Realm Makers 2016 Reacp

Have you ever walked into a place and felt a sense of "rightness" about it? As if you were meant to be there? Accepted and understood?

That is the Realm Makers Conference for me!

This year's conference was hosted on the Villanova University campus which is stunning with all of its stone buildings and lush greenery (you can see that in the pictures to the side). The keynote speaker was none other than Thomas Locke (also known as Davis Bunn) and he was fantastic! If you've been following my blog for any length of time you'll know that I've read the first two books in his fantasy series: Emmisary and Merchant Of Alyss, so getting to hear him speak at a speculative fiction conference was amazing. He had deep points that I will take to heart as I continue on in my writing journey.   

In addition to all of the wonderful and amazing classes and speakers present at Realm Makers, it was just a whole lot of fun. I've got a post coming about this later in the week, but being around a bunch of people who are nerdy like you are is pretty amazing.

Attending a conference like this is the perfect chance to catch up with friends you've connected with online for the last year and to bring that friendship into the "real world". It's also a great time for talking about the characters that usually exist only in our heads, discussing wild ideas, and sharing our successes, failures, joys, and fears. I always come back from a conference like this enthusiastic to to continue on in my own writing projects after hearing of the struggles my fellow writers have had. I realize: "I'm not alone" and if they can do it, so can I!

Three things to put into practice: 

1) Treating your book as a product
This was a point that Thomas Locke made and it really hit home for me. As a writer who hopes and prays to become a published author one day, I am quick to realize that I get very attached to my books. They are, after all, like children to me. Thomas pointed out that the reality is, if you've got a publisher looking to publish your manuscript there will be changes made, but that is only because they will be made to make your book better and in the interest of selling it. It becomes a product at that point.

It could sound like a very stringent way to look at a book, but the more hands that hold the book mean the more people you are able to reach with the message of your book. Though my writing is an extension of reaching others as well as entertaining them, my writing is also a business and I think it will help me to have more of a detached attitude at certain points.

2) Forging a discipline around my creative process
Thomas Locke spoke a lot about disciplines a writer should have and they all resonated with me, but this part was especially impactful. He explained how the first draft of your work is very much a "free" creative process but the moment you move to the second draft things change. You must approach it with discipline and realize the editing process will be critical and is not about you it's about making the book better.

3) Where possible, adapt to the outside world
This last point  also hit me deeply. Thomas spoke of the change in the market and where our books can (and will in some cases) go. He encouraged us to adapt to the outside world. He wasn't saying for us to become like the world, but to find our place in it as spec writers. I loved what his guidance was. He said, "You must find your way though prayer". It's so true! A lot of the writers I know and those that I met aspire to reach the world through their writing. Some will do that in the CBA and others will do this in the general market, but either way they must be guided by the Lord. His perspective was very encouraging to me!

Final takeaways:

*There are others out there who understand the mix of "nerd" and "normal" that I am. Those people are fun, accepting, and just a whole lot of fun!

*Realm Makers is the only place a Tardis would be caught taking headshot photos of a Jedi... 

*The Lord has created us Speculative Fiction writers with a unique way to look at the world. We may tell stories differently than others - using magic, time travel, spaceships, or zombies - but these differences are beautiful. I personally love the fact that I enjoy writing Romantic Suspense and YA Science Fiction!

*The friendships I've forged through Realm Makers are cherished, full of quirkiness, and so vital to who I am as a writer and as a Christian!
*I seriously need to figure out my world structure for this new SciFi I'm working on...Thanks Kathy Tyers!

*The Doctor, River Song, and a Weeping Angel can co-exist as roommates!

*When all else fails, the answer is 42 ;-)

>>>If you went to Realm Makers - what were some of your favorite memories?

For those of you who didn't get to join the Realm Makers fun, I brought a piece of it back for you! I'm offering a copy of Firebird by Kathy Tyers to one winner with a U.S. Address. Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Realm Makers Wrap Up: Coming back to real life...sort of

I don't know what you've been up to this weekend, but I was on an adventure!

I attended the 2015 Realm Makers Conference and had an absolute blast! And yes, that is me wearing a cape. But, it was the only picture I had of my travel buddy (and amazing author) Ronie! We took off to the conference and definitely had an adventure getting to the conference location (taking me along pretty much guarantees an adventure).

So, for those of you who have no idea what Realm Makers is, here is part of the definition from their website: "[Realm Makers] provide(s) a faith-friendly symposium for writers and artists, focused on science fiction, fantasy, and all their sub-genres." There were amazing speakers like Robert Liparulo, David Farland/Wolverton, Steve Laube, Julie Gwinn, Amanda Luedeke, Kirk DouPonce, and many many others! The conference was focused on Christian Speculative Fiction and it was just amazing.

