Melanie Bell

Tag: conference

  • Year’s End, Looking Back and Forward

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    A book, a musical, and the loss of a parent From Substack, December 1, 2025 My year’s end posts are often celebratory. This one is bittersweet. I made significant professional strides in 2025, both in my writing career and in my day job. Personally, a lot of things have gone well. I also lost my dad this…

  • Notes From the World Fantasy Convention

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    Plus a mini-story From Substack, Nov 3, 2025 Whew – that was quite a weekend! I spent the last four days at the World Fantasy Convention, which took place this year (most conveniently) in my current home city of Brighton. It combined two events in one – an international fantasy convention and a British one.…

  • What the London Festival of Writing Was Like

    What the London Festival of Writing Was Like

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    Inspire Envisioning
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    I’m back from another busy weekend, in London this time. It was my first time attending an event from Jericho Writers, which offers writing conferences and courses in the UK. I went to the weekend-long London Festival of Writing. If you’ve been to a conference, you know a bit of what to expect: talks, buffet…

  • The Bestseller Experiment: Can You Write a Bestselling Book in a Year?

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    For two years, I’ve wanted to go to London Book Fair. This year I was finally going to get there, accompanying colleagues to look after ICE Publishing’s stand, network, and learn. Then, as you can probably guess, the fair was cancelled due to the coronavirus. The sound reason did not dim my disappointment. Despite the cancellation, though, I got one good thing out…

  • 5 Reasons to Go to a Writers’ Conference

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    Inspire Envisioning
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    Last month I attended Gollanczfest 2019, a one-day celebration of science fiction, fantasy and horror writing and publishing, hosted by leading UK SFF publisher Gollancz. The conference had two separate strands. A reader’s ticket gave access to author panels and signings, while a writer’s ticket granted entry to the smaller venue across the street, where,…

  • Literary Adventures at Sea

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    Inspire Envisioning
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    Fellow book lovers, have you ever daydreamed about going on a literary cruise? I’ve thought they sounded like fun ever since I learned they existed. Despite getting sick on the last cruise I went on, after receiving a deal offer from Olivia Travel on a lesbian cruise featuring a full slate of author events, I…

  • Celebrating My Wins of 2018

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    Inspire Envisioning
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    It’s hard to believe that 2018 is almost over. Hopefully the year has had bright spots for you as it has for me. Following the publication of The Modern Enneagram in 2017, this has been a fruitful year of career building in writing and editing. I’m celebrating these wins as we honor the year that’s…

  • Thoughts on the 2018 IEA Conference and Community

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    In July I attended and presented at the International Enneagram Association Global Conference in Cincinnati. I’ve been coming to the IEA conferences on and off for the past ten years, and have noticed a marked change in the last few. The early Enneagram conferences I attended focused heavily on individual growth, experiential practices (such as…

  • Understanding Your Culture’s Impact

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    This month I start the new adventure of living in London. I’ve been offered an editing job and am looking forward to this next phase of immersion in the culture of the UK. Depending on whether you count England and Scotland as one country or two, this is either my third or fourth country of…

  • The Myth of the Solitary Writer: How to Build a Support Team

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    Inspire Envisioning
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    Think of a writer. You’re probably picturing a lone figure with a laptop, right? A big part of being a writer is the writing itself, an activity that’s usually done in solitude by a single individual. However, the work of a writer involves collaboration at multiple levels, even for the most introverted of the bunch…