Even though the 27th Annual Writers Conference has ended, the friendships found, stories shared, and lessons learned will stick with us for a long time to come. Since we are a Writer’s Festival, it only seems right to share some of our attendees’ own words about the experience. Here are memorable moments and wisdom that our guests from all across the globe are taking away from the 2020 Writers Conference:
“When Scott Frank talked about it being important to go down rabbit trails, make mistakes, and get lost until you find the spark of the story. He gave permission for it to take time. This was so validating for my creative process.”
“Honestly, I’m so caught up in the work of trying to break in as a screenwriter that I can forget why I wanted to be a storyteller in the first place. The conference reminds me that love for the craft is what brought me to this path in the first place.”
“Being reminded that living life is part of writing, so it’s okay to not be sucked into a frenzy 24/7 which so many people try to tell you is the difference between a writer and a wannabe. It’s so easy to forget in this industry, but we’re people, and THAT is actually what allows us to be artists. It’s easy to hungrily swallow all the advice out there, but the panels that really dug into the honesty really grabbed my soul in a jarring way, and then gave it a warm hug.”
“This Festival reconnected me with aspects of my process that I had been denying myself in the interest of being more efficient. I’ve been stuck for so long because I haven’t allowed myself the time to research or side write to find new entry points into my stories. This Festival reminded me of how essential that is.”
“At one of the panels, James V. Hart told us, “Remember, writers are job creators. All those credits you see at the end of a film or TV show are there because some writer had the courage to type ‘The End’.” That inspired me.”
“It was thrilling to be in the company of amazing writers and filmmakers. My “aha” moment was… I really do belong here. It was humbling and inspiring all at once.”
Thank you again to everyone that joined us this year. The main thing our team took away was that stories transcend walls and screens, and no matter how socially distanced we are, we can always write our way back together.