This past weekend was the 34th annual San Diego State University Writers Conference and the first one that I have attended. I have twice attended the Southern California Writers Conference also here in San Diego, and thought that this year I would give this one a shot. Both conferences are hosted by good people, passionate about the craft, art, and business of writing so I cannot honestly rank one as better than the other.

All of the keynote speakers, Jonathan Mayberry, Cory Doctorow, Paula Munier, and William Kenower, gave lively, entertaining, and informative speeches as well as being open and friendly person that made the conference inviting. Throughout the three days I attended a number of lectures on subject as diverse as avant-garde science-fiction as social critique to the nuts and bolts of self-publishing and promoting your work.

Personally the highlights of the conference were the one on one session I had with a number of editors and agents. I gained valuable insight into areas of improvement for my writing, apparently I am the opposite of an info-dump, withholding too much of my world building back, and I gained at least the interest from one editor for a novel and an agent for another novel. These leads may not pan out, but they are encouraging just the same.

If you are a writer I strongly suggest getting to a writers conference. Do the research, find out the ones that fit for you, but I have found them invaluable.