Bay To Ocean Writers Conference (19th Annual)

On Saturday, March 12, 2016, I along with a member of my writers' critique group attended the 19th Annual Bay To Ocean Writers Conference at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, MD. This year's session offerings were hard to select from. Why? Because they were all great. Anyway, here are the 5 sessions, I finally settled on.

Session 1: How to Construct Story Lines that Don't Collapse, Evaporate, or Bore

Barbara Esstman as always gives a great presentation. In this session, she shared tips that work for a short story, novel or memoir.

Takeaway - Always start with a precipitating event that will drive your story!

Session 2: Your Manuscript: Build It Right

Melanie Rigney's presentation pointed out similarities between building your novel and building a house. Basically, you need the foundation (plot, structure, etc.) to make your story stand strong.

Takeaway - Just like a house would have covenants so too do readers (e.g. a good story driven by a good plot with conflict).

Session 3: Finding a Compelling Voice: the Essential Advantage You Need in Order to Publish

Laura Oliver opened her session with a clip from The Voice 2015 (Jordan Smith). And it was a powerful way to show the importance of finding a voice that is so compelling that readers will tag along for the ride or in the case of The Voice - make all the judges hit the button and turn around in awe of the voice.

Takeaway - Tell your story in your own authentic voice because no one does it better than you!

Session 4: Ten Ubiquitous Mistakes You Can Save Yourself from Making

Barbara Esstman was at it again in this session where she talks about the 10 don'ts of writing a book. She said that she could have talked about more and I believe her.

Takeaway - The first line of your book should tell the story of your whole book (now this can be quite a feat).

Session 5: How to Write Sex Scenes

Bestselling romance author Mary McCarthy didn't disappoint in her presentation. She gave lots of great tips for writing sex scenes that would make you blush!

Takeaway - Don't shy away from research. Yep, this is key!

Overall, it was a great day. I learned some new things and now I'm inspired to WRITE ON! So, if you are an aspiring writer and you need to be motivated to get published then attending the BTO Writers Conference or any other writers conference is a good place to start!

Here are some photos from the event. Enjoy!

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