LTUE Symposium Day 2 & 3.

LTUE DAY 2 & 3

Wow. Day 2&3 of LTUE were amazing. It has taken me a couple of days to gather my thoughts. The panels were excellent. The information was exactly what I had been wondering about. Also it was amazing to be around other creators that were as excited about fantasy and science fiction as I was. I've made some new friends.

My big takeaway from the conference was this...

I should be writing. 

The experience was amazing. I plan on going next year. But it could be so easy to get distracted by everything that goes into being a writer. If you are serious about writing I think you need to be putting words on the page daily. On a good day (schedule allowing) I'll put down about 1'000 to 2'000. On a bad day I'm lucky to manage a sentence. But I'm writing. Even a blog entry is better than nothing. I found myself in these panels of awesome thinking, I should be writing.

Also the other idea I found myself dwelling on was Idea vs. person. In the world we become impassioned over an idea or topic. Doesn't matter if it's political, creative, religious or fandom. Sometimes the passion for these ideas can be taken to an extreme. Internet forums, social media are filled with examples of this. I think when we move into a position of defense we lose sight of the human in front of us. We look at that person as if they are the idea we are fighting against. In that moment we lose sight of who they are. Another human. We strip them of what unites us. Whether we are right or wrong in our ideals. We can not lose sight of that precious truth. That doesn't mean give up the good fight or stop talking about important issues. But to accept where someone is at with the concept. Whether that is acceptance or rejection. 

Writers have to be extremely careful. We need to be aware of what we are presenting to the world. During the conference the term "unconscious bias" came up. We need to look at the biases we have and ask ourselves is this how we want to shape the world? 

One of the Keynote speaker's was Kevin J. Anderson. Who not only has a prolific history of best selling books, but also runs WordFire Press. I was really impressed with his Popcorn address. You have to keep working and cultivating new ideas. Doing so keeps you writing and creating. If you have a chance to see the address it is well worth it. Listening to him speak you know he is a master storyteller.

I also saw how important it was to have a good crew. Anderson's flight got redirected twice on it's way to Utah. On the third trip tomato juice was spilt on him. The crew at WordFire Press had everything taken care of from the table to all the other responsibilities involved. I also got to help out and learn how a good crew operates. 

Thanks to anyone who participated in the panels. The panels I attended were fun and insightful. Left me with a lot to think about. 

Thank-You LTUE for putting on the conference and making it all happen.

And a big Thanks to WordFire Press for the great swag bag and all the useful info.

Awesome experience. I learned a lot that I'm already applying to my writing.  I can't wait to do it all again next year.

Note; I will be adding links to LTUE and other panelists and authors in the next day or so.