IWSG Day, ROW80 Check In, Schedule for the Upcoming Writers' Conference (watch this space!)

've thought about doing this a couple of times, and now I'm finally getting around to it: Funniest, Most Ridiculous Blog Spam Comments:

who are these people?

pencils!

I think the pencils one is my favourite. These don't even have links - what are these spammers trying to accomplish?

At least they're positive in tone! Which leads me to... Insecure Writers' Support Group Day!

I don't feel insecure, necessarily, but I generally feel as though I'm lagging behind. No agent in sight yet, editing for second novel not progressing...

But that's not keeping up the positive tone. I've got to think of what I have done (ROW80!): Another rewrite of the query for Out of the Water under my belt, and 6000 words typed up of Fred and Lyne's story (I'm also working on a title!). I'm thinking of giving that query one more chance in the online world, this time at the Gearing Up To Get An Agent Blogfest, hosted by Deana Barnhart!

I've also started organizing the Virtual Surrey Writers' Conference, to take place from Friday to Sunday, 19 to 21 October. Here's the first draft of the schedule, keeping the same terms for events that SIWC uses:

Friday

8 to 9.30 am - roll call on the Compuserve Forum

9:30 am to 5 pm - writers' workshops (themes to be announced) (lunch and coffee breaks not included, as participants will be assumed to be eating and drinking in front of their computers)

SIWC includes a Night Owl session; Virtual Surrey will of necessity be an all-night-owl event, as participants will be joining from many different time zones.


Saturday

9 am to 5 pm - more workshops, including such items as troubleshooting (dialogue giving you problems? or perhaps you need help with deep POV?) and quicker-paced "the doctor is in" sessions (fire away with questions!).

If you would like to offer suggestions for other sorts of things you'd like to see, feel free. Shall we share sample pages? Dissect each other's pitches and blurbs? You decide!

5:30 pm - book fair (there will be giveaways!)

9 pm - movie night!


Sunday

8:30 am - trade show: free for all marketing. Talk up your book!

9 am to noon - more workshops

noon - lunch and farewell

There might be a wrap up session over the next day or two to discuss what worked and what didn't, and to hear stories from those who participated in the real Surrey.

Hope you'll all join us!