Setting Self Doubt on Fire: Improve Your Skills with the ProWritingAid Writers’ Weeklong Online Summits

Hi all, I’m back! I know it’s been a long time, but I’m still alive and here to share some more tips with you all.

So, what do I have for you today? I believe that learning is a great way to tackle your self-doubts and fears, so over the last couple of years, I’ve attended many webinars and online summits hoping to improve my writing craft and business skills. And today I want to talk to you about one of these events: the ProWritingAid Writers’ Weeklong Online Summits.  

ProWritingAid offers genre focused weeklong online summits every year. The two events I have attended are the fantasy week and the crime week because I write in these genres as well as horror. (Side note: I hope they eventually do a horror week)

So, let’s look at each event.  

Fantasy Writers’ Week 2022 

The Fantasy Writers’ Week ran from Monday 28th February to Thursday 3rd March 2022. The webinars on Monday to Wednesday were free to everyone, but the Thursday webinars were only available to the ProWritingAid premium members. However, there was still plenty to learn from the free days. 

Fantasy Writers’ Week had the following presentations: 

1. The Secrets of the Fantasy Genre
2. How to Start World-Building and Writing Your Novel 
3. Finicky Fantasy 
4. How to Build a Magical World Grounded in Real-Life Inspiration (interview with Tomi Adeyemi)
5. The Four Fundamentals of an Immersive YA Fantasy Novel 
6. A Wizard Did It: Magical Systems as Science in Fantasy 
7. Scenes: The Building Blocks of Story 
8. How to Turn an Idea Into a Book 
9. How to Grow Your Author Platform Using Social Media 
10. Copyright Basics Every Author Should Know 

I learned so much from attending this online summit, such as the seven story types, and how you can apply them to the fantasy genre. For example, Beloved is a horror example in fantasy while the Wheel of Time is an action example in fantasy. I also learned about the two levels of world building (macro and micro) and the elements needed for each one, which has made me think more about what world building I do for my fantasy stories.

The presentations were live, but you have the option to replay them, which I did with many of the talks. ProWritingAid will do this event again, so I recommend this to any fantasy writer.

Crime Writers’ Week 2022

The Crime Writers’ Week ran from Monday 20th June to Thursday 23rd June 2022. Again, the webinars on Monday to Wednesday were free to everyone, but the Thursday webinars were only available to the ProWritingAid premium members.

Crime Writers’ Week had the following presentations:

• The Secrets of the Crime Genre
• Creating Credible Cops 
• Writing Emergency Scenes: Paramedic Characters to Die For
• Plotting Your Cozy Mystery 
• Red Herrings Workshop 
• Creating Clarity in Your Crime Novel 
• Save the Cat Writes a Mystery 
• An Interview with Award-Winning Author Mia Manansala

The Creating Credible Cops and Writing Emergency Scenes were the most useful talks for me because they shared what some writers can get wrong when talking about paramedics and police officers. For example, paramedics never run or rush into situations. 

I’m not sure if Crime Writers’ Week will happen again next year. But if it does, and you write crime (true crime and fiction), you should definitely attended.

The ProWritingAid Writers’ Weeklong Online Summits are a perfect way to improve your writing skills. And even better they are free (apart from the last day which is only available to ProWritingAid premium members).

Now, learning will not get rid of your self-doubt, but I feel that the more you learn and apply the knowledge to your own writing, the more confident you will feel—I know I feel this way. However, I have a warning for you: don’t let learning be another form of procrastination. Yes, this has happened to me too, lol.

The next ProWritingAid writers’ online summit will be the Science Fiction Writers’ Week. The event starts on Monday 29th August and ends on Friday 2nd September (Yes; you get an extra day). You’ll need to register to attend the event. If you’re a science fiction writer, this one is definitely for you. 

Before I go, I would like to tell you about The Self-Doubt Beating Writers’ Journal, which gives you advice and space to work on your self-doubts. I’m also selling products (notebooks, stickers, mugs, laptop skins, etc.) with the ‘Burn Self-Doubt Burn’ slogan. 

And don’t forget, if you struggle with self-doubt and you want to be part of a group where writers can share their fears, motivate each other and offer support, then join my ‘Setting Self-Doubt on Fire Squad’ group. 

Okay, that’s all I have for you today. Stay safe, everyone. And I’ll speak to you again soon (sooner than last time, I hope). 

“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow⁠” ― Anthony J. D’Angelo