After The Conference, What Next?

       Writers Conferences are a great way to learn more about the craft of writing. I try to attend a few local conferences or workshops each year. And I always leave renewed, encouraged, and excited. Ideas and techniques are bouncing around in my brain, triggering more ideas. But it’s hard to focus on just one of the ideas, and even harder to keep that excitement in the days following the conference.

        If you’ve recently attended a conference, class, or workshop, and want to capture that creative high, here are some tips you might try in the days following the event.

• Write it down. Jot down every idea, no matter how vague, strange, or unlikely. You may not have time to think it through or plot it right now, but write down enough to remind you of the concept you were thinking of. Some of these ideas are junk, but some may be creative gold. Keep this list, and add to it as ideas pop up.

• Use free writing to spill out as many different ideas and possible directions as possible.

• Pick one of the ideas and explore it. Give it enough thinking time to determine if it has merit as a poem, blog post, short story, article, etc. 

• Look over any handouts or notes from the conference or class. Do the practice exercises. Doing reinforces the information you heard, and gives you a better understanding.

• Commit to writing every day, even if just for a few minutes. Putting your brain into writing gear regularly helps you keep the ideas alive.

         The excitement we get from time spent learning and sharing ideas with fellow writers can fuel us in our writing journey. I hope these ideas help you keep that excitement alive.