So what do you do when you find yourself fielding
audience questions alongside world-class authors? Remind yourself that
you’re already on your way to being in their shoes.
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Stan Crowe and David Farland |
In mid-February, I got my
first chance to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the heavy
hitters of the modern literary world. Folks like Tracy and Laura
Hickman, David Farland, and Howard Tayler all attended the 31st annual Marion K Smith Symposium, affectionately known as “Life, The Universe, and Everything” (LTUE).
Held in Provo, Utah, this
event brings writers of all skill levels together to mix, mingle, and
discuss the finer points of writing. There’s something sublime about
putting New York Times #1 best-sellers in front of aspiring authors, and
watching new dreams take root and begin to grow.
My first experience with
LTUE was as a clueless college freshman. I went for the games, and the
chance of girls. Though I enjoyed my first brush with this excellent
symposium, I really had no clue just how much I’d missed in my
short-sightedness.
Fast forward to 2013, and
times have changed. The hopeful newbie is replaced by the published
author who is now sitting on the other side of the panelists’ table,
answering questions about how one can use the past to predict a future
worth writing about. To my left are James A
Owen and Eric Sveden. To my right is newcomer Scott Bascombe. We
progress from discussing Iran’s nuclear program and into how technology
can be used to generate great story conflicts. I'm sitting with some
wicked-smart authors,and it feels great to be among them.
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Courtesy LTUE.net |
My panel aside, the
major highlight of my attendance was getting in—almost literally at the
last minute—on the mass book signing on Friday night. David Farland was
just beyond arm’s reach, and had I been just a hair faster than fellow
author L.L. Muir, Mr. Farland would have been using my pen to sign all the books people brought to him.
Alas, I only have “The pen that David Farland didn’t use.”
From
networking to presenting to just plain fun, this year's LTUE was the
absolute best one I've ever attended (there’s something great about
having Tracy Hickman ask, “So, tell me about your work?”). It was an
honor to represent Breezy Reads, and I'm excited to do it again in
upcoming conferences.
I left the symposium ready to conquer the world. Or at least a small portion of it. I'm already making plans for 2014.
Stan Crowe is the author of the romantic comedy The Cinderella Project.