I've returned from the Writers Conference at USF feeling inspired, energized and creative.  With the great speakers and workshop presenters, it's difficult not to come away with these emotions.

Our Keynote Address was given by Billy Collins, U.S. Poet Laureate 2001-2003.  He is currently New York State Poet Laureate and Professor of English at Lehman College.  Although poetry is not my genre, his speech was geared toward all writers.  His humor got everyone in the mood for a relaxing and fun-filled conference.  He spoke about getting rid of beginnings and endings in our writing, explaining that the story is in the middle.  He stated that "The road to originality is imitation."  In other words, every story has already been told....it's the creating of the fresh voice that sets each story apart. 

Of all the workshops that I attended I thought Lynne Barrett was one of the best presenters.  Lynne teaches in the MFA program at Florida University and her workshops were more geared for fiction writers.  She spoke about metonymy....which is a comparison-like metaphor but you speak of a place that carries meaning.  An example was "The White House said...." which is the image and conveys power and leadership.  She recommended doing a map of the current project you're working on and describing it in significance to your story, pointing out where the physical crossroads are and whose territory it is in relation to your characters.  I came away from her workshops with lots of inspiration and ideas in relation to my current manuscript, "Seeking Sydney."

The one disappointment for me was the Banquet Speaker, Augusten Burroughs.  He's the author of the bestseller, Running with Scissors.  He did a "live performance" which consisted of reading excerpts of his writing.  I've always felt that these readings should be done during the designated times throughout the conference and not used as a banquet speech.  I attend these writers conferences to learn more and grow in my craft of writing.  Hearing somebody read their work to me somehow does nothing to further my growth.  I'd much rather hear about their own journey in the writing industry or perhaps some tips and suggestions on the craft of writing.  But overall, it was another successful conference.  I made some new friends and saw a lot of old ones.  It's the perfect venue to network and push along your own writing career.  For any writers reading this, I can't emphasize strongly enough how important it is to attend a writing conference.  It opens a whole new world in the writing profession.

Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine Day!  With my renewed energy, I'm off to work on my next chapter of "Seeking Sydney" and to put to use all of the valuable info I absorbed at the conference.   See you tomorrow..............