As if the conference couldn’t get any better than it had been the previous day, our keynote speaker for Sunday was Elizabeth George (www.elizabethgeorgeonline.com). Besides being an an international bestselling author, it also turns out that she’s the founder of the Elizabeth George Foundation, which helps unpublished writers. Talk about giving back. Her keynote address was about writers and their fears. She posed a question to those assembled, “when you enjoy writing, how do you honor the gift?”
Of the many parts involved in being a writer, George considers the desire to be an “author” one of the least important parts. “Having a facility for language is an important part of being a writer,” said George. She also thinks that having a “passion for the written word” is a critical factor. George added that it is only when a writer loves the process of writing that, “The story can take flight and live.”
In order to be successful, George thinks that writers must have a “love of language” and love the “artistry of language.” For her, the process and becoming a successful writer is learning the craft and practice. “It’s not about sitting in front of the computer screen and hoping.”
George also discussed the challenges faced by writers, which include a lack of time, learning to deal with the “voices from your past” that are critical, and facing the fear of failure. She said that she learned a valuable lesson from fellow author T. Jefferson Parker (www.tjeffersonparker.com) many years ago about what to do when having trouble with a story. That lesson is, “when your story stalls out, you played your hand too soon.”
In closing, George said, “What we are is what we were always meant to be, and that’s writers.”
