Stay Motivated Through Writing Education

When I get together with other authors, I get a great big boost in my desire to write and finish my current work-in-progress. Today I'm going to talk about ways to connect with others and enhance our writing skills too.

Writers Conferences

I have a couple of favorite conferences I attend each year. Here are a few that are coming up soon:

•  August 14 & 15 - WriteOn Con (This one is online and anyone can attend for FREE!!!)
• Sept. 15th - Storymakers Midwest Conference, Kansas City

Other fabulous conferences:

• LDStorymakers Writers Conference in May (May - Provo, UT)
• Life, The Universe, and Everything, BYU - Provo, Utah
• Romance Writers of America annual conference (July)
•  Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators conferences

Writing Classes

Many community colleges offer classes taught by professionals, in this case, published authors. Online classes are another great option too. Some good places for online classes include:

• Authors Incognito
• Romance Writers of America (offers several classes each month for their members)
• The Writer's Dojo
• Writer's Digest University

Writing Organization Monthly Meetings

Joining a local writers organization provides consistent meetings with other authors. Generally, there's time to socialize and each month a speaker discusses writing, querying, or publishing elements.

To find a writers group, do an internet search with your location and writers group (for example, Pennsylvania writers groups). You may need to change the key words a little bit and try writing organizations, league of _____ writers, etc. Other organizations include those by genre, such as Romance Writers of America or SCBWI. In this case, you may search for "Science Fiction Writers Organizations," etc.

What tips to do you have to keep motivated through writing education?