I wanted to share my joy at being accepted into the Master Class workshop at Mendocino Coast Writers Conference this year – MCWC. I participated in the Master Class last year and, like many of the activities at MCWC, forged a bond with the other writers. We keep in contact and encourage each other. Several of us have had stories, novels, and poetry published since the workshop, and many are still working on the goal we set for ourselves: one hundred rejections.
I have been going to MCWC on and off for several years. I don’t know how unique it is, but the non-competitive, encouraging atmosphere is truly amazing. I like to think it is a result of the work of Suzanne Byerley, who was co-director when I first attended the conference. She was so encouraging. She made me believe that it was doing the work that counted. If you worked hard, shared what you discovered, and helped your fellows, good things would happen.
As she has for the last three years, my daughter, Samantha, will be joining me. She is working on the second rewrite of her memoir, Raver Princess. Like me, she has found the conference encouraging.