Frustrated by the writing life? The women of Bindercon are here to help

Unlike the classic idea of the writer — in an ivory tower, scrawling away using an ink and quill — modern times make it much easier to type something up in an excited frenzy, hit publish, and send it out quickly into the world. The internet has changed the way we read, but it certainly hasn’t reshaped writing as a form of passion. We still want to tell stories, to reach others. And we still need a community to do that.

Enter Bindercon: A conference dedicated to supporting women and non-gender-binary writers through networking, workshops, panels, and more.

At this year’s L.A. iteration of the two-day conference, attendees gathered to learn more about their craft, but also discussed how to navigate the internet, amplify diverse voices, and how to deal with sexism in the workplace.

These are just a few of the lessons we took away from a weekend at UCLA with so many talented writers.

Things won’t always work out the way you want, but that doesn’t mean a project wasn’t important.

Write down a list of your goals so you can visualize them — and help them become reality.

Gloria Calderón Kellett and Tanya Saracho

Keep hustling — even when it feels futile.

"You have to catch fire," says TV writer Tanya Saracho, known for her writing in shows like Girls, Looking, and How to Get Away with Murder.

No matter your craft, you have to make yourself “undeniable” because there are now so many people out there blogging, writing, and becoming influencers. Saracho’s own story – and that of One Day at a Time co-showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellett – is inspiration enough. The two successful figures didn’t always have it figured out; but one of the biggest lessons they’ve learned along the way is that there’s value in hitting the pavement and working hard.

So here’s to the writers, the dreamers, the creators. Start that next project — you never know where it might take you.