Learning New Writing Tricks

Ann Shorey, Laura Frantz, Lorna Seilstad, Ann Gabhart

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. ~ English Proverb

Do you think that’s true? Sometimes with Frankie I wonder if you can teach a young dog new tricks! Actually Frankie is learning a few things. Still has some things to learn but sometimes the teacher is at fault.

But I’m wondering more about me learning new tricks. Do you ever feel like you’re too old to learn new things? I don’t think I’m too old – in spite of having that birthday last week – but I do think sometimes I’m too comfortable doing things the way I always have. Oh, the ruts we wear down into our days. Some of those comfortable things are good. No need learning a new way to fry an egg or make a bed if the way you are doing it works fine. But sometimes it’s good to shake up things a bit.

I guess that’s what I’m doing this weekend when I’m off to attend a writing conference. Conferences are a great way to find out more about the writing world these days. New writers can meet editors and agents and find friends who understand when they talk about characters dancing around in their heads. Many writers break into the publishing world by attending conferences and learning a few new writing tricks.

Kristy Cambron, me, and Laura Frantz

That’s not how it was for me. I was publishing books long before I went to my very first writers’ conference in 2010. I sat in the classes and took notes and agreed that some of what the teachers were saying might work well. I came home and wrote books the same as always. But I was energized by the people I met and loved making friends of other writers. For me, that was the best part of the conference. That’s why I went back in 2015 when a friend offered me a ride and a bed in her room. That’s another fun thing about conferences. It’s something like a three night slumber party with friends. Except we did sleep. Nobody wants to start snoring in the next day’s sessions.

In that first conference I went to in 2010, four of us (in the top photo) played hooky from the classes we’d signed up for and sat out in the lobby to compare writing stories. That was a highlight of the conference for me and I’ve heard the others say it was a fun time for them too.

Tari Faris and me

And you either grab somebody to take your picture with friends or you take some fun selfies. With phones in everybody’s pockets, plenty of pictures get snapped and shared on Facebook or Instagram. And you love that you get to dress up fancy for one of the dinners. Don’t tell anybody but I’m probably going to wear the same dress to the fancy dinner as I did a couple of years ago. If anybody notices, then I hope they’ll notice I still fit into it. LOL.

Virginia Smith and me

So it’s off to Nashville tomorrow to see if this old writer can learn some new writer tricks. Whether I learn new tricks or not, I know I will be inspired by hearing other writers talk about their ups and downs, joys and sorrows. Writing can be a solitary occupation. Many hours alone in front of a computer screen as you make imaginary people come to life. So it’s good to take a few days to got out into the writing world and enjoy talking to like minded people.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. I sent out a newsletter last week with some book giveaways. If you didn’t get the newsletter, let me know and I’ll shoot one out to you.