A delayed response to the Writing Industries Conference.

This is my very delayed response to the Writing Industries Conference which took place on Saturday the 6th March in Loughborough.

The day opened with a key note speech by the wonderful Graham Joyce who gave an honest discussion on the end of the print age. Although the future of the print age seems dark, Graham Joyce argued that the future of writers, however, will prosper. Provided that writers can become adaptable and learn to write in various forms. My favourite point in this key speech was the idea that society will always need stories, no matter what form they come in:)

I had two favourite panels of the day. The first was the 'Community Journalism, Blogging and Finding New Relationships' panel chaired by James K Walker, John Coster, Al Needham and Susi O'Neil. The best advice I took from that panel was to do with being honest and direct when blogging - the audience need to know what to expect from your blog and who is speaking. As expected though it was hard to define how running a blog can assist a writer financially although there was a concensus that it definitely helped in building an audience.

My second favourite panel was the 'How does public funding support the development of writers' chaired by Henderson Mullin, Jonathon Davidson, Farhana Shaikh and Kate Wilkinson (standing in for Steve Dearden). The concensus was that writers can't expect funding for their writing only; they need other skills which will advtantage the public in some way as well as themselves. The most interesting idea I took from this panel was that funding bodies do not only have to be literature intended companies; places like the NHS/Walking companies, organisations outside the box can be a possibility if you can explore how literature relates to the companies aims.

Writers need to treat themselves as businesses and find new ways to reach new audiences; whether that be through building an on-line presence, taking part in community projects or finding ways to relate their work to the public. At the end of the print age writing is losing its solitariness; writers will need to have more of a public presence. It's no longer onyl about sitting at home and writing, writers need a face as well.

If the Writing Industries Conference is to run next year I would like to see more opportunities to network and discuss individuals work; perhaps a reading lunch where writers can have an open mic to read their work. I would also like to see more indepth panels that explore already tried and tested ways to build an audience for a writer. There was a lot of general advice and it would be good to see more specific advice aimed at writers who are already networking have a presence in the community and how to push this further. Perhaps this is the hardest thing to define as it is not straight forward.

I would love to see more events such as The Writing Industries Conference around the country to bring writers and literature development activists together. I'm looking forward to the next one:)

Coffee is an unwelcome distraction...

...when you're trying to write. This week has been my first experience of writing full time and I think I may have developed a coffee addiction. I inherited a nice new cafetiere from the landlord which I'm sure by the end of this year will be the death of me.

In between brewing coffee, drinking coffee, reheating coffee and pouring more coffee, I have been trying to structure a nice shiny submission for the free agency one-to-one for the Writing Industries Conference: http://writingindustries.com/1-2-1-guidelines/. To submit you need the first three chapters of a novel, a synopsis and a letter explaining your achievements and future goals as a writer. I'm sure my printer is feeling the end of the week blues as I decided the best way to edit my novel would be to print it off and scribble obscene and belittleing notes to myself. What I'm finding hardest is to define my achievements and my future aims. I know where I'm pointing for but I want to be realistic about where my arrow will land. Doesn't it sound corny to say to 'I want to be published'. Isn't that what everyone wants?

Anyway, I guess at the end of this week it's made me realise that I could write full time; in the sense of having the motivation, getting the work done (between coffee) and not driving myself crazy with my own company. But how does one going about achieving this goal between paying the rent? Despite the rest of the world being under water (I've developed an ear infection :( ) I have been for a few job interviews this week and have managed to find some disillusioned employer that wants me to start Monday. Which is great. But what about my writing?! Being a dedicated, serious writer along a full time job is so tiring! Of course I'm not complaining, that's what it's all about isn't it - having the drive to keep going when others would give up? But at what point does writing stop being a second hobby and start being a realistic goal? At what point do you find the balance to stop worrying about the rent and give yourself the time and space to write. Isn't that what it's all about too? Isn't that what we're all missing? Time and Space. To do the things we always really wanted to do, but never got round to.

On a more important note, I've decided from my watery brain, to stop drinking coffee for a week, before I lose any more sleep!