WRITERS HELPING WRITERS
Authors of the Flathead Has The Write Stuff
By Bill Schneider, 10-15-06
As an aspiring novelist, I know the difference between the protagonist and the antagonist, but the difference between a characteristic and a characterization? Or thruline and plotline? Well, these seem like things I should know, so I attended the annual conference of the Authors of the Flathead, one of the best and most resilient writer groups in the New West.
If you have the same problem I do, a passion to write novels, here's one way to start making the requisite leap from good to very good, fast. After five fiction-filled days, I not only feel more equipped to give Peter Benchley and Tony Hillerman a little competition, but I know about exciting incidents, profluence, and fictive ribbons--even where to sign up for a new class called 'Writing Sex Scenes for the Nervous." (Yes, I need that.)
The Authors of the Flathead has about eighty active members and many more followers. The group has been around for sixteen years and sponsors an annual conference every October. The yearly confab has become so successful that the group limits registration to 100, which fills up a month or more in advance.
Fiction writers come, mostly, from the shy and introverted side of society, one reason many writing groups have a short life. Defying these odds, Authors of the Flathead has kept going and growing. Now, it attracts people from all over North America. I expected to find writers mostly from the Flathead area, but I met writers from Georgia, Florida, New York, California, Texas, even Canada and South Africa.
Why has this group prospered and so many others languished? "We've been around a long time and we don't fight," answers conference coordinator and long-time member Jake How. Or..."We help each other and we meet frequently," says Dennis Foley, another long-standing member and conference presenter.
How, Foley and other members boast about how their group works hard, voluntarily, to help each other become better writers. They meet every Thursday with one weekly session devoted to reviewing the creations of members and offering positive feedback. "Writing can be a lonely business," the group's brochure states. "We invigorate each other by sharing our ideas, skills and experiences."
On the three days before the weekend conference, Authors of the Flathead hosts three intensive workshops taught by outstanding experts in the field and limited to no more than fifteen participants. I signed up for Dennis Foley's "moving forward with confidence" class. Foley has drawn on his two tours in Nam to write several successful novels, and now he teaches fiction writing classes at UCLA and several online writing courses.
In addition to three days of excellent teaching, Foley did a great job of cheerleading. "You can do it because you have blind confidence in yourself," he said about twenty times. "If Dennis can do it, anybody can do it."
Throughout the conference, I found no old, amateurish anxiety about other authors stealing ideas. Instead, it was all openness. What a treat!
(Now that I used that exclamation point, I can't use another one in the next 100,000 words.)
Each year, the conference attracts outstanding speakers--successful agents, Hollywood screenwriters, editors from large New York publishers, and best-selling authors.
In his opening remarks, conference chair Jake How informed us that we were "probably sitting next to another writer we don't know, so introduce yourself and ask if he or she will join you for dinner. As writers, we need to get used to rejection."
Even the speakers seemed amazed at the success. "One of the great things about this conference is that they keep it small so writers can talk to each other," noted Jeff Kleinman, a literary agent from Folio Literary Management. Or...."This conference was a wonderful experience," best-selling author Robert Levinson said.
(Before this conference, I migght have written, "exclaimed emphatically," but now, I know better.)
If you're an aspiring author, as so many of us are, consider this a great learning opportunity. Watch the group's website for notices of next year's conference. Also, if you're interested in starting a writers group in your area, contact Authors of the Flathead. Several group members told me they were always anxious to help other groups get off the ground.
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