tenth one. Still, you want to polish your manuscript to your best ability. In Re-Write Me, Your Work Begs You, the instructor encouraged the class to read in the genre they are writing. She gave us her magic-sauce for tackling revisions: The 2-phase method,

• First, she focuses on macro edits upon completion of the first draft. Macro edits will have you concentrate on the big picture; plot. Ask yourself, “Does the story sustain itself?” “Are the characters believable? “Plot holes anyone?” “Are there any loose ends?” write notes to identify the issues and then fix them once you have completed the pass.
• The next step will have you focus on the micro edits. You will be looking at adverbs, melodramatic writing, or purple prose, dialogue tags.

6. Although I will most likely go the self-pub route, I sat in the query class to understand the process. Is it hard? Yes. Is it doable? Yes. On Query 911, I learned how to build a query letter. Each bullet represents a paragraph:

• Why are you querying this agent?
• Why should they pick your manuscript?
• Logline
• Bio with things that qualify you to write what you wrote or any writing experience you may have
• One-paragraph synopsis
• Comp titles (similar current and popular books to yours).

Note: Be concise with your words, now is not the time to exercise your poetic prose.

7. In Crafting a Page-Turner, I learned the importance of creating unique characters. Did you know your characters will sell your book? And will keep the reader turning the page till the last.

8. In the class Reach More Readers with a Professional Book Cover, I got to see the difference between an amateur and professional book cover. Bad news: Professional book covers can be expensive. Good news: You can find low-cost artists who are starting out. Do a search on Twitter and see what you find.

9. In Ten Techniques to Enhance Your Writing, I honed on something that I struggle with; setting description. Writers should try to be specific with their descriptions. Especially those that are essential to the story.

So there you have it, folks, what I learned from ten classes in my first writer’s conference. I hope this will help some of you as it did me, and I wish you all literary success. As for me, I’m still learning my writerly two-step. One day I’m going to get this dance, err method correct. I know I’m close, I can feel it!

Stay tuned for my next Writer’s Conference in March 2020. I’m excited! Are you?