I not only attended the conference, but I was also the conference photographer and did headshots from some awesome writers! I'll share some of the highlights...

First off I did some fan-girling with two of my favorite authors (you'll recognize my travel buddy there). It was awesome to snatch a photo with Tosca Lee and Ronie Kendig. As you can see in this last photo we were having way too much fun. Tosca is hilarious and so sweet and Ronie and I couldn't help but laugh with her :)

This lady was amazing! She was definitely the go-to person (along with Becky & Scott) for anything and everything. I learned really quickly that not just anyone could step into her shoes when she left my friend Andrew and I "in charge" for a few moments. We managed not to help two people and, in the long run, probably confused them more but hey...we tried to help!

Then there were my roommates (picture above) who were amazing! Julie Gwinn, Bethany Kaczmarek, and Ronie. We had a blast in our "dorm-style" housing.

From Suzanne Hartmann

And yes, that's me dressed as "Super Photography Girl" with my trusty camera and maroon cape (on loan from my friend Jenn). And even superheros have jobs to do...so I also took photos of the amazing costumes ranging from baby raptors to steampunk to a black hole. We had it all at Realm Makers!

So, when we weren't dressing up (and even when some of us were) we attended classes. Everything was geared toward the Christian Speculative Fiction genre and was so really informative.

There were some amazing quotes from the great instructors and I had a blast tweeting them back when possible.

 Then there was the Zombie Apocalypse Nerf War....

 [Enter dramatic voice] 

There I stood, surrounded by nerf guns and the threat of zombies, and I decided it was worth it...I would photo the war. I had no other choice but to show the truth! 

From Suzanne Hartmann

Ok, but really it was a BLAST and I did feel a little like an embedded photo journalist. Thankfully I only got hit once in the forehead...sad to say he was actually aiming for me too, despite my lack of affiliation to the humans nor the zombies. But it was worth it. Can't wait to show the pictures I captured of this fun event. 

Another fun aspect of the conference was getting to meet amazing people (like Amy here). We connected on Facebook...I'm not sure when? But being able to meet in person was so awesome! 

 Lastly, I was so encouraged by the keynote speaker Robert Liparulo. He started the conference off by explaining his computer had crashed and he'd stayed up until 4am fixing his slides - ouch! But then, as he shared, he told us the word he heard from the Lord was "Stop!" He explained that we as writers tend to compare ourselves with other writers or let things get us down etc. when we just need to stop and put all of that aside.

Then, at the end of the weekend, he shared that the last word was "Go!" And that we should go and write the story that God has placed on our hearts to write. It was the perfect thing for all of us writers to hear because we often feel like we should wait and rest and he was telling us to go for it!

Well, after all of that, I was sad to go home but was SO happy to get some Starbucks at the airport since we'd been without great coffee all weekend. Yes, I'll admit right now to being a coffee snob!

Anyway, that's where I've been all weekend!

What about you, dear readers? Do you enjoy Christian Speculative Fiction (like Sci-fi, Fantasy, and the like)? If so, who are some of your favorite books/authors?


*Special thanks to Suzanne Hartmann for some of the photos she took of ME! Check out Castle Gate Press for another look at Realm Makers!*

Conferences and Photography: Upcoming Dates and Locations

If you've spent much time on this blog you've probably heard me talk about my business as a photographer (check out my website for funzies: www.eacreativephotography.com). I think one of the *best* things is the fact that I get to combine my love for photography and writing when I attend writing conferences! I get to photograph all the activities and I get to hang out with writers when I take headshots. It's just so much fun!

I'm expanding from the ACFW Conference (September 17-20th) to include a local conference, the ACFW Virginia Writers Conference (July 25th) and the Speculative Fiction conference, Realm Makers (August 7-8th) this year. I'm so excited about this! {If you're attending any of these and are interested in a session, contact me!}

You may be wondering...do I really need a professional headshot? Well, no need to wonder any longer. I've written on this in the past but soon I'll be posting a 3 part series titled: Headshots and Marketing Photos. I'll be exploring author photos, marketing photos, prices, and some tips and tricks for great photos.

So, if you're out there wondering...do I need a new headshot? The answer is likely YES, but check back here and hopefully I'll be able to convince you of the necessity before you think I'm just saying that because I'm a photographer ;) Writers honor, I am not.

In the mean time, check out these posts for some reading about headshots: 


What are you saying with your headshot? (Part 1) 
A look at why you need a headshot and why it's a good investment to get a new one! 

What are you saying with your headshot? (Part 2) 
Some practical advice when getting your headshots taken.

What are you saying with your headshot? (Part 3)
Some hard and fast facts about headshots, copyrights and releases.