by Alena Wendall, @alenawendall
Preparing To Attend A Writers Conference
Conferences are opening again! Woo Hoo!! Happy dancing on this side of the world. I’ve been super excited to see friends again after all this lock down craziness of Covid.
I wanted to share some of the things that help me prepare and enjoy the conference. They are a significant investment into our writing career. Here are a few simple tips to maximize your experience and investment.
Prepare.
People that prepare for the conference, get the most out of it. Your time is precious and so are your resources. Plan on giving it your all. Map out the classes you want to attend and then go! Prepare your One Sheet. Check out the houses you want to pitch to. What are they accepting? What are their guidelines? What editors are attending? What genre are they accepting? Be ready! Need help on pitching, synopses etc.? Check out www.learnhowtowriteanovel.com.
Minimize Distractions.
When you attend a conference, you’ve entered an atmosphere intended to maximize your learning. That phone that keeps vibrating, the Apple watch that dings or the text messages that keep chiming in — all cause broken focus. Life happens, trust me I know. While at the conference try to minimize the distractions so you can focus. My day job can be intense at times. ACFW typically happens during our busy season, so I let work know when my breaks are so I can handle “emergencies” at specific times and that limits the interruptions.
Smile.
Huh? So many people appear confident. You would never guess, buty they can be just as introverted as you. Just as nervous about pitching their “book baby”. Make yourself friendly and encourage those around you. It always makes me smile to help someone else.
Pitching.
One of the things people look forward to at conferences is the ability to pitch to editors and agents. In the beginning, this was so intimidating. Then one of my friends reminded me, editors and agents are people too. Remember, that person sitting in front of you? Is a real person with real life problems just like you and I. So, prepare the best you can. Say a prayer, okay, maybe more than one prayer. Take a deep breath and go for it.
My most important reminder? God’s in charge of your destiny, your writing, your life. Do the best that you can, learn what you can and give the rest to God. (I know, I know, so easy to type, not so easy to do.)
Happy Conferencing Ladies!
Blessings!
Alena T.
Writing as Alena Wendall, Alena Tauriainen pens contemporary Christian romance novels that always end with a happily ever after. By day, she partners with her lifelong mate Clyde, to run the family HVAC business. She manages both business and family life with four lovable but crazy kids. She is the Retreats Coordinator for My Book Therapy. She is represented by Rachelle Gardner with Books & Such Literary Management. Visit her at alenawendall.com.