One of the few reasons I love summer and will brave the summer heat is because of the abundance of writer’s conferences.

Last week was the Summer Writers Symposium, this week it’s Fyrecon; three full days of writing presentations, panels, and round tables! There is a small amount of pride I feel knowing that my university has teamed up with local authors and artists to give emerging individuals a chance to learn from those who have ‘made it.’ Go Weber!

I won’t be able to post everything I learned over the weekend, but I’ll share some highlights from the conference.

As I’ve listened to writing instructors, writing podcasts, and read books on the craft of writing, I’ve been told to use my second and third draft to improve the story I’ve written. While at Fyrecon, I had the chance to see a step by step example of one way to actually do this. Of course, I understand that I only saw one way to go through a manuscript to bring it closer to publication, but I was extremely appreciative to watch an author go through part of their process.

One tip that we were given was to make sure that any character mental, emotional, or physical changes or injuries don’t disappear. The presenter gave the example of her bad back. It affects every aspect of her life and she is aware of it all of the time. She walks with a cane to remind herself to not push herself too hard. Characters should be the same way; if they are hurt, it is going to have an impact on almost everything they do while they are affected. Definitely something I will be looking for during my second and third drafts.

Middles are almost always the most difficult part of a book or series to write. The beginning and end are so exciting, but what happens after the inciting incident and before the climax is what will propel the plot forward.

The first thing the panelists suggested is plotting the middle before it is written. This allows writers to find the beats and put events in the right order before they sit down to type. Time lost plotting is gained back by not muddling through the middle. Middles are the perfect place for beats in the try/fail cycle. This is where the characters’ goals are attempted and failed, pushing the character to make more decisions that will move the plot. Characters need trials thrown at them; readers can tell when you are going easy on them.

Not letting a middle book in a series be all middle was also brought up. Middle books must have major conflicts explored and resolved in them, otherwise middle books may as well be skipped by readers.

Another great solution to muddling through the middle (and middle books) was to have subplot lines. This means that there are many layers of the try/fail cycle and multiple conflict resolutions before the story is over. The addition of romance is often a way to keep things interesting for characters while in the middle of the book. Major subplots should be resolved at the end of each book. Characters may be led to believe that they’ve succeeded, only to find that this is not the case when the main arc returns.

Another presentation that I’m happy I attended was given by an author who attempted to plot six stories at the same time. She tried a combination of almost every style of plotting known to writers to come up with one that would work every single time. Needless to say, it wasn’t the most successful endeavor. But after she discovered a pre-made template, the process became much easier.

I loved watching the process of plotting. I often get hung up at this point, wondering if I’m doing it right and if I have the right plot style. After getting all of the plot points down on the template, she was able to move it over to the seven point plot system, the same one I’m planning on using.

I realized while watching the process that I need to trust my writing process more. Instead of taking weeks to plot, I should be taking days (or hours if I get really good). So much of the story will work its way in the right direction if I trust the characters and the plot. I’m excited to try it out in the next few weeks as I begin working on my novel again.

I believe that this is going to be the last writing conference I attend for the summer. At least so far. Who knows, maybe I’ll come across some affordable gatherings before I head off to my last semester of college. But just in case you, reader, are curious, The LUW is hosting The Quills Conference in August. Definitely look into it! If things work out, I might consider going next year (fingers crossed).

Although I was quite busy this weekend, I did manage to work on my short story. With five days left before I hand it over to my LUW chapter for critique, I’ve got to really push myself. There’s no motivation like an upcoming deadline.