My 2016 PNWA Summer Conference

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend PNWA's annual summer conference. This was my 8th time attending this conference, and my 3rd year presenting at it. PNWA was the first event I ever went to as a professional writer, and I'll always be grateful to this great organization for all the help and opportunities I've gained as a result of my attendance over the years.

I'm not sure why this particular conference seemed so much more relaxed for me than past years. Perhaps it was because I only attended the first two days of the event. Perhaps it was the schedule, with its half-hour gaps in-between presentations and more than two hours for most meals. It could have also been the fact that I wasn't pitching to agents this year, which seemed to be the case with a growing number of my writing friends. Whatever it was, I noticed from the beginning of the first workshop that this event seemed to have a very positive vibe. It was relaxed, upbeat, and informative, and I enjoyed my time there immensely.

It didn't hurt that PNWA did a tremendous job of setting up my two presentations. From friendly moderators to generous room sizes, I felt like the staff and volunteers really valued me as a presenter, which helped my confidence and I feel ultimately contributed to the value of my workshops. I spoke about story beginnings on Thursday and character motivation on Friday. Both presentations were very well attended, with nearly every seat occupied by an engaged, enthusiastic attendee. I had a blast giving both workshops, and judging from the feedback that I got from attendees and the staff, it seems like the majority of my audiences had a great time too.

I wasn't able to attend very many presentations from other speakers, but I enjoyed the ones I did attend. Sabrina York was as friendly and useful as ever as she discussed practical marketing techniques, and Robert Dugoni was a wonderful keynote, though there was definitely a more somber tone to his comments than I've heard in the past, due to a frightening stroke he had earlier this year. Still, he seems healthy and hale now, and he received a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of his comments.

As I said before, I can't speak for the entire conference, as I was only able to attend the two days that I presented and could only partake in a fraction of the scheduled offerings. But I was very happy with my experience, and will definitely be planning to submit proposals for 2017's program.