Although graduation from Weber State University is still a little over six months away, I have been thinking about what life will be like once I’m not in class every day with aspiring writers and published instructors. Graduation also means that I need a career to step into. Both of these are more than a little intimidating. After spring semester ended this year, I decided that I wasn’t going to waste my summer sleeping in; I was going to start networking. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I have discovered that there is a lot out there for me to do.
I kicked my search off by going to a Fan Expo that was hosted by my former high school at the beginning of last month. While there, I had a chance to talk with a few authors and a couple of editors involved with local publishing companies. It was a good start, and I was pointed in the direction of one of the largest writing groups in Utah.
The reason I’m a little behind posting for this week is because I spent Thursday evening with my local chapter of the League of Utah Writers. Since I’m graduating soon, I wanted to start establishing myself more in the local writing community. One of my fears was that once I earned my BA I would suddenly find myself without any other writers to critique my stories or bounce ideas off of. I’m still the new kid, but I plan on going every month and making connections with my fellow writers. This month’s presentation at the meeting by Lyn Worthen was about character voice. I learned so much from Lyn’s analysis of what makes up character voice! Character voice isn’t just what a character says. There is so much that goes into creating the voice that speaks to readers. One point that Lyn emphasized is that a character’s past will influence everything about them, from their accent and their attitude to what details they observe and their opinion about them. If you ever get a chance to hear Lyn’s presentation on character voice at a conference or con, I highly recommend it!
After the presentation, I agreed to bring a story or chapter for the group to critique next month… Which means that I’ve got to have something. It’s motivating to have a deadline, but it’s also terrifying. Thankfully, I am steadily working on my magical toy guardian story (title TBA), so I won’t be completely empty handed.
If you’re a Utah writer, I wanted to let you know about some conferences that are coming up this summer. The League of Utah Writers is having their Summer Writers Symposium on June 15th at the Eccles Conference Center at Utah State University. I’ve already looked at the classes and panels offered, and I’m excited! I’m also looking forward to Fyrecon 3 at the Davis County Weber State University campus from June 20th-22nd. Fyrcon isn’t exclusively a writer’s conference, but is also a fantastic place for artists of all kinds to meet and enjoy amazing classes and workshops. LUW is also involved with The Quills Conference at the University of Utah on August 22nd-24th. I’ve already registered for the Symposium and Fyrcon, so I’ll post an update about that later this month.
With all of these conferences, chapters, and cons, I no longer have any worries about staying in touch with writers after graduation. The community dedicated to writing and the arts is not only large, but ready to welcome anyone looking to improve their craft.