Last weekend I had the pleasure of being the guest of the Pennwriters Conference in Lancaster, PA, along with fellow agents Noah Ballard of Curtis Brown, Ltd. and Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media. We spent two days meeting with writers both published and aspiring, hearing their pitches and helping them hone them, answering their numerous questions on writing and publishing. We also participated in panels and led workshops tied in with the areas in which we specialize.
It’s very much of a two-way street, because if we’re lucky, we agents come away with a new client (or several). But at this particular conference, I also came away with something I hadn’t really expected. Not to get all gooey here, but I was moved by the sense of support that flowed through the entire weekend. It started at the top, from the organizers who put it together and are dedicated to helping their membership attain their dreams of being published. And it was palpable among the writers who attended, this feeling of them being there for each other.
Friday evening’s keynote speaker, the bestselling Bram Stoker Award winner Jonathan Maberry, doesn’t always get to attend a lot of conferences with his busy writing schedule. But he explained to me that this one has always been special to him for the key reason of its ongoing sense of support. “The Pennwriters staff stays in touch with the conference attendees year round, BETWEEN conferences, and is really there for them,” he said. “And a lot of the writers also stay in touch with each other.”
As we know, writing can be a lonely pursuit. And if you’re trying to establish a literary career in a state as big as Pennsylvania, with its vast, sparsely populated regions of farmland and forest separating its beautiful cities, fellow writers might not always be easy to find. Organizations like Pennwriters do a terrific service in bringing writers together, virtually and in-person, for the feedback and coaching they need.
The sense of encouragement at the conference, and the lack of schadenfreude, were an indication to me of why the Pennwriters conference is entering its 30th year. As author John C. Houser, one of its regulars, said to me over lunch, “One of the best things about this conference each year is seeing so many members get published.” There’s a place for healthy competition, certainly, but this is a great place for a sense of fellowship as well.
So, on that note: Reach out to your fellow writers with encouragement. You’re likely to get some flowing right back to you.