North Carolina Writer’s Network Spring Conference 2017

Saturday, April 22, I attended the North Carolina Writer’s Network 2017 Spring Convention on the campus at UNC Greensboro. It was a great experience.  I picked up a lot of good actionable information and even made a few new friends.  The atmosphere was very friendly and informal.

There were a good many smaller publishers and editors with tables set up in the main hall. All were friendly, helpful and willing to share information and advice. One that really stuck out for me was Bull City Press in Durham. They are still small, but growing. I got on their mailing list and talked a good deal with Ross White, the Executive Director. Who knows, maybe we will do business in the future.

Las Vegas Fiction

For the morning session, I attended a great workshop called Social Media for Self Published Authors.  This seemed to have me written all over it. The presenter, Russell Hatler, it turns out, also lives in Cary.

Russ has written and published several novels most of which are mysteries set in Las Vegas. His session was lively and entertaining, and full of very helpful information.  It was also apparent how much he really enjoys doing the research for his novels in Las Vegas. Several of his novels are available on Amazon.com.  I was intrigued by one in particular titled Caught Red Handed. Perhaps I will procure a copy and do a book review here on my blog.

Science Fiction / Fantasy

A nice feature of the conference was having lunch with an author of your choice.  Not really knowing who to choose, I did the old eany, meany, miny, moe thing and chose Edmund Schubert, which it turns out was a great choice. Edmund R. Schubert is an author and editor best known for his work in the fields of science fiction and fantasy. While not really two of my favorite genres (I am more the historical fiction, spy thriller type), the conversation proved to be very interesting. We touched on many topics such as integrity in writing and the trouble with separating artists and their work from their human failings. For example, Bill Cosby came up in the conversation.

While Edmund Schubert writes mostly short stories, he does have a published novel out there along with several collections of shot stories. Since 2006, he has also been the editor of an online science fiction magazine called Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show.

Edmund Schubert was nominated for several awards including the Edgar Award in 2006 and the Hugo Award in 2015. While I did not pick up any of the books he has authored, I did pick up two books he has edited.  This was actually not by design. I just screwed up.  However, I picked up How to write Magical Words and tales from the asylum, an anthology of poetry and fiction, year 3.

The first book will be a big help to me in developing my skills as a writer. The second just really sounded intriguing! I mean, poetry and fiction from an asylum?  Who would not be intrigued?

Lose Your Plot? Find it at the North Carolina Writer’s Conference!

After lunch, I attended a very educational workshop given by James Tate Hill on The Mystery of Plot in Fiction.  It was really very good! He talked about useful tricks and rules to stay “on plot.”  And, not getting lost in the weeds. We also touched on avoiding writer’s block, managing multiple storylines and multiple points-of-view. I really liked his view on writers block. He believes that when writer’s block occurs, it is often our brain telling us that it is unhappy with the direction your story has taken. If you delete what you have recently added and begin again, you find the writer’s block is gone. I had been experiencing writer’s block myself at the time.  I tried this. It worked great!

The workshop was enhanced by his great sense of humor. He kept thing light and several of us were chuckling quite frequently.  Mr. Hill, it turns out, is visually impaired, which he joked … was helpful in away, because he was not constantly interrupted by people wanting to ask questions … since he could not see them raise their hands!

James Tate Hill is the author of Academy Gothic and if his writing as half as good as his presentation, it should be well-worth a read. Mr. Hill is the Winner of the 2014 Nilson Literary Prize for a First Novel.  This a book I added to my must read  list! On Amazon I saw that it gets great reviews for both deadpan humor and its scathing satire of academia.

I Also Met and Editor

Towards the end of the convention I spoke for a time with a great lady, Karen Newman.  She was present at the  “Lunch with an Author” session I was in. It was apparent from her comments in the conversation that she is an editor. We later crossed paths again in the vendor area and talked about my book for a few minutes and what services she provides. Her company is Newmanuscripts . I will be talking to her again when it comes time for the final edit of my novel.

This convention was a great experience. Furthermore, I would certainly recommend it to anyone thinking about writing as a hobby or a career.  I had a great time and really learned a great deal.  I will definitely be back for the next North Carolina Writer’s Network conference!