I had been to the conference once before, about 6 years ago, when I was much more diligent about writing. I really liked it but I just hadn't found my way back since. This year my writing group decided to go and we went as a team.
It was nice to have people that I knew there, especially because I get anxiety in big social settings. The other good part about having them there was that we were able to reflect on how what we had learned and how it applied to each other's work.
It was a really great conference. We went to sessions on how to submit your writing, the revolution of eBooks, magic realism and avoiding cliches. The sessions were great. I learned a lot of helpful hings on what to send to editors and how to turn cliches upside.
And, yes, I am one of those people that didn't really like the eBook until I found out that more people are reading now than ever because it's easier, which means more books are selling and authors are making more. So even though I will continue to buy real books, I will stop bashing the eReader.
Overall it was a really good conference. Our writing group is going to try to make it a yearly thing and I encourage anyone near the Greater Lansing area that is interested in writing to give it a try.
