This was the first time I've attended the RMFW (Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers) annual conference.

While I was a first timer attending this organization's conference I have attended others. One thing I LOVE about writer's conferences is how I immediately feel an affinity for the other attendees. These are my people. Nowhere else can you talk about character arcs, pacing, world-building, and genre.  It's the only venue where you can tell someone that "your characters speak to you," and not receive a worried look. 

The first question people ask you is "what do you write?"

To answer, "I write stories" is a non-answer. We all write stories. This answer is a great way to practice your story's hook or logline. Other questions flow easily after the first. What genre? What are you currently working on? Are you published? Do you have an agent? 

The sessions were varied and informative. I wish that the sessions were recorded because most sessions I wanted to attend I was double booked.

Key takeaways:-

1. Pace yourself. It's easy to become overwhelmed. It's ok to take a break. Step outside. Or have a nap. 
2.  Working on the logline helps figure out the heart of the story. It showed me some areas in my first draft that I need to work on. 
3. Showing instead of telling can really power up the writing. It's like a writer's super power. Every word on a page must serve a purpose. Are the words serving the purpose you intend or not?
4. For world-building the goal is verisimilitude and consistency. I've created a world-building document for my current project with the following sections: historical, environmental, political systems, economic systems, and religious/ belief systems. 

I can't wait to put into practice all the amazing things I learned.