Friday, May 14, 2010

Notes from the Pennwriters Conference: Day One

I love it when a conference presenter gives a workshop that leaves me with bite-sized nuggets of information, perfectly presented for their takeaway value. In his workshop on "Getting Conflict on the Page," Seton Hill Adjunct Professor Tim Esaias made a complex concept seem simple and do-able, and left me feeling energized. Weaving guidelines, exercises and advice seamlessly together, Tim left attendees (or this one anyway) with the feeling that they could leave the room and put the information from the workshop to use. Immediately.

After attending two disappointing workshops this morning, I was looking forward to going to one that would be helpful, and Tim's looked especially promising, as it was on a topic where I needed lots of advice. Five minutes into the workshop, it was easy to see why Tim had been given the largest workshop space (it wasn't only because he gives candy to those who volunteer): he'd earned it. And, by the end of the hour, he'd earned my gratitude as well.

To quote my sister, "Now that's what we came here for."

2 comments:

  1. Was this a nonfiction conference, Lisa? Isn't there one in Pa that you're presenting at this summer?

    ReplyDelete
  2. This was for writers of all genre - lots of good presenters, too! I'm hoping to present in Lewisburg next fall, but haven't heard back yet.

    ReplyDelete