Hanging out with writers is exhilarating…and exhausting

Writing can be a solitary life, right? Even when working in a noisy cafe, I can encapsulate myself as I focus on my work – be with/around people, yet still alone.

So when I purposely join a group of writers for a couple hours or more, it’s a bit of a emotional overload. I go from my own thoughts to learning about other writers, what they’re passionate about, what they enjoy reading and writing, and what they are currently working on.

And at those times, I wish I was a sponge and able to absorb *everything* and review it later. I do the best I can, of course, and scribble notes when I have the chance.

I attended a full-day writers’ conference on Saturday and am still recovering. I got there early and met several people right away.

• A neurologist who writes about addiction and recovery; he blogs and speaks to people who need his expertise – turning medical terminology into layman’s speak. And he’s 2/3 of the way through a book on the same topics he speaks about.
• A career-long technical writer adjusting to writing historical fiction and finding it challenging to shift away from linear writing with rules to the freedom that fiction allows.
• A newly published author who was attending the conference for the second time. Last year, her book was in process and after last year’s workshops and networking, the book has been published with a second scheduled with a publisher.
• A local radio personality who enjoys meeting people and coming out from behind the microphone is now transitioning into the writing world.
• An almost-MFA-graduate who was there to practice pitching a YA fantasy novel and to hopefully find leads into teaching opportunities.

Andres Dubus III was the keynote speaker. I’m not familiar with his work, but after hearing him speak, I want to learn more about his work. He was very down to earth and direct. I found it refreshing and motivating.

The workshops I took gave me new ideas for works in process and works not yet drafted. My workshops focused on characters, YA (young adult) & MG (middle grade) fantasy writing, and using maps as stories.

I also got to network with people in my area. It’s so nice to find local-to-me writers interested in getting together for coffee, or better, a writing group. It’s hard to find each other when we’re at home hiding behind our screens!

Bottom line is that I came away from the conference exhilarated with an abundance of information to evaluate. I recorded the workshops, but not my conversations, and it’s usually the conversations that have the priceless ‘nuggets.’

Back to my sponge analogy: after days like this, if I were a sponge, I could wring my thoughts into a bucket and take time to see what I captured. As it is, I usually need food to re-energize, and then quiet time to let everything settle — keeping a notepad and pen nearby to write down the thoughts that bubble to the surface.

Do you take time the same day to capture your ideas/thoughts after going to a workshop or conference? Or do you give yourself a day or more to let things settle?

Lisa J. Jackson makes a living helping businesses express themselves with words and writing about NH. She has decided to complete several 5Ks in 2013 as a way to get off the couch and away from the screen. She drinks iced coffee year-round, and needs a stash of Peppermint Patties in the fridge at all times. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook, and Twitter. 

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Getting the most out of a writer’s conference

If you’re a writer, attending conferences can benefit your efforts to be successful.

On this blog, we’ve talked about meeting other writers and the benefits of networking. Attending a writer’s conference brings these together – especially if you plan ahead.

Conferences generally offer a mix of professional development sessions in the forms of workshops and panels. Options generally range from the big-picture view of the writing business as a whole down to topic-specific. And offerings can be for newbie writers to multi-published professionals.

There are a wide variety of conferences available that cover all types of writing, so researching what fits you best is imperative. If you’re an animal writer, attending a travel writer’s conference probably won’t do you much good.

Once you know where you’re going and when, spend time preparing. You want to have questions ready for editors you’ll meet. Maybe you can even take advantage of pitch sessions, so work on a few pitches and take advantage of the opportunity.

Sometimes conferences will post names of attendees. You can start networking with people before you meet them by taking advantage of social media.  Connect with them, if you can, on Facebook or Twitter.

One important tip is to try not to plan to do too much. It can be enticing to want to pitch to every editor possible. But you’re only human. Focus in on 1 or 2, no more than 3 editors or agents you want to meet. And prepare. Know the person you will be talking to.

At the conference:

• Ask intelligent questions. Show the person you are speaking with that you know what magazine or publisher she represents. Sincerity goes a long way to turning an initial contact into a long-lasting relationship.
• Have your business card ready. Make a note on the back before you hand it over, noting the date and place of the meeting to help the person remember you after the conference.
• Attend with an open mind. You make the best choices you when planning, but once at the conference,  you will (most likely) learn something new, find a contact that fits your goals better. Sometimes, the most successful meeting is the one you don’t anticipate.
• Be real and know that you probably won’t land a contract or be asked for a full manuscript that day. It can and does happen, but know that patience is important, and developing relationships takes time.

After the conference (for me it takes a couple of days to come off the ‘high’ of being with other writers), there are a few things to do.

• Go through your notes to (1) make sure you can read them and (2) address any items you starred or highlighted. If you made a note to e-mail someone, do it!
• Connect with your new acquaintances, friends, editors, and agents through social media. You probably received a lot of contact information during the conference, use it!
• Dig deeper into the publications, publishers, or agents that now have more of your interest. It’ll improve your queries and pitches.
• Follow-up or connect with people in a professional, yet casual way. You want to build relationships that help you reach publication, so take care in how often you contact someone.

These are just a few pointers I can recommend. Writers conferences exist for everyone. I’ve always found Shaw Guides a great place to start my search.

What do you think? Is preparation a key to getting the most out of a conference? Do you have any other tips to recommend?

Lisa J. Jackson is a New England-region journalist and a year-round chocolate and iced coffee lover. She’d be a writing conference junkie if her finances allowed it.  She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom. Connect with her on Facebook or Twitter. 

 

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BlogHer Writers ’11

BlogHer, one of the Internet’s best known sites for women bloggers and blogs of interest to women is offering a one day conference for “writers ready to use social media skills as authors”

The conference is sponsored by Penguin Publishing, home to such imprints as The Penguin Press, Penguin, Berkley Books, and The Viking Press among others. Many of the speakers and mentors for the event will be Penguin staff, authors or agents who have successfully worked with Penguin in the past. Penguin’s imprints represent a broad range of authors and titles, for example, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World by Alan Greenspan and Otherwise Known as Sheila The Great by Judy Blume.

BlogHer Writers ‘ll is structured to be a mix of large group learning and small group mentoring and brainstorming. According to Erin Groh, from BlogHer, “[A]ttendance is capped at 200 people, including our speakers and small group leaders/mentors. We intentionally keep this event small to foster a sense of intimacy and in depth networking.”

Who should attend? Bloggers and other social media writers looking to expand their writing outlets. Groh says “As bloggers, our audience are already experienced writers in the online and social media fields. This conference is an opportunity to help them leverage that experience to break into more traditional publishing.”

Writers ’11 will be held Friday October 21, 2011 at the Hilton New York. A welcome reception will be held the night before from 6pm – 8pm. The cost is $199 (+ a $5.97 processing fee) per person. Conference details are at http://www.blogher.com/blogher-writers-11. Registration information can be found at http://blogherwriters11.eventbrite.com/. BlogHer has a block of rooms at the Hilton for $299 per night. There is also a conference community where you can find a roommate, discuss conference expectations and meet other attendees before the event.

What do you think?  Are you attending? Why? Why not?

Disclosure: Information presented here is for educational purposes only. NHWN has no relationship with BlogHer or Penguin.

Lee Laughlin is a writer, wife, and mom, frequently all of those things at once. She blogs at Livefearlesslee.com. Her words have appeared in a broad range of publications from community newspapers to the Boston Globe.

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