When I go to a regional conference, like I did last week, I never know what kind of value it’ll have, what will make it worth my money. Normally the networking and connecting with writing friends makes it worth my time, but as for money, I want one good workshop. At least.
Sometimes workshops are pretty basic or don’t say anything I haven’t heard ad nauseum in other workshops…that happens when you’re a workshop junkie and have been writing for several years. So I expect that. But I still want one good one, or even one helpful bit of a workshop to make me feel like, yeah, I needed to spend this money.
So last weekend at the Chicago conference, the first workshop I went to was…mediocre. Then the agent/editor panel was interesting, as they always are, so that was a point scored. But the next day, I got my money’s worth.
And the crazy thing is? It wasn’t that the good workshop(s) (really there were 3 in a row) were new-to-me material. But the way they were presented made me sit up straighter and think. Relate the material to my own writing and career. And most importantly, they motivated me.
Yeah. Priceless.
So spending most of a day with New York Times bestseller Cherry Adair, picking her brain, seeing how she works…she has some crazy methods of writing a book. We all do, truly. There’s no right way to write, but she takes it to an impressive, left-brained level. And she made me realize that I’ve slipped away from that left-brain side of plotting, of planning my career. At some point in the past couple of years, I’ve turned into the stereotypical, emotional, right-brained “artiste” (for lack of a better word) who doesn’t want to put in the time and effort to hammer things out the way I’ve done in the past.
And I wonder why I’ve been floundering.
So I came home motivated, enlightened, inspired, turning over my own writing methods in my head, making changes. Buying post-its and a white board. A recommended writing book. And feeling completely satisfied that I did indeed get my money’s worth and more.
I guess now all that’s left to do is the work.
Any other writers out there have workshops or speakers to recommend? I have 3 more conferences before summer ends and I can’t wait to find the next little gem that makes it all worth my money. (If you get a chance to hear Cherry Adair, go. She is FUNNY. And also very, very smart.)
They’re coolest when I go outside to work and the sun shines down, making my whole notebook sparkle. 
