2014 Queen City Writers Conference Announcement

Great News!

Queen City Writers Conference on October 16 -18, 2014, Charlotte, NC— 

We are pleased to ANNOUNCE that due to the fantastic interest in this conference the publicity committee has deemed it necessary to EXTEND the Early Bird rate of $99 which includes a 3-day pass to writing workshops, critique groups, discussion panels, and general sessions. This affordable pricing has been extended for a limited time. Register and get complete details online at www.qcwritersgroup.blogspot.com. 

This is the most sensational writers conference hitting the Queen City this FALL — you can't afford to miss it! There IS a workshop for everyone, seasoned authors, up-and-coming writers, journalists, and students alike. We even have a special writing class for TEENS on Saturday, an elegant AWARDS & semi-formal dinner banquet Saturday night featuring keynote speaker Robert Inman for $40 per person. See CBS radio personality Francine Marie LIVE Thursday night, mystery author Cathy Pickens on Friday night, and join the Pro-Panel discussion & open mic with experts in the field—ask questions and get answers—plus so much more.

     We are also giving a last call to vendors for networking with new customers RIGHT HERE IN CHARLOTTE. Vendor tables are only $50 for the 3-day conference. SPACE IS LIMITED. The Queen City Writers Conference, October 16-18, 2014, at the Executive Park Hilton (I-77 and Tyvola Road in Charlotte NC)—Come join the writing extravaganza of the season... WRITE here, WRITE now! See you there!

Good Writing or a Good Storyteller?

Good Writing or a Good Storyteller?

by Peter Quinn

Shakespeare was a good writer, “Her flesh barren and pure, his desires it did beckon.” Jackie Collins is a good storyteller, “She stood before him her bare shoulder begging his attentions.”

Okay, I made the quotes up. I didn’t want to deal with copyright laws and, yes, I am being lazy.  My point is that both are successful in their genres, selling millions of copies and starting just as many conversations.  Both are good writers and storytellers, but I am certain that we will probably never see a Jackie Collins novel on a high school summer reading list where, to the chagrin of many students, we do find William Shakespeare. 

Why isn’t Jackie on the summer reading list?  The PTA banning her books for high school consumption is not the answer I’m looking for. What makes the difference between a classic and a best seller?  Not all best sellers are classics and not all classics are best sellers.  Case in point, “Snookie” from Jersey Shore wrote a best seller that no one read and is in no danger of becoming a classic.

Is a good writer necessarily a good storyteller?  Can every good writer set a scene and draw out emotion through only the written word? Does every good writer spin a good tale that makes the book a page tuner? How many writers inspire people to read their whole book in one day?

I believe that given the opportunity both Will and Jackie would attend the conference, although  “Snookie” wouldn’t, to share their thoughts on what makes a good writer versus what makes a good storyteller.  Are the two totally separate, like Ms. Collins and Mr. Shakespeare who seem to live on different ends of the writing spectrum?  Or, do they meet somewhere in the middle?

Are you writing everyday?

Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.
- Jane Yolen