LTUE, the Place to Be (in February)

by Deren Hansen

Life, the Universe, & Everything (LTUE) 32, which runs February 13-15, 2014 at the Provo Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, is among the best bang-for-the-buck Utah conferences for writers.

"LTUE is comprised of panels, workshops, presentations and papers on writing, art, literature, media, science and other aspects of speculative fiction. It is the longest, student run symposium of its nature in the nation (or so we have been told)."

The registration fee will set you back $15 a day but it's a small price to pay for three days packed* with panels and presentation. [*Packed means the conference runs hourly sessions from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm with no scheduled breaks.]

Orson Scott Card is this year's guest of honor, and special guests include Blake Casselman, Michael Collings, Michaelbrent Collings, David Farland, Brian Hailes, L. E. Modesitt Jr., James A. Owen, Brandon Sanderson, and Anne Sowards.

LTUE is organized into the following tracks: Academic, Books, Create Your Own World (CYOW), Educator's Conference, Film, Gaming, Graphic Art, Special Events, and Writing. If past conferences are any indication, writers will have a hard time deciding what to miss, particularly between the writing and CYOW tracks.

The only major downside is that the conference runs through February 14th, but if you have any facility at all with wordsmithing and storytelling you should be able to convince your valentine that sharing conference sessions in Provo is, in fact, the pinnacle of romance.

For more information, go to ltue.net.

Deren Hansen is the author of the Dunlith Hill Writers Guides. This article is from Sustainable Creativity: How to Enjoy a Committed, Long-term Relationship with your Muse. Learn more at dunlithhill.com.

The Secret to Getting Published

By Julie Daines.

I just finished up three days at the Storymakers 2013 conference! It was a great event with some wonderful agents and editors, and lots of amazing authors and aspiring authors. I attended some very helpful classes--some of them taught by agents and editors.

When the agents/editors open the floor to questions, inevitably the writers start asking things like:

"What are the upcoming trends in the market?"
"What should I put in my query letter to make it stand out?"
"What genres are you looking for?"
"When is the best time of year to query?"

The agents and editors do their best to answer these questions, but they struggle. Sometimes the writers get bugged. "Why can't they just tell us what they're looking for."  Even though these are all different questions, they all boil down to the same thing:

"What is that one magical thing I need to do to get published?"

The bottom line is that there is no one secret, magical, just-out-of-reach trick. They can guide you and offer suggestions on what NOT to do, but none of this is a shoo in.

The only trick that really works is to write a great story. I think is was Victoria Curran who said, after everyone kept asking for the magical secret, "Write what's in your heart, and write to the heart."

A good query is important. Not writing to the trends is important. Choosing the right agent for your genre is important. But the only sure thing that can sell your story is your story.

Write what's in your heart.
Create something that speaks to the heart of the reader.
Write it well.
When the time is right, your story will find a home. No magical tricks involved.

Do you have what it takes to be an author?

I went to Lisa Mangum's presentation at the UVU Book Academy. She talked about FOUR things you need to shine as a newbie author:

Vision
Passion
Flexibility
Endurance

Not what you expected, right? I'll expand.

Vision-Publishing is a business. Research your genre and the marketplace. Where do you see your book going and how is it going to get there? Do you have ideas for marketing your book? What is your platform?

Passion- Write every day. It makes you a better writer. Read. It makes you a better writer. Learn to self-edit and make every page better. You are a storyteller. Tell your story.

Flexibility- Publishing is a team effort. Trust your editor. Maintain balance in your life. Can you work creatively and market your book? Are you willing to publish digitally as well as traditionally? Can you live with a title or cover you don't love?

Endurance- Is your writing a hobby or career? Both are good choices. What are your goals? Can you write more than one book a yer? Can you meet your deadlines? Editors LOVE when writers meet their deadlines!

Patience + Persistence=Publication