If you get a chance to go to a Writer's Conference... Go! I am changed by my experience there. I learned from well known authors, met with agents and editors and even stood in line and talked about regular life topics with one of the guest lecturers. Through the different workshops I got over many of my fears and concerns about becoming an author. I have now found my path and made a concrete plan with goals and steps towards making writing my career.
I found I did not get over filled with information as I suspected I would. This is in part to my existing background with storytelling and writing of scripts. It seems I regularly forget my four years of theatre training where I learned story arcs, plot, character development and all the other critical story building elements needed for any story wether told by mouth, the written word or on the stage or screen. If you don't have a similar background then these conferences would serve you even more with the myriad of workshops about these very elements that are critical to making your story publishable.
Know that you need to pick what your goals are for a workshop or you will become overwhelmed by the amount of workshop topics and options. Know what you need to work on and learn. You can focus on writing skills or publishing options or a mix of both to suit your needs. One conference will not be enough to become a successful writer. Being a writer, like everything else, is a work-in-progress. Get to know your strengths and weaknesses. Use the conferences to find what those are or to find how to work on those.
The most important thing you can do at a Writer's Conference is talk to people. Yes! Talk to other writers. Talk to the vendors showing their publishing services, editing services and other products for writers. Talk to agents and editors when they are not occupied with their responsibilities. Talk to authors during any of the signings they do.
You will benefit from talking to any of the people at the conference. If you need a writer's group you can find an existing one or like has happened for me, help start a new one in your area. Pitch to other writers and hone your pitch to be even better for when you pitch to agents and editors. Sometimes I just sat and listened to other writers talk about their own journey or even commiserated with them about our aching backs from standing in the line for new appointments or sitting in those chairs all weekend.
If one of the workshop speakers offers to listen to your pitch or help you with any questions you have, take them up on it. One of the editors at this conference also did a workshop on pitches and offered to help anyone on anything they might need to know from pitching to submitting your work to editors. I was able to leave my first meeting with an agent, go to the book store where he was signing his books and get advise on how to do the query letter the agent just requested (query letters have long been one of my fears and now is not). It ends up that particular editor has an incredible book about how to format and submit manuscripts that has allayed many of my fears about submitting my novels to agents and editors!
At a writer's conference you can find answers, camaraderie, professional contacts and confidence to keep trying to reach your writing goals. I hope if you have a serious drive to become a published writer that you too can find a way to go to a Writer's Conference. If you can make it to the Pacific Northwest Writer's Association Writer's Conference you will have an incredible experience. Glean what you can from where ever you can attend and make your writing better.
Keep on writing! Keep on learning!
