Willamette Writers Conference

A week ago I attended the annual Willamette Writers Conference in Portland, OR. I’d heard of this conference before, but had never looked into it because I was under the impression that it was primarily for fiction writers. Wrong.

Prompted by Portland-area writer, Jason Brick, I looked up the conference website. In addition to fiction, there were tracks for non-fiction, film/TV, indie and self-publishing and the business of writing. One look at the agenda told me I needed to be there. Now at the point where I’m ready to move my freelance writing business to a new level, it was time to invest in myself.

Over two days I attended eight 90-minute workshops. Most were on the subject of writing articles for the magazine market – a field that I am breaking into. Two of my workshops covered the business of writing, and another was an interesting presentation about e-Book publishing.

But besides the knowledge imparted by the workshop presenters, the best part for me was being around so many other writers. At the end of each day, a social hour offered a chance to network with fellow writers, enjoy a drink and some appetizers. We are a solitary breed by nature and necessity, and so getting this opportunity to talk with other writers was very energizing and encouraging. I also gained two valuable new contacts with a magazine editor and a fellow travel writer.

What I discovered was that regardless of whether a person writes fiction, non-fiction, poetry or screenplays, it is this inner need to communicate ideas and emotions that drives all of us writers and is our common bond. So, I would like to send a big THANK YOU to the all-volunteer staff that produced the 2014 Willamette Writers Conference. I’m pretty sure you’ll be seeing me next year.