There is no other way to describe the trip I took to Devils Tower, WY, except to say I experienced it – I experienced The Tower.
The pictures don’t give you the actual feel of the place, but I’ll share a bunch of pictures anyway.
Special thanks to Frank Sanders, Tina, and Stephanie at Devils Tower Lodge. Between the accommodations, breakfasts, and dinners, I wouldn’t stay anywhere else. I can definitely recommend Devils Tower Lodge, P. O. Box 66, Devils Tower, WY, 82714. 888-314-5267. If you go, stay here.
And what a great exercise it is! Start with a prompt – Pamela gave us the opening, “A little while ago…” – and just keep writing. Each new sentence must start with the next letter of the alphabet.
From Pamela’s notes handed out at the conference: keep your hand moving, lose control, don’t think, don’t worry about punctuation, spelling, or grammar, and be free to write the worst junk in America.
If you have about ten minutes, I encourage you to try it.
Here are my results from this exercise (I have edited a teensy bit, just to aid in the ease of reading).
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A little while ago, I realized that I wanted to sponsor my own writing conference. Because I need attention, or because I wanted to get together with long-time internet friends? Crap, I don’t know. Don’t we all have self-doubts? Especially if we exist online only and never have to stand – in person – before these people. Friends – true friends – would never say, “Boy, was this a mistake.”
Good friends come together.
Have face-to-face conversation.
Imagine together.
Jump in.
Kangaroos jump in!
Laughing all the way to publication.
Maybe this is the start of something special for this small handful of friends. Never before has this happened, and never again will this first Word Sharks Conference repeat itself.
Oh, we might gather again – in six months or a year – but the original “yay, finally, we are here” will never again be the first time.
Perhaps subsequent emails and handwritten notes can help us reconnect and share and promote.
Quietly, quickly, we become our own little writers’ group.
Realistically, we may never gather in the same room again.
Satisfaction comes from this one conference, this one gathering. Tomorrow might never come, and glorious today, we sit in the small group sharing our feelings, insights, and ideas.
I first thought about hosting my own conference years ago. I wondered, “Who would come?” I ruminated, I wondered, I worried.
And then I put the idea out there…on social networking.
I got a handful of responses. I thought, “Hmm, not much interest.”
And then I had another thought: perhaps this first Word Sharks Conference should be small, intimate, personal.
So, the first Word Sharks Conference was created. It will happen this June in Newark, DE, near my hometown. In the home of my brother (the cheapest venue I could find, and he makes awesome ribs).
I am pleased and proud to tell you about the first Word Sharks Conference attendees and presenters.
Prepare for future Word Sharks Conferences. If this one flies – er, swims – we may do it again.
Barbara Forte Abate –
Finding Your Right Editor
Barbara Forte Abate grew up in Millbrook, New York, and currently lives in a creaky old house in Pennsylvania, where she makes up lies, doses them with truth, and titles it fiction. She is long time married to a very fine man and is the mother of four fabulous children. Barbara is the award-winning author of The Secret of Lies, Asleep Without Dreaming, and newly released, Painted From Memories.
J.J. Brown –
Writing for Good – Turning Tragedies Into Tales
J.J. Brown is a health journalist and the author of seven books including short stories, novels, poetry, and nonfiction. Originally from the foothills of the Catskill Mountains of New York, she now works and lives in New York City. J.J. Brown completed a PhD in genetics and worked as a research scientist prior to turning to health education, fiction writing and publishing.
Elizabeth H. Cottrell –
Connect With Your Readers: Strategies for Nonfiction Writers
“An effective nonfiction writer teaches, informs, and often persuades or inspires. Connection and clarity are essential elements to outstanding nonfiction content: connection with the needs and desires of your reader and clarity about what will meet those needs and desires.” ~ Elizabeth H. Cottrell
In this workshop, Elizabeth will share strategies for connecting with your readers so they find your nonfiction book more readable, valuable, and compelling.
For over 25 years, Elizabeth has been a technical and freelance writer with content expertise in the areas of small business/entrepreneurship, biology/medicine, and community banking. Since 1991, she’s owned and operated RiverwoodWriter, LLC, offering both writing and desktop publishing services to help others get their ideas expressed and published. She has helped produce regional and family histories, and has ghostwritten a corporate history, a memoir, and several other nonfiction books.
Elizabeth is a bank board member, community activist, Extra Class amateur radio operator (W4EHC), note-writing evangelist, and (from a former life) published leprosy researcher. She and her husband John live in Virginia on the north fork of the Shenandoah River, where every day she is inspired by her surroundings. Elizabeth blogs at Heartspoken.com about strengthening life’s essential connections—with God, with self, with others, and with nature.
Pamela Wight –
Exploring the Hidden Stories in Your Mind
“Writing is the act of burning through the fog in your mind.” – N. Goldberg. How do we lift the fog and discover our creativity? My creative ‘wighting’ for fun classes help students explore the hidden stories in their minds. In our Delaware explorations, I’ll share some of the writing exercises and tips I’ve used to encourage pens (or laptops) to flow with ease. All you need to bring (besides your writing accoutrements) is a zeal for the zany and poignant, a sense of humor, and a willingness to be open and honest as you write.
Pamela Wight has an M.A. in Literature and is a writer, editor, and teacher with a focus on adult fiction. She has published two books (The Right Wrong Man and Twin Desires) and writes a weekly blog called Roughwighting. Pamela’s career has included editing medical textbooks, writing medical articles for Advance newsmagazines, and devoting years as the managing editor of the journal Radiologic Technology. Pamela has taught creative writing classes for over 25 years in both the San Francisco and Boston areas.
Karen R. Sanderson –
Editing and Proofreading Tidbits and Tricks
Karen will call on her years of research and work with writers to provide editing tidbits and proofreading tricks to help make your writing better and more concise.
Karen R. Sanderson was raised by a mother who wanted to be an English teacher and who worked for Merriam-Webster as a proofreader and an aunt who could complete the Sunday New York Times crossword in a day. Karen completed writing coursework through UCLA and University of New Mexico and was the winner of the SouthWest Writers 2009 Writing Contest – The Best Hook. She is currently pursuing her BA in English at Minot State University. Her short stories have been featured in The Rose & Thorn Journal, Every Child is Entitled to Innocence anthology, Valley Living Magazine, BewilderingStories.com, and WritingRaw.com.
Stephen King –
He’s been invited but probably won’t show up.
And if his people tell him about the invitation I sent…I suggested he show up with a basket full of Maine lobsters.
There is no other way to describe the trip I took to Devils Tower, WY, except to say I experienced it – I experienced The Tower.
Pamela Wight, of 
Barbara Forte Abate – 
J.J. Brown – 
Elizabeth H. Cottrell – 
Pamela Wight – 
Karen R. Sanderson – 
