What makes this workshop special isn’t just the presentations or pitch sessions—though those are always valuable—it’s the energy in the room. It’s the late afternoon conversation with a debut novelist still riding the high of finishing their first draft, or the quiet nod of understanding exchanged with a fellow author who knows the pain of trimming 30,000 words and still feeling like it’s not enough.

Every year, I meet writers at different stages of their journey. Some arrive with nothing more than a spark of an idea and a notebook full of questions. Others have entire trilogies under their belt and are looking for the right agent to take them to the next level. What unites us isn’t experience or accolades—it’s the drive to tell stories that matter, and the stubborn belief that our words can one day live on someone else’s shelf.

Personally, I always come away with something new. Sometimes it’s a technical tip I didn’t know I needed. Sometimes it’s a strategy for marketing I hadn’t considered. And sometimes—my favorite times—it’s a single line or conversation that reshapes my entire perspective on a project I thought I had figured out. That’s the kind of spark you can’t plan for, but when it hits, it hits hard.

The workshop has become something of an annual pilgrimage for me. I block off the weekend, clear my calendar, and dive in. Even in years when I don’t have a big project to pitch or a new book hot off the press, I go. Because the simple act of being around other creatives—people who understand the highs and heartbreaks of writing—is worth it.

Some years I come home with a notebook bursting with new ideas. Other years, I come home with just one solid insight—but even that is often exactly what I needed. This year was no different. I’ve already started weaving a few new concepts into my current work, and let’s just say… multiverse theory may be getting a bold new twist in my next release.

In the meantime, I’ve got a book launch on the horizon, and I’m deep in a stretch of outlining, world-building, and late-night rewrites. So if you’re interested in where alternate dimensions, wormholes, and wildly ambitious ideas collide—stay tuned. Big things are coming soon.

And if you’ve ever thought about attending a writing workshop—do it. Whether you’re a first-time novelist or twenty books deep, you never know what you’ll walk away with. Sometimes it’s craft. Sometimes it’s clarity. And sometimes, it’s just the reminder that you’re not alone in this strange and wonderful pursuit.

Thanks for reading. More soon.

Leif J. Erickson is a science fiction and fantasy author from a small farming community in west central Minnesota. Using his time wisely when he was a farmer, Leif developed many ideas, characters, and storylines to create over fifty unique first drafts and outlines for stories. From his start in a small town school, to college at North Dakota State University, back to his family farm, then to the bright lights of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and back to his small farming town, Leif has always had a love of writing.

When Leif isn’t writing he can be found with his wife hiking in state parks, canoeing local lakes and rivers, exploring local and regional ghost towns, experiencing museums, or simply reading or hanging out with friends and family. Leif draws on the local nature and ecology to find inspiration for his writing while he also asks what’s possible for technology and the human race, weaving them together for amazing stories that will stay with the reader for years to come. Leif looks forward to having many novel and story releases in the years to come.

You can see all of Leif’s Books here: Leif’s Amazon Author Page