Today I went to my second writing conference. Lots of good thoughts, but I'm tired and headachy, and I've worn heel far too long today. So, here are a few highlights from my notes.
There is no big secret to getting published. Work hard at your craft.
Each project brings new challenges. Some lessons learned will be helpful; others might hold your writing back. Learn when to rewrite and when to leave it alone for a while.
A memory file (the mind) needs frequent updates. That's why some of us write.
Successful writers have at least one of the following:
--A spouse who earns a lot of money. Allows freedom to devote oneself to writing.
--Personal ability to not feel responsible for other people.
--The capacity to generate a revenue stream from writing related activities (speaking, involvement in conferences and workshops, etc.).
--Good enough to get out of Australian market.
First page reading by editors/agents showed how subjective liking someone's work is. None of the submissions were universally liked, though basically if one person hated it, everyone hated it. There is a basic level of good writing, but beyond that it's subjective. I really wish I'd submitted something, but oh well--next year.
Lots more, but mostly it was just fun to hang out with a bunch of other writers.
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