Teen’s Writer’s Conference Coming to Wasilla
Contributed by Frankie Jo Blooding
It’s hard to connect to our kids sometimes, especially our teens. They’re trying to figure out what it means to be a person, test-driving how to make decisions, and pushing our patience.
When you have a creative child, things get a little more complicated. You never know what mess you’re going to walk into. “Do the dishes,” could turn into a sword fight with a dragon you can’t even see. “Vacuuming the floor” can take two hours because your daughter was “somewhere else.” You’re fighting to keep a roof over her head and she’s burning out your vacuum because her head’s in the clouds!
Too often, in our efforts to make sure they’re ready to take on the world, we strip away the parts of them that challenge us the most. Our strong-willed children who challenge us with every single micro decision? We tell them to behave. Not because it’s right but because, dang it, we need one freakin’ second of reprieve! We just need her to grab her freaking bag, put on shoes that actually make sense – seriously? Crocs when we’re tramping around in cold mud? – and get in the car so we’re not late. We feel the penalty for that. They don’t.
I wish; however, I’d been allowed to maintain a little bit of my fire as a kid so that maybe I’d have been more successful sooner as an adult. I wish I’d been able to be a little more head-in-the-clouds so that I didn’t have to wait until I was in my forties to have this extreme burst of creative energy. I’m a USA Today Bestselling Author. I write a lot of content between novels, articles, blog posts, short stories, character interviews, etc. But that didn’t start until I was much older.
A group of us are putting together a writer’s conference for teens. Our mission is to keep their passions ignited while empowering their pens as they pioneer their paths. We understand that raising creative kids is hard and giving them tools they need to succeed is even more difficult. So, with that in mind, we’re collecting a wide range of speakers who will talk about everything from world building to the effects of a healthy diet.
January 13 – January 15, 2024, we’ll be at the Menard Sports Center from 11am – 5 pm. Some of the topics we’ll cover are:
• How to structure a novel – USA Today Bestselling Author F.J. Blooding
• Making your book bingeworthy – the machine, Ines Johnson
• Writing a short comic story – USA Today Bestselling Author Russell Nohelty
• Build your own traditionally book-bound journal – Taylor from Black Birch Books
• How to write martial arts realistically – Lauren from Shoshindo of Alaska
• Defying genre – the legendary Susan Kaye Quinn
• Audio editing, acting, and more – Bradford Jackson from Bradford Jackson Films
There is so much more we’re offering! This is just a taste. We’ll also discuss the entire industry of professions available which include editing, ghost writing, formatting, website design, videography, marketing, graphic art, business modeling, and so much more! We’ll discuss how to create great characters, amazing worlds, and fantastic stories.
Most of all, we’re empowering them – and reminding ourselves – how to have fun with publishing. The speakers we’re bringing on board are just as excited to talk about the good part, which is something we sometimes overlook. Creating. Telling stories. Making a powerful difference.
If you have a teen between the ages of 13 and 19, check out our conference and see if this might be a good fit for your teen. Find out more at InkblotWriters.com.
And don’t miss the NanoWrimo events that we’ll be posting through the month of November! Don’t know what NaNoWriMo means? It’s National Writing Month, which is hosted in the month of November. You and your kids are invited!
There’s so much happening and it’s going to be amazing!