This was the first time I’ve attended the San Diego Writers Conference, hosted by San Diego State University College of Extended Studies, although it is the 22nd time they have presented the program. I’m sure they’ve learned much and changed much over the years. Certainly, a whole host of people worked extremely hard behind the scenes and during the conference, to ensure that it was a success.
Having attended quite a number of writers’ conferences that have been hosted by writers’ organizations instead of universities, I know what to expect, and generally recognize a good conference from a mediocre one, as soon as I see the schedule. Of course, much depends on the purpose of the conference, and nothing is entirely seamless. The gremlins manage to insert themselves, since this is a planet of humans, not androids.
In this case, I was somewhat apprehensive that the speakers’ topics were not revealed ahead of time, nor was the program itself. Only the names of the highly qualified presenters and visiting literary agents were made public, subject to change at the last minute. As I discovered, a little too much had been crammed into too short a time period.
Just about all conferences have two or three concurrent classes, making it impossible to attend everything you’re interested in. However, SDSU’s writers’ conference had no less than seven 50-minute concurrent sessions at all times, which was pretty close to being annoying. The idea seemed to be that attendees would order tapes or CDs of all the sessions they could not attend, recordings that will have sometimes noticeable interruptions and missing comments from the instructors. A good four or five days’ worth of sessions had been telescoped into slightly less than two days.
While every session I attended could be rated good, very good, or excellent, attendees would have received greater value for their fees, if the conference had been spread out over, say four days, at no additional charge for the program itself. A different venue than the Doubletree on Hazard Center Drive might also be considered: meals might be less expensive; a longer stay would be more interesting and relaxing; optional side trips to one or two area attractions would be welcome, to break up the intensity. If national technical writers and notary public associations can do it, a local university should definitely be able to arrange such a program.
And no, I’m not voting for dorm rooms. Older writers (age 30 and upwards) have already served their time in the trenches, and most don’t care to repeat the experience. As long as there are more reasonable lodging options close by (within two or three miles), people will find their way to conference rooms. For myself, it is doubtful I would attend this particular conference again. There are so many others to investigate.
I heard more than one speaker refer to a journey through life, so I think my own subtitle is spot on. Check out Discoveries: A Journey Through Life for great reading about the joys and exasperations of family life and friendships.
I am scrambling to get organized and get material written prior to the upcoming San Diego Writers’ Conference, so I’m bringing you a New Year’s letter from Liz Folger. She has some great insights here for you.
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How To Start Your Home Business, Once and For All, This Year
By Liz Folger, Work-at-Home Mom Expert
Summary: It’s the new year and no better time to make your home business dreams come true.
You’ve thought about it for awhile now.
There’s a good chance you’ve rationalized it and said, “Next year, I’ll get my own business started.” Guess what? It’s next year, and there’s no better time than the present to get your home business started.
So What’s The Secret?
Is there a secret to starting and making money with a home business? What about making lots of money? Are there just a few people out there that can be successful? Or can anyone make it happen? In my research of successful home-based business owners, I’ve found two essential ingredients to success: having a good attitude and lots of determination. Call me crazy, but we can all have these and it isn’t going to cost us a dime.
But I Don’t Have The Money To Start A Home Business
We are often caught up with the situations we find ourselves in, and see no possible way to start a home biz. Maybe you’re broke with barely enough money to survive, let alone to start a home business. You could be a single mom raising your family all by yourself. Maybe you’ve been burned by one too many work-at-home scams and have given up on the idea that you can make a home business work. It’s easy to tell yourself that you could never start, let alone run a home business because of this or that reason. It’s easy to rationalize, “Well, those people who are super successful, they probably had a bunch of money to start their business with, and they probably knew all the right people.” Well, that’s usually not the case. Any self-employed person will tell you how hard it really was to make their business a success. It always comes down to lots of hard work!
What Are You Focused On?
Many years ago I was teaching my youngest daughter to ride her bike without training wheels. She was riding on the side of the road, and was very nervous about running into the curb. Every time she would start to peddle, she’d immediately look at the curb, and sure enough, she’d head straight for it. I explained to her, “Look at where you want to go, not where you don’t want to go.” It’s funny how when you look straight ahead, the bike goes straight ahead, but when you focus on where you DON’T want to go, you end up there. The mind is a wonderful machine and it can be our best friend. If you constantly tell yourself that you can be a success, you can make money doing what you love; your mind will find a way to make it happen. A quote by Edward Vernon Rickenbacker says, “I believe that if you think about disaster, you will get it. Brood about death and you hasten your demise. Think positively and masterfully with confidence and faith, and life becomes more secure, more fraught with action, richer in achievement and experience.”
Make Your Dreams Come True – Make Money Doing What You Love
When you think about the type of business you want to start, think about what it is you love to do. Try not to focus on a business because you are told about all the money you can make. Instead, look at what you enjoy doing, what you are already naturally gifted at doing. All businesses take time to grow and make money. Even the ones you are told will make you a ton of money. Wouldn’t you rather work hard at something you enjoy to make a living?
It’s Up To You
No matter where you are coming from, it’s your attitude and determination that will ultimately decide the fate of your home business. If you want to work-at-home badly enough, then you need to tell yourself on a daily basis that you will find a way to make it happen, and you will be a success at it. Do this and your business will not only get started, but it will also grow and thrive. With a positive attitude and determination, you can move mountains!
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Liz Folger is the founder of http://www.bizymoms.com/ Bizymoms.com is the leading online resource for work-from-home ideas. The site offers home-based business start-up kits, online classes, e-books, chats and enthusiastic support for moms who want to have it all – a family and a career.