Writer’s Conferences, why go?

I just lost a morning’s work and I couldn’t be happier that I did. Why? Because I drove up to Hagerstown, MD to meet with the people putting together the Mid-Atlantic Fiction Writers Institute. We worked on scheduling and deciding on which seminars to offer at this year’s conference (to be held in Hagerstown in August: click here for more info). 

I’m going to be presenting my self-publishing talk, so their marketing guru asked if I’d be willing to be videotaped talking about the importance of attending writers conferences. I said sure, naturally, but then started thinking about why people should attend conferences. Here’s what I came up with:

To learn something. There is always more for a writer to learn, no matter how many years you’ve been writing or how many books you’ve published.

This was a bit of a surprise to me when I was a new writer.

I’ll never forget when I learned it either. I was at my very first RWA National conference. I was so excited because I’d recently signed a contract with Kensington Publishers so I wasn’t only just attending my first big conference, I was attending as a Published Author (and member of RWA PAN – the Published Author Network). So, naturally, I went to the PAN meeting held just before the start of the main conference, and there was Jo Beverly. No, wait, let me say that again properly: There was JO BEVERLY!!!!!

I nearly went fan-girl crazy. She was my favorite author (still is one of them) and I only just managed to control myself from running up to her, groveling at her feet and asking for an autograph. But she very sweetly raised her hand during the discussion and complained that there weren’t enough seminars for well-established authors. She wanted more because, she said, there was always more writing craft for an author to learn and that’s what she was there for—to learn!

From the mouth of the best Regency Romance writer I’d ever read (aside from Georgette Heyer)—she wanted to learn how to improve her writing. Well, my friends, if Jo Beverly needs to improve her writing, so do you (um, and I do as well, I can assure you).

To network.

I know that I’ve told the story here before (or, at least I think I did) of how I met the co-authors of the anthology Love Least Expected which will be coming out in a few weeks. Yup! At a conference (RT last May)… standing in line (there were many!). We started chatting (always do that! Don’t be shy.) and exchanged social media info (Twitter handles) and became friends. When they needed another person to join in with them on an anthology, they remembered me. Voila! I’ve got another book to add to my publishing creds and eight more friends (and, really, who doesn’t need more friends?).

Which brings me to…

Make friends.

Every author needs friends who are also writers. We need someone to kvetch to who will understand our particular jargon. Someone who will understand when we bitch about bad reviews (because, goodness knows, you can’t bitch to the person who left you the review!). Someone who will celebrate with you when you write 5000 words, or 2000, or even just 200 when you’ve had a bad few days. Someone who won’t look at you funny when you complain that your characters just aren’t cooperating--you need your main character to be a man and stand up for himself and he keeps wimping out, or you wanted your villain to kill someone and he started talking to the person instead! Who else, but a writer, won’t look at you funny when you tell them this? Writers need writer friends; conferences is where you make them.

Sell your book.

Frequently conferences have these wonderful people there called “editors” and “agents”. Granted, they are frequently associated with traditional publishing or may try to push you in that direction, but maybe you should go there. Maybe you should give it a try—doesn’t hurt (except for the rejections you will inevitably receive). Anyway, these “editors” and “agents” are there to listen to you for precisely 15 minutes (really, there’s usually someone standing close by with a stop watch) while you pitch them your book. At the end of the pitch, nine times out of ten they’ll say, “send it to me” or “send me a proposal.” And then they’ll tell you what to send them. This used to be one of the few roads to publishing. Of course, now we have self-publishing, but still, if you want to be traditionally published (and, again, it doesn’t hurt to try that route), this is a good way to go.

You’ll have an opportunity to rediscover the world, and maybe some ideas too.

Lets face it, too frequently writers get stuck at their keyboards. Writing is a solitary job. Going to a writer’s conference will give you an opportunity to discover that there is a real world out there beyond your manuscript, Facebook and the internet. There are real people who you can interact with, face-to-face! And not only that, but they give you ideas.

These ideas can be anything from a new world to a new character to new enthusiasm for what you’re already doing. Go to a writer’s conference and you’ll hear a keynote speech that will inspire you (hopefully). Go and watch people interact. Talk to people about their lives and you’ll be handed (for free!) fodder for your characters. Let them show you pictures of their home, or where they went on their latest vacation and you’ll get ideas about where you can set your next novel, or take your own next vacation (or both-- tax write-off?).

Getting out into the world is a Good Thing. Yes, it can scare the dickens out of you at first, but it’s good for you. Believe me.

So, next time you hear of a writer’s conference, carefully inspect your bank account (because they can be pricey sometimes), do a cost-benefit analysis (be generous on the benefit side) and then sign up! Do you have any other reasons I should add to my list?