Look around you. Writers organizations of all kinds have either presented or are preparing to present a writers conference. Some of them specialize in certain genres, such as children and juvenile writing (SCBWI), mystery (MWA), thrillers (ITW) or romance (RWA). You might say conferences are as common as fairy rings after a summer rain. Confused by the many offerings, and wondering which one to attend? The trick is to look for the uncommon conference, like our Florida Writers Conference, for … Read More »

“Lemme axt you sumppin’, man.” I paused in mid-stride, my attention shifting to the speaker. The gravelly voice was distinctive enough, but it was the single phrase that caught my writer’s ear. I was on my way to gate C-45 in the Houston Airport and turned to see the speaker slumped in one of the molded plastic seats lining the windows of the concourse. He was staring into the distance, unaware of my interest and seemed to be talking to … Read More »

Asking a writer why he or she writes is like asking Peyton Manning why he throws a football or Wynton Marsalis why he blows the trumpet. We do it because we’ve found it to be the best way to express ourselves—and we’re good at it. In a way, writing is an obsessive-compulsive behavior. We write because we don’t have a choice. Those of us attempting to put words on paper in a meaningful way are miserable when we’re not writing, … Read More »