Showing posts with label Laura Crawford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laura Crawford. Show all posts

Monday, January 24, 2011

Learn somethin'

One of my favorite movies is The Blind Side. There's humor, there's heart, and there's character. It has the best of everything, and I love it. It also holds one scene which has become a catch-phrase in our house and always makes me smile. When the mom drops off her kids off at school one day, she calls out to them, "Learn somethin'."

It seems so obvious. They're going to school. Of course they're going to learn something, right?

So Saturday I set off for a little seminar for beginning writers by author Laura Crawford at the local Barnes & Noble bookstore. Although I am not exactly a beginner anymore, there was no way I was going to miss it. The general contrivance of circumstances has always found a way to keep me from ever attending writing conferences. This one fit my budget (free) and my schedule (Saturday afternoon).

Right before I went out the door, one of my kids called out, "Learn somethin'!" I laughed to myself. Wasn't that the point? Wasn't that what I was planning to do, even if it was for beginners?

During the seminar, there were lots of great questions by the people who attended. They wanted to know how to find the best market for their work, how to approach a publisher, what to expect if they did. Sometimes I knew the answers; sometimes I didn't. But the one thing I learned as I watched Laura Crawford answer each question with a smile is that when you are a writer, there is no greater joy than giving back to the writing community and helping other people achieve their writing dreams.

Thank you Laura for a great seminar. I hope you write many more books and continue to enjoy your writing journey!