J. Scott Savage-Keynote Speaker

Jeffrey Scott Savage was a wonderful keynote speaker. What's holding you back? I loved how I could take what he talked about specifically to writing and apply it into other aspects of life.

What's standing in your way? Specific to writing, these are the things Savage listed.

* The economy

* The evil conspiracy to keep new authors out

* A lack of connections

* Mean editors and agents

* Using wrong font/paper/margins

* Yourself-more often than not its the barriers we place on ourselves. We convince ourselves we can't do it.

Although most of this can be writer specific the last one can be applied to anything we do. Most often it is the barriers we place on ourselves that cause us to not try or do or take a risk.

Setting proper expectations

* How do you define realistic expectations?

* What's too high?

* What's too low?

* Why set limits on yourself? Anything is possible.

In setting the expectations get rid of the "I can't . . ." "No one will . . ."

Worry about the things you can control. Do all you can do and then don't worry about it. In the world of writing . . .

Things You Can’t Control/Things You Can Control

· What the agent wants/Doing your best work

· What is “In”/Finishing your manuscript

· If your book sells/polishing your query

· The right time & place/submitting often & regularly

· How long an agent takes/starting the next project

· How much your publisher markets you/marketing yourself

This is true in life too. How often do we stress and worry about things that are out of control? What would life be like if we were able to but aside those things and move on? Thinking about how nice my life would be if I actually did this, I would be a much happier camper.

Next he talked about not comparing ourselves to others and Dancing in the Dark.

Dancing in the Dark

· Determine if you have an idea or a plot

· Retrace your steps

· Do you have too many or too few story lines

· Write what inspires you

· Check to see if your character is acting or reacting

· Give your subconscious time to work

Recognize the Dark before the Dawn-Things always are darkest before they brighten

When we begin something new the path is clear but the higher we climb the less clear the path.

Our frustration builds as we near the next level and our urge to quit can be a sign that we have reached the top of this level of growth. Don't give up.

Break through those barriers that hold us back.

Great advice for anyone and everyone whether you're a writer or not. Don't set limits and barriers on yourself. If you aspire to be a writer, do it. If you aspire to be something else, do it. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't . . . including yourself.