top of page
  • Writer's pictureSavanna Ammons

Savanna Ammons' Student Review: The Author Conservatory

It's finally time, y'all! For what? For the Author Conservatory Student Review Blog Tour, of course! What's the Author Conservatory Student Review Blog Tour? It's actually all explained in this kickoff post written by the lovely Coralie, who is our hardworking community manager and admissions advisor! So you should read it. Please. I really don't want to have to explain it all. :) But one thing I will say--there are prizes for those of you who participate and comment on each blog post as proof of that! So go check it out!


Okay, I'm assuming you're back and excited for this tour! (If you're not excited already, just look at this gorgeous graphic!)



Okay, enough oohing and ahhing--on to the review!


If you're like I was, you absolutely love writing--but you have no idea how to make it into your career. You've heard that college is, you know, expected of you, but you've heard that creative writing as a college major is kind of a waste of money, and there's nothing that interests you as much as writing. However, without a degree, you can't really get a job to support yourself, and you don't know how to build a platform or sell your books, so basically you're sunk--and you don't want to be another example of the rampant stereotype and reality of the "starving artist." Or maybe you want to write nonfiction, which most of the time means you still struggle with the same difficulties. Basically, you want to make a difference, to get your work out there in front of people who will be impacted by it, but you can't figure out where to begin.


Let me introduce you to the Author Conservatory.


What is it?


You should already know what the Author Conservatory is if you read Coralie's post, but if not, basically, Author is a three-year program dedicated to teaching young writers how to make a sustainable career out of writing. That's right, a sustainable career--not just another course about how to write good. Er, well.


You know what, I'm actually not going to go into detail about what Author Conservatory is since everything you need to know is on this amazing website. You should go check that out if you haven't already, or if you need clarification on what the program is. After that, please come back here and read my personal review!

The Creative Writing Track (Year 1)


I had been writing fairly seriously for five years when I learned about The Author Conservatory through a webinar with the one and only Brett Harris, our fearless leader and co-founder. (I really want to share one of his nicknames, as he has many within the community, but I'll spare him for now.) And though I knew I had things to learn, I didn't realize how much. I wasn't prepared for the mental and emotional energy it would take to craft a solid story. I may have cried. Many times. *coughs*


HOWEVER. I just entered my fifth month in the program, and my understanding of story structure, characters, and honestly life in general has been revolutionized. Yes, I still have a long ways to go. But Kara Swanson (our other co-founder and resident creative genius) and Brett's lessons are engaging and thorough, and they are both so willing to answer my questions when I don't understand.


And then there's the personalized critique, where Kara and our other amazing instructors, Katie Phillips and Joanne Bischof, are so amazing at pinpointing the fundamental flaws and issues with our projects, gently encouraging us to choose the right path for our stories, and cheering us on when we step into the next stage with our writing. It's so fun to see them get invested in us and our projects after coming to them week after week. And though I haven't gotten to interact with Sara Ella and Mary Weber much yet, since they're Year 2 instructors, I know that they're amazing, too, as are our nonfiction teachers Jaquelle Ferris and Justin McGeary, and our experts-in-residence Nadine Brandes and Steve Laube.


After the training and critique I've gotten in this program, I just... it hurts, a little, to look back on my drafts pre-Author. There's definitely some pain there along with a lot of questions like "How did you ever think that was a solid draft" that I ask myself. But that just shows how much I've grown in just the past four months.


The Business Track (Year 1)


I recently began the business track after far too long of putting it off out of anxiety, so I can't speak too much to this side of things because I haven't experienced much of it. But that just means I still remember staring at my computer screen, listening to the first lecture and fighting off a panic attack because what if I can't do this? Nonetheless, here I am, doing it, and first and foremost it's because of God--but He's used Brett and Mr. Gregg Harris, our business instructors, along with the rest of the community (and my family) encouraging me, to get me to even this little step I'm on. And despite it being absolutely terrifying to this little introverted, insecure girl who wrote most of these words much too late at night, I can already tell that it's building my confidence, teaching me fundamental skills that will impact the rest of my career.


The Community


So hopefully you've seen my excitement and love for this program in the last few very rambly paragraphs, but if you don't get it here, then I've completely failed in my goal.


Y'all. This. Community. Our amazing Mysterious Brett Society. (I'm sorry, I had to.) It's small right now--though it's constantly growing--but it's so mighty. From the brainstorming help to the encouragement to times where we write together to the section dedicated to prayer requests and praises, I've never experienced anything quite like it. I fell in love with them on day one, when they welcomed me so warmly and with such open arms. And that's the kind of greeting I've seen them give to everyone else who's joined after me, too. They're dedicated to Christ, dedicated to writing, and dedicated to each other. As Anne Shirley would say, they're my kindred spirits.


"'Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.'" - Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

I don't feel like I've captured the essence of this community quite yet, or its impact on me. So let me be clear: these are the people outside of my family who are really my people. These are the ones who have come alongside me and taken my hand, the ones who have told me that I'm going to be okay and yes, it was hard for them too. They are the people who pray for me. The people I can be real with even when it's embarrassing and painful. They point me to Jesus and they tell me and show that they love me. They're the ones who pick up the pieces of my stories and tell me they're beautiful even if they need work.


I can't say enough how much I love them, and even just four months later, I can't imagine my life without them and barely remember how things were before. They're not perfect... we all have our issues... but we love each other, and I believe God is glorified in that.


*clears throat* Okay, on to the next topic, because I could talk about this for a very long time.


Is it worth the money?


One thing that I was concerned about when I first thought about joining Author is how I would be able to pay for it. It's not a cheap program, but, as Brett has said from the moment we started looking into it, you get what you pay for, and you get what you put into it. In my opinion, yes. It is absolutely worth the money. And time. And emotional, physical, and mental energy. If you're an intentional person who is willing to put in all that for the sake of your writing and the relationships you build here, and if you're willing to do it all with instructors and a majority of classmates that teach and encourage you from a Christian worldview, Author may just be for you, like it is for us.


Something else I think it's prudent to mention is that this isn't a few people teaching kids get-rich-quick schemes and then sending them off into the wild blue yonder. The methods that Brett and Kara teach are tried and true. In their lessons, they use examples from their own lives and experiences. Not only that, but when I read Kara's books, I see the things she's taught us woven into her stories. When I think back on what Brett told me and my family during a call we had with him at the very beginning, I see the business skills he's teaching us. It's incredible and so encouraging to my heart. I hope it is to yours, as well.


(TL;DR)


The Author Conservatory is more than a program that has changed the way I write. It is also a community that uplifts you as you keep making progress toward excellence. I agonized for months over whether I should join or not. I prayed and begged God to show me if it was the right choice, and praise Him for bringing me here as clearly as He did because knowing what I know now, I would choose it all again in a heartbeat.


 

Our next blog post on the tour comes from Zoe, and it goes live tomorrow, 11/12! Click here to read it!


Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear them down below!


Related Posts

See All
bottom of page