The Page a Day Writers Group

Where can writers go to network? Get information on the writing biz? Get feedback on work and hone their skills? A writers conference, of course. Here in San Diego, there are two, usually in January or February. I went to both last year. San Diego State University (SDSU) sponsors a large event with scads of classes, fancy folders, and agents from all over the country http://www.ces.sdsu.edu/writers/. The information I absorbed at the conference helped me to develop my writing career in both fiction and nonfiction arenas, but truthfully, for me, this conference was a bit like trying to take a sip of water from a fire hose (trite, but the description fits).  The agents, editors, and presenters were swamped with writers tugging at their shirt tails, and I felt overwhelmed.

The Southern California Writers’ Conference (SCWC) offered fewer classes, but the smaller number of participants made the presenters and agents more approachable www.WritersConference.com. The atmosphere was more relaxed and not only made workshop information easier to digest, it created a clearing for writers to develop lasting relationships of support and comradary. I met writers last year that still keep in touch via Facebook and email.

I’m not saying one conference is better than the other. Both have merits. Depending where my projects are in their development at the end of 2010, I may choose to attend the SDSU- read “Big City” – Writers’ Conference.

But this February, I look forward to seeing some familiar faces and to showing around the Page a Day Writers Group at the SCWC conference. I can’t wait to learn from great classes given by accomplished writers (including Kirsten Imani Kasai!) and other professionals. I know I’ll meet lots more scribes on their way up in the writing world, and we’ll spend late nights sharing snippets of prose for kudos and critique to continue the endless journey of enriching our craft.

If you’re a writer and you’ve never been to a conference, or you’ve attended conferences, but it’s been a while, what are you waiting for? You’re bound to learn a lot and meet some interesting people. Maybe you’ll make some great connections with other writers, find an agent to market your book, get some insight on how to strengthen your project or flesh out an idea.

So do some cyber surfing for a conference near you, and take the plunge!