Every writer has to self-edit, even if it’s only to get your work in shape to send to beta readers and agents. There are many resources out there for what to look for when editing (my latest fave), but very little about how to go about doing so effectively. If you’re looking for the latter,…
Tag: pnwa60
Edgy Inspirational Fiction (PNWA 2015 session round-up)
This session was a surprisingly fun and interactive presentation from J.D. DeWitt. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but it ended up being a great advice and encouragement session for Christian authors. She started with the basics, which was good, because I’m not too familiar with the world of faith-based publishing. Until recently, it…
MG or YA? How do you know? (PNWA 2015 session round-up)
Saturday morning, the last main day of the conference, was the earliest start time of all—8 am! Attendance at all the first sessions was pretty light, but we had a great time at the “Elements of Young Adult and Middle Grade,” a panel discussion with two authors (Janet Lee Carey and Brian Mercer) and two…
What is a writer?
“A writer is someone who wrote something today, and today I qualify.” — JA Jance (at the 2015 PNWA Conference)
Treat Your Book Like a Startup (PNWA session round-up)
Friday morning at the conference was comprised mainly of the agent and editor sessions in the main ballrooms. Even though their names and bios were published in the session booklet, it was still insightful to hear them talk about what they were looking for and answer questions. Unlike my first conference in 2010, we were…
Andre Dubus III Keynote (PNWA 2015 session round-up)
The Thursday keynote at the 2015 PNWA conference was from Andre Dubus III. Although he was one of the few repeat speakers in the 60-year(!) history of the conference, it so happens that the only other time I attended the conference, in 2010, was his previous appearance. Fortunately he’s an engaging speaker, so I didn’t…
Making Connections (PNWA 2015 session round-up)
Robert Dugoni, a best-selling author who got his start at PNWA, continues to support the PNWA and its writers. On Thursday afternoon he gave the pre-dinner session. In it, he talked about his personal journey from a family of “compulsive overachievers” through law to being an author. People told him that it took a lot…
PNWA session round-up: the Power Pitch blocks
PNWA switched to the “power pitch” format a few years ago, where you sign up for one or two 90-minute blocks and then can pitch to as many agents as you can get in line for in 4-minute segments. My fellow author Mark, whom I met at the conference, has a post that goes into…
Turn Your Dream Into Reality (PNWA 2015 session round-up)
(Second in a series of posts with the highlights of what I learned from the 2015 PNWA conference.) I expected this session, with Bill Kenower and Ingrid Ricks, to be a step-by-step plan or something prosaic like that. Instead, it was part inspirational memoir, part motivational speech… but not necessarily less practical for all that….
Writing Active Setting (PNWA 2015 session round-up)
(I’ll be doing a series of posts with the highlights of what I learned from various sessions at the 2015 PNWA Conference. This is the first!) The very first session I attended was “Writing Active Setting,” presented by Mary Buckham. She said many writers have one of two issues with setting in their story: They…