Announcement: Meet Me at the Writer’s Buffet

What counts as Process and why is it so important? How does creative play help me get to my writing? What kind of Self-care does a writer need? How should I structure my Product Time to get the most out of it?

I’ll answer these and any other questions you might have about how my 3 Recommended Practices form the foundation of a sustainable writing habit at the Loft’s A La Carte Conference: A Writing Buffet for Beginners on Saturday, February 20.

Lest you think, “A conference for beginners? That’s not for me; I’m past being a beginner,” remember what Julia Cameron had to say in The Artist’s Way about the grace of the beginner:

“As artists, we are spiritual sharks. The ruthless truth is that if we don’t keep moving, we sink to the bottom and die. The choice is very simple: we can insist on resting on our laurels, or we can begin anew. The stringent requirement of a sustained creative life is the humility to start again, to begin anew. It is this willingness to once more be a beginner that distinguishes a creative career.”

The A La Carte Conference not only features an “appetizer” keynote address on the writing life with Selden Edwards and the aforementioned “entrée” breakout session with yours truly, there are also “entrées” in:

• Memoir
• Children’s Writing
• Poetry
• Novel Writing
• Writing for Television
• Screenwriting
• Graphic Novels and Comic Books
• Short Story

Surely you’re not an expert in all these genres. Even if you don’t plan to pursue all of these, you can gain new perspectives and insights from any of these sessions. Think of it as creative cross-training for writers.

There’s also a networking lunch with the presenters and other writers for a side dish (I’m initiating a discussion of what we love about our writing at the table I’m hosting), a panel discussion that will quench your thirst to ask questions and get practical answers, and Next Steps for Writers for dessert.

I hope to see you at the Buffet!