June has followed suit with this year’s theme of chaos and uncertainty. Thankfully, life has found a way to continue. I am so grateful that the League of Utah Writers decided to hold its Spring Conference in a virtual format this past May.

I wanted to share a few highlights shared by various authors during their presentations, starting with J. T. Moore’s Dos and Don’ts of Writing People of Color. I have always strived to be respectful in my writing in regards to race and representation, but Moore’s presentation made me realize that I needed to be more conscious in my choices and descriptions of people of color. She advised writers to indicate a character’s race early on, even if the character is White. This will help avoid the White default that many readers envision when first introduced to a character. However, when describing people of color, Moore explained that using foods as adjectives is not a good idea. Foods are often associated with consumption and ownership, not to mention having sexual connotations. Describing someone’s skin as chocolate can invoke those images. I know that is something I’m going to focus on not doing.

The second highlight is from Jo Schneider’s presentation on Plotting. During it she talked about character’s fatal flaws. Now, common fatal flaws could be a quick temper, lying, fear of commitment, as so on, but a fatal flaw can also be a character’s strength. She gave the example of Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender. His strength is that he refuses to kill, but it is also his character flaw because it gets in the way of all of the other characters’ wants; killing the tyrant king. I also loved a quote that she shared by Dara Marks who said, “The fatal flaw is a struggle within a character to maintain a survival system long after it has outlived its usefulness.”

Lastly, I really appreciated Linne Elizabeth’s presentation, Giving Feedback with Grace. For years I had heard that the best way to give criticism on another author’s work was to use the sandwich method (compliment, criticism, compliment). But recent studies have shown that the sandwich method is actually counterproductive, one reason being that those receiving the feedback will focus on the compliments without giving enough attention to the criticism. Praise comes later, not when a piece is brand new. The beginning is when criticism is needed the most. That being said, criticism doesn’t have to be given in a discouraging way. It is possible to give negative feedback with a positive tone. Linne suggested two ways to do that. First, ask questions. Instead of saying, “Your character is annoying,” say, “Your character intrigues me, but I’m not sure as to what is motivating them. Could you delve into that more?” Second, be an advocate for the author and their work! You want them to succeed, so show it.

Really, there was so much more that I could write about; writing and publishing tips, authors’ experiences, pitching, just to name a few. The ones I shared here will I will actively keep in mind as I work to make my writing better. I know I’ve said it before, but I can’t recommend writing conferences highly enough.

Thanks for stopping by!