GenreCon 2019 - My Experience

This weekend I attended GenreCon 2019 with writing buddy Deeanna West. This was the perfect conference for both of us, where I could indulge in all things romance and crime while Dee could follow her passion for magic and fantasy. We had a great time attending a writing workshop with Kate Forsyth, buying books at the Night Market, and attending all the crime and fantasy panels that we could. This was also my first conference as a presenter, where I chatted about writing competitions with a panel of other award-winning authors. We got a lot out of the weekend, as well as cute bags and a free book.

This is just a little snippet about my experience at GenreCon, thanks to the Queensland Writers Centre.

Castles and Cursed Gardens - Writing Workshop with Kate Forsyth

Kate's workshop was about creating fictional worlds where the reader becomes immersed. We discussed creating dramatic openings, likeable characters, and how to take the reader on a journey of transformation that changes them as well as the protagonist. I enjoyed Kate's workshop because she is a wonderful presenter and provided us with some great tips to create realistic worlds no matter our genre.

Write to Win

On Saturday, I appeared on a panel called Write To Win where I discussed writing competitions with M.J. Tjia, Kaaron Warren, and Ruth McIver. We had a great chat about our experience entering and winning competitions, as well as our experiences with judging. My advice still stands - entering competitions that provide feedback on your writing is the most valuable thing you can do as a writer.

Saturday

On Saturday afternoon, Dee and I attended the fantasy workshops where we learnt how to use archaeology to create worlds that thrive and why it's important to create a religion for fantasy worlds.

Sunday

On Sunday, we attended a talk about Genre Worlds by Kim Wilkins and then I brushed up on synopsis writing with Michelle Somers. Michelle's workshop Simply Synopsis is a very valuable workshop for anyone struggling to write that very important piece of your novel. Then I spent the afternoon in the crime seminars talking about killing off cliches and creating suspense in short crime stories.

GenreCon 2019 Experience

Overall, I enjoyed attending GenreCon and catching up with friends - T.M. Clark, Anna Campbell, and H. M. Hodgson. I wish to thank Queensland Writers Centre for hosting a large, successful conference and for inviting me to present. As always, writing conferences are a very valuable with their advice, workshops, and networking opportunities.

At T.M. Clark's launch of Cry of the Firebird

H.M. Hodgson, Anna Campbell, Deeanna West, and me having coffee