This week I was delighted to join the online National Creative Writing Industry Conference.
About the conference
Keynote speaker Irenosen Okojie says: I’m thrilled to be opening the 6th National Creative Writing Industry Conference. This vital, inspiring conference energizes aspiring writers. I’m looking forward to sharing experiences on finding my authorial voice, navigating the industry and methods to stay curious about the world which connects us to the writing process in rewarding ways.
About Irenosen Okojie
Irenosen was born in Nigeria and moved to England aged eight. During her education she attended state schools and boarding schools before studies at London Metropolitan University in Communication and Visual Culture. She is a freelance Arts Project Manager and Coordinator and writer of fiction. Her debut novel, Butterfly Fish, published by Jacaranda Books won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the Edinburgh First Book Award. Her short story collection, Speak Gigantular was shortlisted for the Edgehill Short Story Prize, the Jhalak Prize, the Saboteur Awards and nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award. It was selected by film director Carol Morley as an Observer Summer Read.
About the keynote speech
I love a good keynote and this was certainly the best I’ve attended online. Irenosen talked a lot of sense and I so wanted to share her words of wisdom that I tweeted her observations and advice. Here are the top ten things that I took from the speech:
- Developing an adventurous spirit feeds into the work
- There is no right way or wrong way to tell a story
- Create a reward system for yourself while writing your novel to help you keep going
- We need different exciting voices to enhance the publishing scene
- Rejection is part of the writing process. Take on critique that is useful and ignore the rest
- Read first novels. Often they can be brilliant but not always perfect… learn from their mistakes
- Writing is a joy
- Literature is for everyone
- We must write for our sanities
- Let writing become an obsession
How many of these do you sign up to?
There are events scheduled for the rest of this week, so if you’re interested click here to see the sessions still available that might be of interest. Thanks to Comma Press and The Manchester Writing School for hosting the conference.
the writer is a lonely hunter 
What an inspiring post, Gail! Thank you so much. I sign up for them all, by the way 🙂
Thanks, Jim. I sign up, too.
I figured you would! 🙂
“Writing is a joy” – thanks for the reminder, Gail. It’s easy to lose the joy amongst the rejections.
But it must be the joy that keeps us bouncing back!