Susan Enowitz and Ron Carlson chatting before the Second Annual Writers Conference got underway.
Gustave Flaubert once famously called writing a dog’s life. Still, 87 people spent all of last Saturday at the Coronado Writer’s Workshop in pursuit of that life — or at least to explore the idea of writing a book and having it published.
It’s not an uncommon dream. Everyone has a story they want to get out, said Susan Enowitz, Coronado’s Commission for Literary Arts. It’s a cliched childhood fantasy: to write the great American novel.
This dream can come true if you have the talent, the tools and the time to make it come true. That message was essence of the advice passed along at the Coronado Cultural Arts Commission’s (CAC) second annual workshop.
The workshop is only in its infancy and has yet to develop the prestige or star power of some older, more established writers’ conferences, but it did give local writers and would be writers an opportunity to meet and learn from people in the industry.
All had spent time in the publishing world as writers, editors and marketers, and more than a few were respected writers. Some, such as Ron Carlson, Caitlin Rother and Laura McNeal, have national recognition.
Carlson has written 24 books, as well as numerous short stories, and also heads the creative writing department at the University of California, Irvine. Laura McNeal was nominated for a National Book Award for her young adult novel Dark Water and her newest novel, Incident on the Bridge, will be published this spring. Caitlin Rother, a former reporter and best selling author, has written ten books, including her latest, Then No One Can Have Her, and the La Jolla-based mystery Naked Addiction.
Presenters gave practical advice on how to write and sell a book. There were sessions on point-of-view, revision and plotting as well as social media and self-publishing. The event aimed to educate writers on the entire process of publishing, so topics covered every aspect of publishing, from book cover design to copyright law were discussed.
It was a surprisingly diverse group people — young and old, men and women — who came together to learn what it takes to be a successful writer.
Along the way, presenters offered encouragement by sharing their own struggles with terrors of the creative process: the blank page and time.
“I’ve written 24 books and the process of writing never gets easier,” Carlson said in his keynote address. Twenty minutes after he sits down to write, he said, wants to get out of the room. Still, he spends two hours a day writing, trying to produce 900 words in that time; as Carlson pointed out, “the minute you get out of the chair, you are no longer a writer.”
McNeal reminded participants that writing takes time, patience, and commitment, McNeal reiterated in her workshop. “It doesn’t matter how long it takes. What matters is that you finished it.”
Motiving people to start writing is one of the most exciting things about holding a writing conference here, Enowitz said. And for many, a big reason to attend was the opportunity to have a manuscript reviewed by a professional writer.
Enowitz spoke to three or four people who were inspired by last year’s workshop to produce a manuscript for review. Two of those, she said had featured Coronado directly or indirectly in the story. The number of attendees with manuscripts ready for review nearly doubled. This year 15 were prepared with manuscripts; last year it was only nine.
The opportunity to have their work reviewed helped keep some writers working toward a deadline. One seasoned journalist in attendance shared that simply knowing that she had to produce 20 pages for her personal manuscript review session kept her working on a novel she’s wanted to write for years. She found inspiration and practical advice from the workshops as well. “Now all I have to do is find the time and discipline to write every day,” she said.
Coming by the inspiration to write is one thing; mustering the day in and day out commitment is another. For many, the latter is elusive. Without execution, the goal of being a writer remains an elusive dream. “The secret is you have to write, if you want to be a writer,” said Rother. Reading other writer’s works is also important. “What delineates writers is how much they read,” Carlson said.
Attendees came with a range of backgrounds and expectations. Kathy McDonald, a teacher at Coronado Middle School wouldn’t consider herself a writer yet, but she’s long wanted to write short stories. “I want to put some action into my dream,” she said. She indicated that she hoped attending the conference will help her do just that.
Others were further along in realizing their dreams. Kathleen Petryshyn simply wanted to know how to market her book Wake Up Mother Goose, which has only sold two copies on Amazon, she said. She has 14 more in the series; two are about to be published on Amazon’s self-publishing page, Create Space. “I’m not going to be able to sell more unless people know about the books,” she said.
For her marketing is the key. She only attended workshops on self-publishing and social media, but shared “I got exactly what I needed” from the workshop.
With another batch of satisfied participants, the future looks bright for upcoming Coronado Writers Workshops — and up and coming Coronado writers.
