TIFTON — Pens and pencils scribbled hastily on pieces of paper while elsewhere in the room, fingers pecked away at computer keys. Everyone was writing his or her own heroic story.

This was the scene in one of the sessions at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Young Writers Workshop.

This year’s keynote speaker and guest instructor was Michael Lucker, whose background in screenwriting was an interesting perspective for attendees. Having written scripts such as “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” and “Mulan II,” among others, Lucker was able to offer insight into turning story ideas into epic features.

He also encouraged everyone to dream big, commenting that great stories are not just found in big cities.

“You can write from anywhere,” he said. “If you have a pen and a piece of paper, or a laptop and a healthy imagination, there is nothing to say you can’t write a screenplay in Tifton, Georgia that can’t be made in Hollywood, California.”

Lucker, a native of Atlanta, thought the event was great for the future of screenwriting and writing in general.

“It was surprising to find so many talented, driven, aspiring screenwriters in the middle of Georgia farmland,” he said about coming to the workshop.

Also leading sessions were Dr. Jeff Newberry, Dr. Sandra Giles and Brandi Arrington, all professors of English at ABAC.

Newberry led the discussion on poetry.

“Poetry is not a formula,” Newberry told attendees. “No art is. It is a craft.”

Following this advice, everyone had the opportunity to write his or her own poem.

Giles and Arrington followed with a lesson about writing fiction. During this session, creativity was encouraged and expounded through exercises in writing style and perspective. When it was over, writers had the makings of an interesting story to continue to build upon once the workshop was over.

With 21 writers in attendance, this year’s event saw a growth from previous years.

“It was exciting this year because we had even more attendees than in the past,” said Giles.

Dr. Jordan Cofer, who helped orchestrate the conference, also noted the distance individuals traveled to attend was greater than last year.

“We are drawing students every year from further and further around the state,” Cofer said. “This year we had people from Albany to Athens, and I think it’s a great outreach.”

Danielle Lindmier of Oglethorpe County returned for the second year in a row.

As a lover of writing, she enjoyed all of the sessions, but was inspired by Lucker’s presentation on screenwriting and may look to write a film.

“I love writing fiction, but I also love poetry and now I want to write a film as well,” said Lindmier.

Optimistic about the future of the written word, Giles would like to see a growing trend in support of young writers.

“We need more events like this,” Giles said. “The students get so enthusiastic by the time they leave, they are ready to go home and write. That’s really the purpose of the event.”

As a word of encouragement to young writers who may not believe in their abilities or their future opportunities, Cofer said, “Just keep writing. There are a million story ideas that go unwritten every year.”

Attendees had the chance to enter pieces of their work into a contest. Best poetry went to Kelsie Hunt while Jacob Funk won the best fiction award. For the second year in a row, Rori Wright won for short film, this time with a stop motion drama.