It sticks true today as in any time ever before, what author-philosopher Alan W. Watts had to say about writers and writing:
“Advice? I don’t have advice. Stop aspiring and start writing. If you’re writing, you’re a writer. Write like you’re a goddamn death row inmate and the governor is out of the country and there’s no chance for a pardon. Write like you’re clinging to the edge of a cliff, white knuckles, on your last breath, and you’ve got just one last thing to say, like you’re a bird flying over us and you can see everything, and please, for God’s sake, tell us something that will save us from ourselves. Take a deep breath and tell us your deepest, darkest secret, so we can wipe our brow and know that we’re not alone. Write like you have a message from the king. Or don’t. Who knows, maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who doesn’t have to.”
Fortunately, we are the luckiest ones that must. With that must comes responsibility. To yourself. To your reader. To the work. With only six months until our 33rd annual winter event, do not take time for granted. Focus. Fight. Write without rancor. Finish what you start–if even only a really crappy first draft–and we’ll address it come February.
Discounted Early “Bard” Pre-registration is now open. Do so by September 15, 2018 and save a whopping $150 on Full Conference attendance. Regular updates will begin following our Irvine event, September 21-23, 2018. (Check out all the latest on it here.) Our focus will again be on getting you where you want to be with your work, be it novels, personal narratives, practical nonfiction, short stories, essays or any other writing aimed at commercial publication.
SCWC*SD33 LOCATION: The conference will again be held at the Crowne Plaza Hanalei resort, located mere moments away from Lindbergh Field International Airport, Sea World, Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo, historic Old Town, downtown and its famous Gaslamp District, along with beaches galore. Dates are Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 15-17, 2019. Lodging discounts are available to SCWC conferees. Phone 800-972-2802 to book your reservation, or click here to do so online (when it becomes available). Deadline for discounted hotel registration is January 15, 2019.
SCWC*SD33 SCHEDULE: Rest assured that plenty of craft- and business-centric sessions, read & critique workshops, one-on-one consultations and more will fill out the weekend. Though we’ll not start plugging things in until later, you can get an idea of the overall shape of the conference on the schedule page.
SCWC*SD33 STAFF: In addition to the many familiar workshop leaders, agents, editors and other publishing professionals returning in 2019, several new folks will join out fold. Check ’em out on the staff page as they’re announced, beginning in October.
Be sure to subscribe to our periodic .COMmunity updates to receive all the latest news. And to engage with out greater writing community between events, join the well-moderated conversation in our SCWC Facebook group.
Until next time, aim for excellence and settle only for exceptional.
–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC/SWS
