This weekend I attended the Boskone convention in Boston, MA. It is an annual Science Fiction and Fantasy convention where fans and writers alike come together to celebrate books and fandom. It was an incredible experience, and one I highly recommend to any writer in the area, published or unpublished. There were something like 200+ programs that you could attend, including author readings and meet-and-greet, discussions about advances in science and technology, and (the ones I focused on) conversations with authors, editors, and agents about all aspects of the business of writing.
The panels I attended included:
From Rapiers to Ray Guns, a discussion between knowledgeable writers on how to use technology effectively in your story.
Design Your Own Mythology, a discussion on how to create well-rounded religions and draw inspiration from existing cultures.
Contracts and Talking Terms, talking about agent and publishing contracts and the common clauses and terms you want to look out for. (This was the most informative - I took a page of notes and it really answered a bunch of my questions about contracts, for when the time comes!)
I also attended two of award-winning author Brandon Sanderson's discussions. One was a discussion of his early inspirations and his career, and one was a more fan-based program where he read excerpts from his upcoming book. He is one of my favorite authors, and an amazing inspiration to me! When I found out he was going to be there, I HAD to go. (The one picture I took at the convention was of him signing a book!) In a brief conversation over the three books I'd brought for him to sign, he told me to own my writing and to keep on practicing and honing my writing skills. It was incredibly encouraging!
I also met another writer (Sarah Beth Durst) who I'd never heard of before this convention. Her books sounded right up my alley, and we had a pleasant discussion about writing from the early stages (where I am) to the published stage (where she was). She told me something I never expected to hear: "It gets easier." She's got something like ten books published so far, and has been writing for a long time. Her first 5-6 books were never published but she just kept going, kept pushing new stories out and eventually she learned what works for her and what doesn't, and she has an arsenal of tools at her disposal for when she gets stuck on a tough plot problem, or an errant character, or on world-building. Talking with her was so inspiring!
After the convention, I've found my own motivation to continue writing has been really enhanced. I feel like things are turning around for me, and this was just the thing I needed to push through to the next level. I've even thought about what I want to do with Arkaya, Draft 5. There's nothing concrete yet, but I feel like the wheels are churning in my head, both about my current project and about my next (previous) one.
I'm already marking my calendar for the 2018 Boskone convention! It was a wonderful experience I won't soon forget.