Dominique Weldon

Photo: The Climate Reality Project, Unsplash

Hello everyone! Since starting my blog, I’ve realized that uploading a post once a week may be difficult. Instead, I’ll aim for once a month and try to write more at a future time. Since my last post, I’ve been lesson planning for the fall semester, along with rereading the notes I took during my time at The Midwest Writers Workshop. This year was the first time I attended the conference, and I am grateful for the opportunity. In fact, I wanted to share my experience with you all.  

The Midwest Writers Workshop, also known as MWW, is a writing conference located in Muncie, Indiana, on the Ball State campus. The conference has been running for fifty years, and more information can be found on their website. The program provides writers with workshops, networking opportunities, and manuscript evaluations, all to help writers develop their skills and careers. When I first discovered the program, it sounded great; however, there was one problem. I’m living on an adjunct salary.

I’m sure the cost of the conference isn’t a concern for many people. The in-person conference cost $349, which doesn’t account for the lunch fees or the manuscript evaluation. The conference has a $199 virtual option as well. Such prices make it impossible for individuals like me to attend since I live paycheck to paycheck. Thankfully, I noticed the website had scholarship section. The scholarship application only required a writing sample and a biographical letter that illustrated your interest in the conference and your financial need. If selected, you’d receive a full scholarship to the in-person conference, excluding meals and the manuscript evaluations. Upon seeing the scholarship, I figured it didn’t hurt to try. I sent five pages of a story and a letter to the program and waited for a response. For weeks, I opened my email inbox, hoping for any news, but after waiting a month, I received a response from the Midwest Writers Workshop that made my day. I received a scholarship! All that was left to do was count the days until the MWW began.

When the conference finally arrived, I awoke early, packed a cooler with food, and hit the road. MWW was located about an hour from my apartment, and once I arrived, I was met with a huge crowd of writers and an array of workshops to choose from. During the conference, I attended several different workshops and learned a lot from the experience. Therefore, I wanted to pass along three valuable lessons for those interested in attending a writing conference in the future.

1) Book a Nearby Hotel

Photo: Rhema Kallianpur, Unsplash

While this point might seem simple, I think it’s important to follow if possible. I thought that was advice I could avoid since the conference was within driving distance; therefore, my plan was to drive to Ball State and then back home again each day. I’m sure many people can make the drive with ease; however, after the conference’s first day, I realized how unpleasant the drive would be. That’s because I’m often exhausted at the end of the day, to the point where it’s common for me to fall asleep on my living room couch before I intend to. It’s a problem I’ve had most of my life and one that I’ve given up trying to fix. Usually, this exhaustion occurs during the evening, long after I’ve spent hours working, but I didn’t consider how a day packed with workshops and socializing would leave me drained by the early afternoon. During the conference, I became so tired that I sometimes needed to leave the last workshop slightly early to ensure that I drove home safely. However, if I had a nearby hotel, I could have stayed during the entirety of the conference or taken quick breaks throughout the day since my lodgings would have been down the road.

2) Socialize with Other Attendees

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My idea of a perfect day includes staying inside to read, write, draw, and play games. When I’m not teaching during the summer, I can stay inside for days without going outside. Therefore, it’s probably not a surprise that I’m not comfortable with talking to others for prolonged periods of time. That’s why the large amount of people at the conference was overwhelming. I found it difficult to converse with others and mostly focused on learning from the workshops. Of course, I know one of the main reasons to attend a writing conference is to make life-long connections with other creatives who understand and support your art. Therefore, it’s important to strike up conversations with others, even if you’re nervous doing so, because you never know when you’ll meet a new friend or even a new favorite author. This is advice I will try harder to follow the next time I go to a conference.

3) Ensure You Can Afford the Conference

Photo: Micheile Henderson, Unsplash

Since I received a scholarship, I assumed money wouldn’t be a concern. However, there were several other points of cost that I needed to consider, including lunch and gas, and those extra expenses put a tight constraint on my wallet. Therefore, I couldn’t afford critical aspects of the conference: a hotel and the manuscript evaluation. In fact, at the conference, I overheard other writers chat about their upcoming manuscript evaluations and how they were excited that a published author would review their writing. Even the workshop instructors expressed it was important to participate in the manuscript evaluation. Therefore, I left feeling like I missed out on a major element of the conference, and I realized that even if I have a scholarship, I still need to have extra funds during the duration of the program.

Those were three major lessons I learned during the Midwest Writers Workshop. The next time I attend a writing conference, I will implement my experiences in hopes of growing as a writer. If you have attended any writing conferences, let me know what you gained from the opportunity. By sharing this information, we will ensure that our future conferences will be even more enjoyable.