Tips for Writers, Treat Yourself to Writing Classes, Conferences, and Books

Image by Ajay Tallam on Flickr

Writing practice is the best way to learn to write and it’s free. Yet having someone to guide you and help you learn how to fix common mistakes and avoid new pitfalls can be very rewarding. I treat myself to one or two conferences a year, one or two classes, and several books.

I say it’s a treat because so often we writers don’t want to spend the money on these things. Admittedly, it can get expensive. There are big bills to pay and little mouths to feed.  Certainly you can spend a fortune on a writing education. MFA programs don’t come cheap. Neither do most conferences. However, there are ways to beat the cost, as you’ll see in this blog post.

Then there’s the matter of time. Taking a class and doing all the work involved takes time and plenty of it. You might feel that it detracts from your personal writing time. Yet what better investment of your writing time is there? While taking a class, you’re creating and critiquing. You’re learning to analyze what makes some authors merely good, and what makes others great. You’re practicing those skills and learning how to take your own writing to the next level.

Good Writing Classes Online
Look around for inexpensive classes. There are many classes online that only cost $20 to $25. Margie Lawson is one teacher I recommend. She offers a series of popular classes in building emotion and psychology of characters. She also offers classes in conquering self-defeating behaviors that keep us from writing. If you don’t have time for a class, she offers the lecture packets for download. Many of the writers I’ve met in her classes have gone on to become published, and some of the bestselling authors I know have taken her classes to hone their skills.

Free Online Writing Conference
Perhaps you’ve always wanted to go to a conference, but thought you couldn’t afford it. Or perhaps you don’t have anyone to watch the kids, dogs, goats, etc. WriteOnCon is a first of its kind, free online conference that started last year. There were online symposiums with authors, editors and agents. The live chats and videos were top quality, just what you’d expect at a large national convention. Even better, they continue to have live chats and videos every month. You can tune in anytime.

Just because I mentioned Margie Lawson and WriteOnCon doesn’t mean they’re the only classes and conferences online. But I’ve been involved in them and found them to be very valuable. The writers you meet online this way might turn into long term friendships or writing partnerships. Who knows where a conversation with an agent or editor might lead?

Books to Learn How to Write a Novel
Of course, there are more books to read on the craft of writing than I could ever list here. I’m a book junkie, and my writing bookshelf is stuffed to overflowing. So is my Kindle. There are many that I recommend, but some that I’ve recently read and enjoyed are the Breakout Novel books by Donald Maass, The Nighttime Novelist, by Joseph Bates, and The Portable MFA, by the New York Writers Workshop. I chose those three because they give solid, practical advice from veterans of writing, with plenty of writing exercises to practice the skills you’re reading about.

In the final analysis, I always tell my students that you get out of your education what you put into it. Spend the time, give the effort, and reap the rewards of a writing education. But most of all, enjoy yourself as you do it. Consider it a treat. Make that commitment to yourself to reach your dreams.

What are your favorite online classes, books, and conferences? Do you have any experiences to share?