Writer's Conferences

            This past weekend, I attended my first writer’s conference ever. Writer’s conferences are good opportunities to learn, network, and even pitch to agents. This conference in particular allowed me an 8-minute pitch session with an agent. When I learned about this conference, I knew that it was an opportunity I had to grasp.

            Even though I just went for the second day, I learned a lot, not just about writing but conferences in general. Despite all the university courses I have taken on writing, there are some important things they did not mention (that will be another blog post). In this blog post, I will talk about non-writing related things I learned about attending a writer’s conference. Since there are so many things, I will go ahead and jump in.

Show up early

            I am one of those who will get anxiety if I am not at least five minutes early to an event. When I arrived at the conference, I still had thirty minutes before the doors officially opened. Even after they did, people didn’t truly begin to show up until fifteen minutes before the opening event.

            I was one of maybe three people who showed up right as the doors opened, but that meant I got to check out the place before the crowds arrived. I saw everything, from the classrooms to the “bullpen” where we were to wait before our agent pitches. Though I was already pretty relaxed about the day (besides my agent pitch), knowing the layout of the building in person rather than just on the map oriented me and answered my questions before I even needed to ask them (like where the “bullpen” was or where the bookstore was).

            When you show up early, it may feel awkward at first. But if you can get a good idea about the layout of the place, it can help you feel more comfortable. If there are specific classes you want to attend, it can also help you plan your route (especially if you want to use the restroom in between).

            Arriving early also allows you to not be in a rush. Once I explored the building, I sat in a quiet corner and read for ten minutes. After a long week of school, work, and other stresses, it was an opportunity to breathe before jumping into an exciting day.

Plan your schedule

            Before the event, conferences will usually release a schedule of classes and which rooms they are in. If you want to attend all the classes you think will be beneficial to you, I highly suggest writing those classes down. This prevents confusion and indecisiveness, especially if you only have ten minutes in between classes. Some conference rooms do have an ample amount of seating, and I found this was the case with this writer’s conference. But I have also been to other types of conferences where classes fill up fast. If you don’t make it in time, you have to figure something else out.

            A strategy I followed is I wrote down the class names, times, and rooms. As soon as class finished, I found the next room, put my stuff down, then went to the restroom or whatever else I had to do. It guaranteed my spot and helped me breathe during those ten minutes rather than fussing to decide which class I wanted to attend next. I also got there first and had my choice of seating.

You’re never too young or old

            Going into the conference, I knew I’d probably be the youngest there. I’m a college student, and most people my age spend their Sundays at church, with friends, or cramming homework. There were a couple of people who appeared to be my age or a few years older, but yes, I was one of the youngest.

            However, something that surprised me was that perhaps half of the people there appeared to be in their 70s and 80s. It was inspiring to see them so eager to learn something new, and it showed me that 1. You are never too young or old to write, and 2. You are never too old to learn something new.

            So if you think you are too young or old to write or attend a writer’s conference, don’t let that stop you! Unless there is a minimum age limit, you should go for it!

Be fast with notes

            I am a notetaker. I handwrite notes for school, in church, and when I’m researching something for writing. It’s what helps me remember things best, and okay, I like the aesthetic of handwritten notes.

            I took as many notes as I could during the classes, but I learned something quickly: these speakers have a lot to say in 50 minutes. Many speakers flew through their PowerPoints to the point I didn’t know they had changed slides until I looked up from writing to find it something completely different. There was a lot of good information I couldn’t copy because the slides went by too quickly.

            From this experience, I have learned that I need to either 1. Take pictures of the slides and write notes later, or 2. Type them on my computer (like some people were doing). Handwriting them just didn’t cut it. I highly suggest doing one of these two options if you want to have as much information down as possible.

Use your platform

            If you are on social media and you’re trying to build your author platform, use this as an opportunity to get more attention. I made multiple videos about the conference the day of, and in each one I tagged the conference. If an attending author tagged the conference, the conference often posted them on their story. One of my stories was reposted!

            There are a couple of reasons why I suggest doing this: 1. The conference is seen by other authors (and agents and editors) who may be interested in your work and want to follow your journey. And 2. If you met an author or agent at the conference but didn’t exchange information, this can help them find you (or vice versa).

            There are a couple of people at the conference who found me and started following my Instagram page, and I started following theirs. Though tagging the conference may seem cheesy sometimes, it is a good way to garner attention to your social media page.

            Making videos about your experience or your preparations for it can also grab more attention. If you can squeeze out as many videos as you can about it, that will call more attention to your social media page in general. Right before and after the conference, I had multiple people start following me. There are so many videos you can make about the conference (like get ready with me, pack with me, come to [blank] conference with me, etc.), so take advantage of that!

Network

            This is something I did not do well, admittedly. I was kind of just soaking everything in and didn’t snatch the opportunity to talk with other authors. But one of the reasons why writing conferences are important is because they can help you network with authors, agents, and editors. You can support their work, and they can support yours. You may even be able to receive some good advice from those who are farther along in their writing journey. All sorts of writers attend conferences, and we can learn from each of them. And who knows, maybe you will impress someone with your story idea!

Experience as much as you can

            Experiencing everything can be difficult to do when the conference has a lot to offer. But if you have time, take advantage of it. Because I planned out which classes I wanted to go to and made sure I secured my spot, I had some time to explore what the conference offered (now that more people were there). I peeked at each of the stands, which had everything from editors to website help. During our long lunch break, I of course stopped at the bookstore (I actually may have stopped at the bookstore twice…).

            There was a lot I didn’t experience, like the parties Friday and Saturday night (those were included in my Sunday ticket), but I did try to experience all I could the one day I was there. You are at a fun place for the day, and if you do it right, you can relax. Explore the place, experience what you can, and have fun!

            I certainly plan to attend the conference again next year, no matter what stage of writing I’m in. I had such a great experience, and I highly suggest conferences for any writer (it’s also something you can put in your query letter bio because it shows that you are still wanting to learn). If you are looking for a conference, I suggest researching your area or popular writer’s conferences that you can attend. You will learn more about writing, meet amazing people, and perhaps have the opportunity to pitch to an agent or editor!