The Conference Butterfly Writer

By Darlene Corbett @darlenemcorbett

I love butterflies. I love writing. And I love conferences. 

What does one have to do with the other?

To make it simple, I’m like a butterfly who flits to as many writing conferences as possible. My wings flutter as I immerse myself in the nectar of learning. 

On closer examination, complexity streams through the parallel travels of the butterfly’s metamorphosis and the writer’s journey. The butterfly’s journey to flight is treacherous. Only two to ten percent endure nature’s feckless behavior to become adult butterflies. Yet instinct and survival drive them to keep going.

How does this relate to writing and conferences? Let’s start with the writing experience. Maybe not life-death, but a struggle, an intermittent one, with ninety percent of writers never finishing their books. 

Why? Don’t most endeavors involve a struggle? 

Yes. But as I’ve written many times, an exhilarating but, at times, excruciating undergoing. While traversing the rocky landscape of craft refinement, we may miss a step, fall backward, and the whisper of doubt reverberates. After rejection or criticism, we may fall flat on our face, and the echo becomes louder. A desire to wriggle away and find refuge in our cocoon magnifies.

But as Christians, we heed God’s admonishment about surrender. So, we push ourselves up, ignore the bruises, and continue the climb, praying for a way to navigate the next obstacle course.

For the butterfly, no recourse exists if nature gobbles it up in any stage of its life. For us humans, there’s hope until our last breath. Our writing lives don’t have to end until God ordains it’s our end to life on Earth. 

Many resources exist for the 21st century writer. Options for publishing, more craft books than ever before, webinars, and conferences, lots of conferences, online and live. 

Throughout my entire adult life, I’ve been in the human behavior field. At the beginning of my career, insecurity plagued me, as it did for most inexperienced therapists. I felt I didn’t know enough. And I didn’t. How did I build my confidence? Along with practice, study, and consultation, conferences. I attended as many as possible, not only for the lectures but for contact with others in the profession. Stories about early struggles validated and normalized the strange experience of becoming a therapist. 

Listen to God, not the whispers of doubt.

These days, I register for few workshops in the mental health field, only those required for my license. However, in the writing world? A conference, a workshop, a gathering, bring it on, and the beauty of virtual creates convenience and far less expense. 

I still love live conferences. Again, for learning, but more for the relationships. I’ve developed friendships with people from all over the world, connecting with some of them once a week. Three mornings a week, I participate in a writing sprint for ideas and fellowship. Over the last two years, a small group of us have met every Friday.

Also, you never know what God has in store for you. At one virtual conference, I pitched to a publisher and now have two novels, going on three, with his small but mighty press. 

So, I will continue to flit and flutter like a butterfly to conferences, workshops, and gatherings, and drenching myself in the study of our art will never cease. As so many people say, without struggle there is no success, an ongoing process. 

God didn’t put us on this earth for ease. Expectations are high for those to whom much has been given. And I believe I’m one of those people. With much gratitude for this blessing, I will honor Him and continue listening to His directive: Write, write, write.

Darlene Corbett views herself as a lifelong learner and logophile. Her primary roles are now Therapist and Author. Since the publication of her first book in 2018, she has written two novels, with two more coming out in 2027. She lives in Central MA with her pampered Shih Tzu, Stevie.