3 Life Lessons from the Author Conservatory (Student Review)

I'm sure you've heard me talk about the Author Conservatory once or twice over the last few months—in fact, my last project announced exclusively to my mailing list was a novel as part of the fiction side of the program.

But today I'm participating in the Author Conservatory Student Review Blog Tour, and I'm super excited to get started! This post will be just a giant braindump of all things Author Conservatory, really. XD I'll be going over my favorite things about Author and to wrap up, life lessons I've learned from my time in the Author Conservatory that will apply to anyone regardless of whether you're a serious writer or not.

What is the Author Conservatory?

Simply put, the Author Conservatory—more commonly known as the Author Kingdom 😉—is a three-year college alternative program for serious writers looking to create a sustainable career from their writing. Rather than being focusing exclusively on the writing side of things, the Author Conservatory also focuses on business to ensure that students will be prepared to not only craft well-written stories, but also sell them.

I know that was super brief, but you can find out more about it over on the website!

How have I grown as a result of the Author Conservatory?

Honestly, in so many ways. Prior to joining the Author Conservatory, I was struggling as a writer in general. Online, there are so many conflicting voices and tips and books about writing, but I found it difficult to sort through all those voices to find things that were actually helpful and tailored to my situation. Not only that, but I had only completed a few full-length novels that were more fluff than quality for the sake of word count. I knew next to nothing about the publishing industry and if writing as a career was actually realistic. I also knew nothing about plotting and considered myself a pantser.

In other words, I loved writing, but I had no guidance.

But of course, I soon found out about The Young Writer Workshop, and later the Author Conservatory.

I've been in Author for eight months, but I've grown so much in those eight months than I have in well ... nine years of being a writer and later author. 😅 I went from writing a fluffy fantasy novel filled with random scenarios to writing my longest work yet that followed plot structure. I went from knowing nothing about the publishing industry and whether writing could be a sustainable career to understanding the ups and downs of traditional publishing from authors like Nadine Brandes, Andrew Peterson, and literary agent Steve Laube and making purposeful goals to help me grow in preparation for a long-term career. I went from knowing literally nothing about plotting (seriously, I didn't even know what the Three-Act Structure was) to drafting my first novel using the concept-synopsis-outline method, aka a lot of prep using Three-Act Structure to ensure a structurally sound first draft.

Not only have I learned so much about writing and publishing from Author, but also I've grown tremendously as a person. When I first joined, being on one-on-one calls with the instructors was terrifying. No kidding, I used to literally panic right before critique calls. My voice would shake—and yes, I still refuse to listen to myself speaking on old critique call recordings. 😂 But one thing I love about Author is just how much it pushes me out of my comfort zone. Often, when interacting with others on the community or joining calls, I'm so much more aware of the areas I need to work on. But because Author is such a safe space with everyone being so understanding, gracious, and kind, I'm okay with messing up and don't beat myself up over everything I get wrong. One of the biggest things Author has taught me is to be patient with myself, my work, and others.

I especially love the hands-on experience we practice in Author. We're not just learning about writing and business, but we're actually doing it. One of the biggest things we learn in Author is "getting it together by going." It makes learning a lot more practical and memorable.

Now, let's jump into three life lessons I've learned from my time in Author!

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1. There is importance—and beauty—in community.

Flip to any book, and you'll see a list of people who have contributed to it. Proof that a book—or any project, really—can't be accomplished without the help and support of many (no, contrary to popular belief, writers do not spend their whole lives in lonely hobbit holes 😝).

Writing can be lonely at times. Prior to 2020, I was clueless about where to go with my writing, and looking back, it was because of the lack of community. I wrote by myself with zero support from other fellow writers until I reached a breaking point and realized that something had to change or I'd probably give up my writing dreams.

And then I discovered The Young Writer's Workshop and later the Author Conservatory. I learned that writing could be a sustainable career, contrary to what I'd thought my entire life.

Being in the Author Conservatory has taught me just how necessary community is to accomplishing big things (*cough* like writing a novel). Amongst the students in the Author Conservatory, there's a mixture of genres, dreams, and ages—but the way we rally around each other to offer help and support and encouragement is something that I'm constantly blown away by. I know other students have said that Author feels like a (giant) family, especially with our nicknames and inside jokes, and honestly, I'd have to agree.

But whether you're a writer or not, community is so important. We were created for community. Regardless of the hard things God has given you to do in your lifetime, you need support. So reach out. Build those friendships. Encourage and build one another up to do hard things. It's definitely worth it.

2. It's okay to be imperfect.

Honestly, this is something I'm still learning. 😅 This ties into what I mentioned above too, in a way that I think we as creatives can get way too obsessed with keeping our stories personal and to ourselves, never letting anyone else see them, and all the while making it even harder to grow and improve. I've done that way too often, and honestly, it's exhausting.

In the Author Conservatory, we're taught by amazing instructors who are incredibly understanding. I can't tell you how many times I've brought an incomplete mess of my project to a call and just rambled about how terrible I was feeling about it (guys, it helps) 😂 Never once have I felt ashamed or self-conscious bringing something incomplete and messy to a call because of how supportive and helpful the instructors are. Despite the huge amount of projects they're helping students with, they've always remained encouraging and patient even on the days I've felt like tossing my story, outlines and all, out the window.

As someone who before didn't take to criticism very well, being in Author has shown me that it's okay to ask for help. It's okay to admit I don't have the crazy stories I dreamt up all together. And whether you're a writer or not, it's okay to be imperfect. Don't beat yourself up over what you need to work on, instead be patient with yourself and trust that God will grow and stretch you as you go through the seasons of life.

3. There are realistic ways to reach dreams.

We live in a world that encourages dreaming big. But of course, with that comes the idea that oftentimes big dreams can equal impossibles. Or what feels like it, anyway.

Before joining the Author Conservatory, I felt like my love for writing would never be anything more than something impossible, as hard to accomplish as an astronaut or ballerina.

However. One thing I love about Author is just how the instructors showed how writing can be a sustainable career and also broke the overwhelming task of writing quality novels and eventually being an author into realistic, smaller goals that helped this easily-overwhelmed writer grasp a better understanding of everything.

In Author, we go through a series of stages (concept, synopsis, outline) prior to beginning to draft to ensure we have a strong, structurally sound story. When I first joined Author as a pantser, I was a bit daunted by all this work, but I can definitely see its benefits. Not only has Author shown me that a big task can be broken down to something simple without sacrificing its quality, but also the fact that writing a good story will take time and effort, but it's worth it—and it works!

This is helpful not only in writing but also in life. Knowing that big, seemingly impossible things can be broken down, with guidance, into realistic and purposeful goals is an amazing thing, isn't it?

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Is Author worth it?

Hands down, YES. Definitely. While it certainly isn't cheap, I've learned more from Author in the last eight months than I have writing for nine years on my own. In Author, us students are actually doing. We're getting first customers. We're writing high-quality stories. We're learning from amazing authors in the industry. And all along the way, we're growing as people and building up one another. Author is truly a place like no other, and I am so so blessed God brought me to this program.

So if you're on the fence about joining Author as a serious young writer, trust me—it's definitely worth it.

If you're interested in finding out more about the Author Conservatory (and winning some amazing prizes while you're at it), stay tuned tomorrow for a review by Cara Devereux on her blog, and check out the deets for the prizes and blog tour while you're waiting!

Now it's your turn!

Are you interested or planning on joining the Author Conservatory? What are your thoughts on this review/ramble? Which life lesson stood out the most to you? Let me know in the comments below!

'Til next time!

~Em ✨ | E. C. Colton