The Child On The Page

As I say last week I went to Auburn for a writers conference called The Child On The Page.
I learned a great deal there.
Here a list of the writers
Julianna Baggott
Peter Huggins
Peter Campion
Irene Latham
Elizabeth O. Dulemba
Dan Latimer
Rachel Hawkins
Emma Bolden
Judy Troy


And the one agent
Holly Root
This is going to sound crazy but I went just because Holly was there, and I didn't take her workshop "Polish Your Pitch"  The idea intimidated me to much.  Being in her class to polish a pitch for a novel that not even out of the beginning chapters of the first draft, didn't sound like a good idea at the time I signed up for the conference.  But now I WISH I had taking the workshop anyway!  I mean I want to meet her but I only got to say something to her about the cookies at the coffee table set in in the middle of the foyer.  And I didn't realize at the time I was talking to her.  I looked at her name tag after as she deciding which cookies she wanted and then I'm speechless, lol.  Lucky I don't think she noticed lol.
Anyway....
At the panel the next day she and her client Rachel Hawkin had a great conversion with the amazon 11 years old girl who interview them.  Wonderful! Funny! Really wish I took her workshop! lol
ok a few things I learned from the workshops I did take.

From Judy Troy:
Stories are made up of background facts and plot. You become the character through the background facts.
Fiction is not life, its a illusion.  There nothing random about fiction.
Don't make your character a victim.  Don't set her or him up against to many bad things.
Surprise yourself.  End up writing what you didn't know you knew.  Go Deep.  Tell the Truth. 
No tears from the writer, no tears from the reader.  Writers must feel as they are writing.  Go Deep (into your own emotions and memories)

What I learned from Rachel Hawkin.
"Write the **** book."

On the next day, from the panel I learned:

From Julianna Baggott:
"When there's no wind, roll."  talking about inspiration, and the lack of.
From Peter Huggins
"Leave yourself behind."
Judy Troy also said something about this in her workshop the day before.  It's something I need to work on and just let my characters tell thier stories.

I really really had a great, wonderful, fun time and hope to make it to next year conference, The Haunting Muse.

~Annie