Confessions of a festival convert

Festivals can inspire or enervate. How much comedy, jazz, food, wine, fringe, community and mardi gras is too much?

My guilty admission as a writer is that I have always been wary of Writers Festivals.

I know writers who immerse themselves, loving nothing more than devouring the words and company of other writers, being surrounded for a brief time by their own kind, reveling in being out, being social, being away from the chair and the screen and the keyboard.

Whereas I tend to feel a creeping suspicion that I will be overwhelmed with ideas and my cynical streak – usually more or less under control – will spurt out, showing anyone in its path with nasty vitriol and anti-social over-reaction.

But this year, in the spirit of ‘doing things differently’ (to avoid the self help curse that befalls those who always do what they’ve always done) I steeled myself for two sessions of the Melbourne Writers Festival.

I have a few simple words to report in response.

Yes, rooms full of writers and readers can be overwhelming. There is so much information. There are so few opportunities. There are so many things one should have read and so many people one should know. There are so many pitfalls and so many writers of greater talent, success and renown.

But rooms full of writers and readers can also be humbling. And inspiring. And grounding.

A shift in the kaleidoscope turns a new light on what could appear to be a room full of desperate people, waiting for pearls of knowledge to drop and change their lives forever … to see what is actually there: a room full of passionate, caring, interested, ordinary, funny, flawed people – all of whom are willing to give their time (and money in some cases) to care in a public way about ideas and words and life and literature.

And truly great writers can remind truly aspiring writers of some of the really helpful tips to keep you going when you’re down.

Have faith in what you are doing (not necessarily faith in how well you do it).

Write in good faith (don't write what you don't believe in).

Work harder.

Try and do it better.

Revise.

Work harder.

Revise again.

And don’t forget – when in doubt – to work hard.