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Monday, May 9, 2011

LDS Storymakers 2011 Summary

Okay, so I'm not even going to try to sum up the entire conference in one post, that would take forever, but I will say, I'm so glad I went! Like with most conferences I've attended, I came home with a refreshed writer's tank, a newly inspired writer's brain, and a frankly disillusioned view of where we stand as aspiring authors. This delicious dose of reality was served up best by our keynote speaker, Larry Brooks, when he stated that we could easily fit all of the 'really famous' authors into a single booth at Dennys. (Perhaps he said a different restaurant but you get the drift.) This comment earned a round of laughter from the crowd because, well, it's hilarious, and if you can't laugh at these things you just might end up in tormented bouts of therapy instead.

Brooks also stated that if one intends to write a book, one should have knowledge of what it takes to write a good book. Riding in an airplane does not authorize us to actually fly an airplane. Eating a certain dish at a restaurant doesn't qualify us to then make the dish. And in turn, reading a novel, even enjoying many of them, doesn't necessarily mean we can write a good novel.

Brooks, a best-selling author himself, recently released Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Storytelling. A review for this book can be found @ http://writeitsideways.com/story-engineering-by-larry-brooks-a-review/

Anyway, tons of great classes taught by authors Dan Wells, Clint Johnson, Lisa Mangum and Elana Johnson (who happens to be the reason I'm finally blogging!) to name a few.
Our panel of agents and editors gave feedback on first pages submitted in advance by attendees. This was one of my favorite parts of the conference. It was so interesting to hear literary agent Sara Megibow explain why she would not read any further on a particular page. Or to listen to agent Becca Stumpf describe what she liked about a certain read, and what she could have done without.

So, were you at the conference? What was the most memorable part for you? And if you weren't there, share a memorable experience from a prior conference. I'd love to hear it.



11 comments:

  1. Yay! I'm glad you're blogging! :D Can't wait to cyber-stalk ... I mean read your blog! :) It was so nice to meet you at the conference. I love new writer friends!

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  2. Thanks, Chantele! It was so great to meet you, and I can't wait to raid Savers together. Trust me - you're going to love it!

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  3. Nice sum-up.
    The whole time I had my head in the bucket, I wished I could have been there instead.

    Hah! Not funny? Sorry.

    Can't wait to see what you produce with this lit brain of yours.

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  4. I wasn't at the conference this year, so I'm sorry to have missed you. Glad to see that you had a good experience. Nice blog you have here! :)

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  5. I loved Storymakers! I wish we had more classes together. And I need to hear more about this hot tub conversation! ;)

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  6. I liked the marketing idea of Branding. I'm not sure what it was but I like it.

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  7. Thanks for your comments everyone! :)

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  8. I envy you the opportunity to go to a writers' convention. I probably never will. I will have to pray lightning strikes without my attending one, Roland

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  9. Roland, from what I've seen on your site, The Rites of Passage sounds amazing! (I saw you listed kindle, but could I find it on my nook?) Best of luck to you!

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  10. I went to this last year. I enjoyed it but it can feel daunting--as they beat into your head how hard it is to become published. The creative end is so much more fulfilling than the biz end of things. (=

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