On Being a Lifelong Learner

This weekend I attended the North Carolina Writer’s Network fall conference, an annual gathering of writers, agents, editors, and readers to discuss, well, writing, publishing, and reading. The Network is a powerhouse organization here in NC that brings together published and aspiring-to-be-published writers for conferences like these, workshops, informal gatherings, and other educational opportunities throughout the year. It’s a lovely group to belong to, because they really do make you feel like you belong, no matter your experience level. There is a feeling of having found your people.

My entire professional career is built on the importance of lifelong learning. Any opportunity to go back to school, to sharpen my skills, to take notes in a notebook, is like catnip to me. All of which is to say, I was predisposed to love every bit of this weekend. One of the key attributes I look for when I’m hiring someone is a bias towards curiosity. And I know from the work I do that this is one of the most important qualities for each of us to cultivate as we navigate this ever-changing future of work. So whether it’s personally or professionally, through formal educational opportunities or just getting smart on a topic of interest, we should all be predisposed to love learning.

But back to the conference. Here are just a few highlights for me.

• Opening Keynote with Tommy Tomlison. Have you ever heard Tommy speak? If not, you should. He is delightful. And smart. And funny. And insightful. He spoke about the act of “re-vision,” choosing to see things in a new way, not only in writing but in your life: “Every scene should either advance the plot or tell you something new about one of your characters. And make sure you’re advancing the plot of your life and learning something about yourself with every step you take.” We should all be insatiable lifelong learners, no matter our vocation.

• What did I learn? Too many things to describe here. I attended sessions on setting, working with independent versus traditional presses, using mistakes to build character and plot, and writing atmospheric fiction. Each of these deep dives taught me something new about craft and process, insights I can immediately put into practice.

• Agent feedback on my query and first pages. The conference offered up 1:1 sessions with agents for a fee. Over thirty minutes, I got to talk through my work with someone who is positioned to pass judgment on it. And as a bonus, it just happened to be a former classmate from college (whom I did not know). So, we got to share some stories, too. But the best part is that she requested the full manuscript! This was by no means guaranteed and shouldn’t be expected by these sorts of events. And it certainly doesn’t mean she or her agency will pick it up. But it was the cherry on top of this weekend.

• Spending time with my people. Over the past couple of years my writers’ group has attended several of these events together, and it’s such a joy to be in this space with people who support you and know you. That full manuscript request? I'm pretty sure they were even more excited about it than I was. I walked away from this weekend feeling that relationships had been deepened with important people in my life. And I got to meet and make friends with new people, expanding my network in important ways. Sometimes this is the most important thing that happens at events like these. None of us, after all, can be successful alone, no matter what we're doing.

Not everyone has the means to attend a multi-day conference, I realize. It absolutely is a privilege and one I don’t take lightly. But remember, there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of places to gather information, to find people, and to grow your skills in today's interconnected world. So, whatever you're doing, make sure you're doing it on purpose, and make sure you're doing it with your people. It absolutely will make all the difference, in your work, and in your life.