Here's the Real Reason...
Why would a writer take the time to design a class about the craft of writing? Why take more time to present a class at a writer’s conference? Why share what it has taken you years to learn with a roomful of emerging or just aspiring writers? I've often said that presenting to new and future authors is personally rewarding. I’d like to present a couple of concrete examples.
Last weekend I had the chance to present at the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference. Fifty talented writers signed up to hear my three hour talk about how I create fictional characters. The group was attentive and inquisitive, and gave great feedback during the class. But even more fulfilling was the feedback I received after the class, like this email:
Austin---I want to express my gratitude and thanks for the presentation you gave at the Conference this weekend. I learned a great deal and found your “delivery” quite understandable, delivered with a sense of humor and giving me new insights. I am a short story writer so maybe not 100% of what you said translates into my work but 99% of it does.
I also heard from one student who appeared to be dealing with a serious disease, one that made it difficult for him to speak. Nonetheless he contributed during class and asked good questions. Days after the Con he sent this email:
I wanted take to a moment out of my day to say thank you. I was in your class at the Philadelphia Writers' Conference and I found it very informative and helpful. I loved your style of teaching. You made the class fun, which is what writing should be, with your wit and sense of humor. And from the passages you read from your books, you're an excellent writer.
Thank you very much for coming to the conference and on a more personal and meaningful note, thank you for your patience when I spoke to you after the class. I am the man with the disability and you took the time to listen and to care. To use a phrase I have used before, you saw me as a writer who happens to be handicapped, not as a handicapped man who happens to writer. Thanks very much.
I don’t care how long you've been published or how many books you have out there, no awards, honors or even sales figures could be more satisfying than feedback like that. This kind of thing makes the time and effort of presenting at writers’ conferences more than worthwhile.
If you’ve seen a great presentation at a conference you attended, or as an instructor received this kind of feedback, why not share with us?
Last weekend I had the chance to present at the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference. Fifty talented writers signed up to hear my three hour talk about how I create fictional characters. The group was attentive and inquisitive, and gave great feedback during the class. But even more fulfilling was the feedback I received after the class, like this email:
Austin---I want to express my gratitude and thanks for the presentation you gave at the Conference this weekend. I learned a great deal and found your “delivery” quite understandable, delivered with a sense of humor and giving me new insights. I am a short story writer so maybe not 100% of what you said translates into my work but 99% of it does.
I also heard from one student who appeared to be dealing with a serious disease, one that made it difficult for him to speak. Nonetheless he contributed during class and asked good questions. Days after the Con he sent this email:
I wanted take to a moment out of my day to say thank you. I was in your class at the Philadelphia Writers' Conference and I found it very informative and helpful. I loved your style of teaching. You made the class fun, which is what writing should be, with your wit and sense of humor. And from the passages you read from your books, you're an excellent writer.
Thank you very much for coming to the conference and on a more personal and meaningful note, thank you for your patience when I spoke to you after the class. I am the man with the disability and you took the time to listen and to care. To use a phrase I have used before, you saw me as a writer who happens to be handicapped, not as a handicapped man who happens to writer. Thanks very much.
I don’t care how long you've been published or how many books you have out there, no awards, honors or even sales figures could be more satisfying than feedback like that. This kind of thing makes the time and effort of presenting at writers’ conferences more than worthwhile.
If you’ve seen a great presentation at a conference you attended, or as an instructor received this kind of feedback, why not share with us?
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