Anticipating the 2016 Philadelphia Writers’ Conference

Author Kerry Gans excited about the Philadelphia Writers' ConferenceAt this time tomorrow, I will be at the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference (PWC), immersing myself in craft, business, and writerly inspiration.

The three-day event always gets my creativity moving, and I always come away with something valuable. Whether it’s conquering pitching fears, discerning weaknesses in my writing, reviving my creativity, making business connections, or learning how to organically raise the stakes in my novels, I always walk away with something that more than pays for the price of admission.

This weekend looms large in my mind. The calendar in my head has a neon “PWC” sign flashing over these three days, as if nothing outside the conference happens. As if I will not need to eat or sleep or battle traffic. Like my duties as wife and mother will vanish (which they pretty much will, since awesome husband will be dealing with wonderful child while I’m away from home).

There’s something about preparing for the conference that seems herculean to me. The packing looms large, even though in reality it will take 20 minutes. How much does one need for 3 days, right? The travel to and from the conference each day stretches like eternity before me, but it will be all right (Friday is usually the worst day). But I think the reason this weekend always feels like heavy lifting to me is because it’s three straight days of near-constant interaction with people. For an introvert like me, that is a daunting and draining proposition. So I think mentally I am shoring myself up for the task.

Herculean task or not, I am looking forward to this year’s PWC—my 6th in a row. And why wouldn’t I be eager for it? Good things happen to me every year at the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference.

I can’t wait to see what I will take away this year.

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