more self-education

via

I just attended the Central Coast Writer's Conference a little over a week ago, and now, I'm participating in my first MOOC. And they were both free to join. I wasn't sure if I would participate in the writer's conference since I just had my baby two months ago, but I entered my local library's competition for free admission to the conference and won (yay!). The competition may not have been that stiff for the little beach town I live in, but hey, a $200 ticket to a conference I was excited to attend is great, whether I competed against five people or 500 for it.

The conference was educational and inspiring—and better than I expected. The main lesson I learned from this conference is that some people are great teachers, and some people are interesting speakers. Some of the instructors provided nut-and-bolts information and tools we could apply to our writing immediately, and others just told stories from their own experience. My initial take was that the practical skills were better, but part of attending a conference is also seeing what is possible in your field. 

It was inspiring to hear full-time writers, novelists, and screenwriters tell the stories of how they got from writing at 3am with full-time jobs and families to becoming bestselling authors. It was motivating to hear that many had gone through a decade of rejections before they landed their prestigious publisher/agent. It makes a fledgling writer want to keep at it and not give up, and that's a priceless reminder for anyone.

And this MOOC has been a revelation. The University of Iowa is often considered the bastion of creative writing in the U.S., and the opportunity to take a fiction course with them for free, on my own schedule, and from home was too enticing to pass up. There were 1680 people on the map from all over the world the last time I looked, so it's physically impossible to have meaningful and intimate classroom discussion, but it's also a course that spans a few months, so there's time to connect with talented and like-minded writers.

More importantly, it's fun. The writing prompts have been engaging and push us in different directions. It's exciting when someone reads and comments upon your work. It's both entertaining and instructive to read others' interpretations of the assignments. And maybe I'll get to make some writer friends, which is always a good thing in such a solitary vocation.

So, love live self-education. Whether you have a full-time job or kids or both, you can still pursue your passions and hone your craft. No time for an MFA? No problem. Just keep working, keep learning, and eventually, you'll get there. Malcolm Gladwell says it takes about 10,000 hours to develop proficiency in something, so we better get cracking...