North Wildwood Beach Writers Conference

The North Wildwood Beach Writers’ Conference was an exhausting, but inspiring and exciting two days! I have never attended an event with such a wide ranging variety of speakers.

Each speaker had his or her own story. Often times their stories and advice contradicted one another, but they were always respectful of the different paths that led to each of their successes.

Speakers:
Day One:

John Riddle has been a freelance writer for 30 years and a has worked full-time from home as a writer for the last 14 years. He is the founder of I Love to Write Day, which currently has over 20,000 participating schools.

His speech at the NWBWC was funny, informative and inspiring. He has some great e-books available on his site, including “How I Made $66,270 in 9 Months Writing for Websites.”

Elizabeth Nollen is an Assistant Professor of English at West Chester University. She gave a very informative talk about writing for the textbook industry and the dynamics of working with a co-writer.

Gayle Stuhlhuth is the Artistic Director for the East Lynne Theater Company in Cape May, NJ. She provided a very interactive and collaborative writing exercise that had the whole room laughing and learning at the same time.

Charis Conn is a contributing editor of Harper’s Magazine. She provided some very valuable insights into the magazine industry, as well as, numerous magazine article submission tips.

Patricia MacDonald is a prolific fiction novelist with fourteen books in print. She has been a full-time writer for 30 years. She gave a delightful speech and discussed the success of her books in France and how that changed her life.

Day Two:

The second day opened with the poetry readings of Jack Walters, a 90+ year old retired journalist. He read both his own poetry and a poem by Ellen Bass, Gate 22C. It was a beautiful way to start the day.

John Harnish has been involved in the writing and publishing industry for over 40 years and is currently the Author’s Advocate at Infinity Publishing, a company dedicated to helping writers self-publish their books.

John’s speech was peppered with stories to help you remember all the information he shared. He is true advocate for authors, as well as, the entire writing and self-publishing industry. He was very generous with his time and took the time to talk to and answer questions from just about every attendee. His friendly and gracious manner made everyone feel welcome and inspired.

Dan Poynter is the name that always comes to me when someone mentions self-publishing. He is the owner of Para Publishing, and an author of more than 100 books, including Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual, 16th Edition: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book (Self Publishing Manual), Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual, Volume 2: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book,and Writing Nonfiction, 4th Edition: Turning Thoughts into Books.

His mission, “I don’t want people to die with a book still inside of them.”

Dan is a great teacher. His honest and sincere desire to help each and every attendee succeed was evident in both his speech and body language. He provided tons of information, and so we didn’t forget anything, he generously provided numerous handouts and guides.

Dan is a true professional and it was a pleasure to meet him.

Jim Vanore is the author of two books, a retired Philadelphia police officer and a journalist with the Cape May County Herald. He gave a very thought provoking talk on the First Amendment and the freedom of speech.

Fred Spiegel was born in Germany in 1932 and is one of the very few childhood survivors of the Holocaust. His personal story was gut-wrenching and moving. This is a story we should not forget and you can read his story in Once the Acacias Bloomed: Memories of a Childhood Lost

Ron Glover is a Physical Therapist with Olivieri Chiropractic & Rehabilitation Center in Rio Grande, NJ.

He led us through a series of easy exercises specifically geared toward writers and anyone who spends a long amount of time each day working at a desk writing or working with a keyboard. We were all laughing and exercising.

It was a brilliant move by the organizers to schedule this mid-afternoon presentation and Ron made everyone feel at ease and comfortable.

Carol Plum-Ucci is a young adult novelist who has won numerous awards for her books, including the Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award.

She was an enthusiastic speaker whose story resonated with many in the audience. She had me laughing and crying. Her determination to succeed and never give up attitude was inspiring. She projected an honest and heartfelt desire for us all to succeed.

You can check out her books at Amazon: Carol Plum-Ucci books

Lorraine Ranalli was our keynote speaker and is the author of Gravy Wars: South Philly Foods, Feuds & Attytudes

She is a great communicator, marketer, and storyteller. Her informative speech was filled with anecdotes and had has all nodding our heads in agreement and laughing. Her story is amazing and inspirational and I encourage you to check out Gravy Wars.com

You can read more about this years speakers, and read their official bio’s at http://www.nwbwc.com.

Attendees:
I also had the pleasure of meeting several attendees who have already published thier books.

Don Helin is the author of the novel “Thy Kingdom Come”.
“Thy Kingdom Come is a scary, prescient thriller that confronts us all with the very real possibility of an attack on the U.S. from the inside instead of the out. Don Helin’s taut tale of one brave man confronting white supremacists with plans to outdo 9/11 is reminiscent of the best work of Stephen Hunter and Vince Flynn.” National best-selling author Jon Land

Dr Barbara Mitchell is the author of “When You Need a Timeout – Create the Ultimate Stress-Free Getaway One Relaxing Day at a Time.”
You can also visit her blog at www.TheCalmingBreath.blogspot.com.