By April Bitton
Enterprising writers are on campus this week learning how to improve their writing, get published and work with editors at the third annual Writing for Young Readers Workshop.
The workshop provides an opportunity for writers to sit down with published authors and work through the weaknesses and strengths of their writing. Those in attendance range from students to already-published authors who come to attend writing groups and lectures.
Lisa Hale, a BYU English professor, has attended the conference for the past three years and said she finds it extremely valuable.
“It balances workshops with hands on sessions with actual editors and published authors,” Hale said.
John Ritter, a visiting author and presenter at the conference, said, “This is one of the best organized and information packed conferences I have been too.”
Hale said she benefited from the wealth of information at the conference and has published several essays, stories, and novels. She said she looks forward to the two summer months she has to focus primarily on her writing and attend the conference.
“The primary benefit of the conference is it keeps me writing,” Hale said.
Though Hale has experience with publishing and editors, she said it is valuable to learn about other writers” habits and techniques dealing with writing and publishing. Hale said she finds the writing groups especially beneficial because writers get direct feedback from the authors and editors.
Those attending the workshop participate in writing groups in the morning and then attend afternoon sessions where they learn what Susan Overstreet, administrator of the conference, calls the “nuts and bolts” of writing. Afternoon sessions focus on how to approach agents, editors and get published.
Overstreet said participants do not have to bring their writing to the workshop but said, “You profit more if you bring your own work.”
There is a computer lab provided for all those attending to the conference so they have somewhere to write and implement the things they learn in the workshop.
Although the conference is writing intensive, John Bennion, director of the conference, told people attending the opening session that their attitude should be, “I am here to learn what I have to do to make myself into a good writer.”
He said that writing is difficult but the conference is a great way to improve writing skills.
Published authors presenting at the conference are Tim Wynne-Jones, John H. Ritter, Alane Ferguson, Lael Littke”s, Eve Bunting, Tony Johnston, Laura Torres and Gloria Skurzunski.
