Words and pix by Denise and Birgit…and additional tweets from Sandy Lender, too.

The tag team of Scoop Editor and Web Goddess spent a weekend of listening and learning at the recent Writer’s Conference at FGCU. It was a knock-down drag-out contest to see whether Reporter’s Notebook and stick pen could best the iPhone Twittering - with coverage and notes. Here’s the result...

From Denise’s notes: 
 
Karen Harper Spoke on “Setting as Character”:
..Loved her striped sweater!
..Yee Gods, she rewrites 7 times
...Shakespeare was engaged to 2 women?
.."Motivation is Critical". You got that right
..She knows that Ann Boleyn’s sister-in-law was Lady Jane Rochford! Of course she does, writing all those historical mysteries about the period.

James Swain’s Topic: "The Motivation behind Writing Mysteries”:
..Two books for writers to inhale: Stephen King’s “On Writing”, and a pamphlet called “Writing for Survival”, by John D. McDonald.
..Writing: “The more you do it the better you get at it.” “It’s a craft you have to be compelled to do; write what you know and what you are passionate about.”
..One of his favorite writers: Mike Connelly – ‘a wonderful storyteller’
..70% of the book buyers are women; 80% of all purchases made in this country are by women.
..Authors need to promote themselves with web-sites; e-mail blasts; learn how to get your books to the front of the store; cozy up to the publisher's marketing department.
..THE SECRET; You have to have a story in your story; know your plot and how it works; ask why is anybody going to care?
..On Writer’s Block: When you need a plumber, is there a plumber’s block to his work No, writing is a job. No such thing as writer’s block. Work at it.

Panel on “What I Know Now that I wish I’d Known Then”:
..Kristy Kiernan: Very Zen-like. Tells writers to relax, be in control, learn craft and let it happen.
..Wayne Barcomb: “Out with the adverbs; adjectives, too. Go through copy and cut them out; get character and room down; cut lengths of sentences; overly long sentences bore readers".
..Get on a blog tour; target the blogs where the interest is in your book - ahead of its release; space is shrinking for book reviews; make appearances—even in assisted living facilities; join organizations, e.g. “International Thriller Writers”.  
..“Life in the First Person “: Memoir Writing with Geoffrey Douglas
..He’s the only non-fiction writer at the conference; tried to write a novel on casino experiences—didn’t work.
..Memoirs are a different breed – story seen through the prism of a writer’s feelings and sensibilities; emphasis on truth instead of fact.
..His book – “Class” concerns the American Family, marriage and the abuse of privilege –his family.
..You have to be true to the way things were; write the truth of your impressions: loneliness, emptiness, indifference.
..You have to capture the personal truth; people need to believe your voice.
..How to do this: You can get the impressionistic sense through a transitional object. In his case, for "Class”, a suitcase opened up memories and truths of his past, and on it hinged the story of his childhood.
..With his next book “Classmates”, about his prep school experiences, a photograph was touchable and tangible - a hinge to the story; equipped with that you can enter a reality.
..Grab the reader with the authority of your writing; decide what’s important to you and what you are trying to prove; close your eyes and go back there; feel how you were then.

Birgit's up-to-date, modern, social net-working version:
 
A montage of writers, NPC  volunteers, booksellers, author-conferences and participants, as seen through the eyes of Birgit and her iPphone: 
 
First all the pix I took: Click here to view photo gallery.
 
Some of the participants in photos: photo 1) Karen Harper, author (in striped sweater); photo 3) Paul Wachsmith and Denise Rochford, NPC volunteers; photo 6) Barnes and Nobles Book Displays and booksellers; photo 14) Phil Jason and author Les Standiford; photo 16) author Geoffrey Douglas.

In photo: There is a fundamental difference betweent truth and facts - Geofrey Douglas on memoir & autobiography at Writers' Conference

 
Sandy Lender was live tweeting on her Blackberry during two presentations Sunday morning: Click here to visit Sandy's twitter page.

In photo: Sandy Lender (@sandylender) twittering from the Naples Writers' Conference

Please note, that there were way too many not-connected tweets on Sandy’s page—The  tweets to read from Sandy start at around #13 in her tweet listing - starting with “The 8th Annual  A & B Festival...", and continues down to, but not including, “S. Lender @ Seraphim Boutique.” Those tweets with April 11th dating are from the Writer’s Conference.

And, I remember when Apples and Blackberries were just fruits.