A Gaggle of Geese, a Swarm of Eels. What About a Bunch of Writers?

A Congress of Salamanders, a Shiver of Sharks, a Dray of Squirrels – and the list goes on and on. But is there a name for a group of writers?

There is. It is called a “Worship of Writers,”  and no, I’m not making that up. You have to go back a few years to find it. The earliest reference I found was in a book called “The Book of St. Albans,” published back in 1486. (More cool info on that here.)

In my mind, I’ve always seen writers as an odd breed of people that rarely sleep, get lost in their own heads and spend huge chunks of time staring blankly at a computer screen with their fingers poised above the keyboard, waiting for the words to come. Turns out that my perceptions are pretty accurate.

My first encounter with a worship of writers in the wild came last year, here in Arizona. After several years of writing my blog, I had recently given up my anonymity, and decided to venture out and see if I could spot some real authors. My venue of choice? The 2015 American Night Writers Association’s “Time Out for Writers Conference.” (ANWA)

I’ll admit that I was nervous going in. I had been blogging for years, but had never published anything tangible. I considered myself a sort of “wannabe writer,” even though I was already crazy prolific. In my mind, the word “author” was reserved for those folks who had successfully published real books. I intended to just sit quietly, attend the classes and try and pick up some new techniques to improve my writing, and then be out of there.

What I was unprepared for was that these same quirky individuals come together and become something really wonderful – and it isn’t so much a Worship of Writers, but feels more of a Family of Writers.

The publishing world is super-competetive. What I didn’t find anywhere at the conference was any sense of competition or jealousy. The attendees ranged from wildly successful and famous authors, to newbies like me, and everyone in-between, but you could not tell the difference when you talked to them. People were constantly asking each other, “What are you working on?”  And you know what? They really wanted to know. They were happy to share their ideas. They wanted me to feel like a part of the Family, and I did.

The presentations were interesting and helpful, and the keynote speeches inspiring – but some of the best moments of the conference were just sitting down with a new friend and talking about writing, or leaning against a wall and chatting about whatever with a best-selling author. I left with new information, new motivation and a slew of new friends.  (Slew? Gang? Posse?)

I felt much the same way at the LDS Storymakers Conference this year, but for a beginner, the Time Out for Writers Conference was my perfect initiation to the Family.

For new writers, or to anyone who dreams of writing or feels they have a novel someplace inside that’s itching to get out, this is a great place to get you moving. (Yes, I have reached the point where I can say it: Bloggers are writers, too.)

If you have more experience, this is still a great place to go. Beyond the classes there are agents, contests, parties, pitch sessions and all that good stuff that comes with a legit writers conference.

To show how far I have been accepted into this wonderful Family of Writers, I have been asked to join with some crazy-talented people (yes, that is a hyphen, not a comma.) and teach a class.  Yes, MMM is teaching a class on Social Media, and if you’ve followed me for very long, you know that you should have no idea what to expect. I am proud to say that I feel very humble to be involved.

If you have been thinking about checking out a writer’s conference, it isn’t too late to register, and for you Arizonans, this is a no-brainer.

If you do come, track me down and say “hello.”  (If you come to my class and decide to heckle, make sure it’s sufficiently funny or I will roast you.)

Click here for more info:

Here is what a small Worship of Writers looks like: