Last Saturday, I attended the final leg of a three day writers’ conference. The whirlwind day left me inspired, motivated, exhausted, and in search for Starbucks (but to be fair, I don’t need much of an excuse for that last one). Though it was my first one ever, I am clearly in the position to offer some sage wisdom to anyone interested. Here’s a quick list of the actions I recommend a new attendee to pursue (and some I do not).
1.Google the joint the night before.
By the grace of God alone, the last thing I did on the eve before I attended the conference was re-read a three-week old informational email and look up directions to the conference. Nowadays, the internet is available on nearly anything with an electronic pulse, but what about when it doesn’t work? Impossible you say? Normally, I’d agree with you. However, if there was ever a time for any and everything, (including the almighty internet) to go wrong, it is when you need it the most, on the way to the conference.
Midway through my hour and eight minute drive, Pandora (the music app, not the mythological character) informed me it was switching over to an offline playlist. This struck me as odd, mostly because I didn’t know I had an offline playlist, but also because, uhhhh, why is it doing that without my permission? Turns out, the internet wasn’t working, which means my maps isn’t working. Fine, I’ll just (safely pull over to the side of the road and park and) call someone to give me directions. Oh guess what? The phone isn’t working altogether. I just have an expensive paperweight. So rewind to having already looked up the directions, and thankfully there was just enough data loaded to combine with the GPS, I was able to navigate myself to the location, and the informational email was still on my recently loaded internet pages, so I was able to see where I needed to park (and all the other little details that they want us to know so they don’t get bombarded with the same questions a thousand times).
2. Get there early
Email says registrations begins at 7:30? Arrive at 7. The time will go by anyway, and you won’t feel panicked, rushed, or overwhelmed. Use it to pray, re-apply makeup, and search for the correct building (in whichever order you find most comfortable). There could be opportunities to sign up with some of the industry professionals for additional “meet and greet” time, and you will have first pick if you are there before anyone else. It also is good to be there early enough so you can get a “lay of the land” and feel confident in knowing the schedule for the day, or if there are any “snafus”, such as your time with a top agent getting bumped (yep–it happened) the problem can be solved before the opener. This conference had breakfast, but I already ate, and was too nervous to stray too far from the check-in area, anyway, but that’s another option for early-birds.
3. Be nice–to everyone
Okay, so this might be a general life-lesson, but seriously, wear your smile all day. Don’t feign happiness, but exude some joy, and share it with others. You honestly never know who you might casually bump into or be seated near during the event, and people tend to gravitate towards those that are positive. Because I arrived early, I was one of the first ones seated for the opening remarks, and sat in the very front. Unbeknownst to me, a multi-published film writer was sitting in the same row, and we struck up a conversation (I like to think it began because I saw a crayon in the row and dryly asked him if it was his. I was delighted when he said that no, in fact, all of his crayons were safely tucked into his bag. This is the quick wit I chase in my life). He was super pleasant and just as equally informative, and not at all scary, as I had imagined any of the industry professionals might be. Talking to him gave the the confidence to be able to be “normal” when it came time for me to talk to the agents that I had assigned for my “one on one” time.
4. Ask all the questions
You paid money for this thing. Now is not the time to revert back to your college years when you were wasting mommy and daddy’s hard earned money by skipping class and blaming your poor grades on being a terrible test-taker. No, use this time wisely and come prepared. What is your ultimate goal? Why are you there? To be more informed? To get published? To meet celebrities? (Wrong venue for that one, unless you idolize literary agents and freelance editors.) Ultimately, you desire to advance in your writing career, and these people know the in’s and out’s of the industry, so come prepared with every possible question you might have for them. You aren’t “bothering” them, (unless, of course, you wait outside the bathroom stall to talk to one of them or flag them down while they’re chewing on a cheeseburger. This reminds me of the Eminem song when he complains about these very situations and fans think he’s rude for “dissing them.” I’m super digressing here, but I must admit it would be hard for me to see Eminem in any situation and not come and speak to him. I really want to meet him one day. Em, if you’re reading this, which the odds are certainly likely, please know that I think you’re one of the greatest writers of all time and I would love to meet you). They are full of information and are available to answer your specific industry questions, so ask away.
5. Learn from those who already did it
You never know which part of the event might have the perfect opportunity for you to casually strike up a conversation with the authors and hear how they “made it.” I was sick that day, and after about 8 hours was ready to just go home. I had talked myself into not needing to be there for the “autograph party” since I didn’t plan on buying any of the books, and selfies are the modern day version of someone’s signature, anyway. But, I also didn’t want to think I was missing out on anything (this is a constant struggle of mine). Thankfully, I gave in to this “FOMO” as it is diagnosed, and used the “autograph” party as a time to ask that agent “just one more question” and see how that one author began his publishing process. The whole thing was super encouraging. It reminded me that, again, these people are regular people, and they have so much wisdom from which to glean. One of the guys said he was rejected SEVENTY times before getting that almighty yes, and now he has three published books under his belt. Everyone starts somewhere, and it is good to hear how they did it so you can feel confident to continue your own story.
6. Follow them on social media
They might follow you back! I made sure to look them up on Instagram in their presence, and tell them (hopefully in a non-creepy way) that I was following them. One of the authors even contacted me afterwards and had an answer to a question I had asked him from the conference, but he didn’t have the info available at the time. The idea makes you feel like you’re “in this together” and “on a team” or “not alone” or whatever slogan there is to help you realize that you really can get published. Following the professionals is a good way to get more information about the industry and “stay in the loop”. Again, it isn’t weird (unless you make it that way).
7. Document your time there
Whether it is taking notes, a tape recorder app, or SnapChat stories, be sure to get all the little nuances that happen along the way. I did the Instagram stories, sharing my experience with my followers, and many of them seemed to appreciate it (and for those that didn’t, sorry). I knew I wanted to blog about it, too, so it was helpful to get my thoughts as I was “in the moment” and that way, I didn’t forget too much. It was also encouraging when someone replied to a story or sent me a text message after seeing one. Also, you always think you’re going to remember something as you are living it, but most of the time you forget. So write it down somewhere, and you’ll be thankful that you did.
8. Be Yourself
Or “go with your gut/heart!” This entry seems to be full of those blanket one-liners but they exist for a reason. I had recently dyed much of my hair blue, and questioned that decision prior to the conference. I didn’t know if I would be taken seriously, or not seen as “marketable” or whatever. Much of my life, I have been told how to behave, dress, act, etc. and never experimented much when it came to those tiny creative forms of self-expression. Well I’m 30 now! Time to have fun! And I had blue hair for the conference and you know what? No one really cared. In fact, I even got compliments on it–from agents, no less! One didn’t particularly care for my work (well, to be fair, she said “not that it isn’t good, it’s just not stellar) but she loved my hair, and even pointed out all the subtle touches of silver in there. So who is the real winner here? (I guess my hair dresser.) I was also unsure of my ensemble, and didn’t know if I was frumpy (and did know I was bloated) but I really liked the idea of my skirt, so went with it. And guess what again? I got compliments on that. I know it sounds shallow, or stereo-typical “girly” or what have you, but the boost of confidence I got from my hair and skirt choices really put me at ease. So don’t think you need to “look” a certain way for them. Just be comfortable in who you are, and look that way. They’re interested in your work, and not your mini life-crisis that forced you to dye your hair or get a huge tattoo of Elvis on your arm or anything like that, unless that info in imperative to your work.
9. Relax and have fun
Super generic, multi-applicable advice, but it needs to be said. If it is your first conference, the “unknown” can be daunting, as I had previously stated in last week’s blog. Whatever it is you do to calm your nerves, do that thing (unless it is illegal, in which case, do not do that thing). Yes, you paid money and want to milk this thing for every dime they took, but the sooner you can enjoy yourself, the sooner you will be able to actually learn anything, anyway. Again, these are all regular people who, at one point, didn’t know what they wanted to “do” with their lives (and many of them still don’t.) But they want to help you, talk to you, answer your questions, etc. You will get so much out of it, and life, if you aren’t uptight or overly anxious. Go with the flow. If someone does take your coveted agent time-slot, no worries, don’t get upset, use that time for something else. You aren’t going to miss ‘that one shot’ while you’re there, because the whole thing is filled with ‘shots’ and opportunities to learn and grow.
10. Go–even if just for one day
You become immersed in this little society of others with the same goals, ideas, and passions, and it propels you into a world of creativity where all the doors feel open. Yes, the more you are there, the more you will learn. But, it’s still worth it, even if you can only make it to 1/3 of what’s happening (as in my case). The people I met, notes I took, experiences I felt could never be “googled”. You might not be a people person. Get over it. I’m sure many answers to your questions can be found online or in a book, but it isn’t the same. That’s like saying “I don’t need to go to their concert, I already have their album.” You need to experience it for yourself. You will leave determined to accomplish that which you set forth, and this time with a bit of realistic confidence from seeing the path of the others that helped pave the way. I’m still on a bit of a creative, confident “high” from the sole day I was at the conference last week.
WHAT NOT TO DO 
I made these mistakes. Learn from me!
1. Neglect to read your proposal
I had stared at my manuscript a hundred times, and even had others look at it. But still, when I had the final version for print, there were a few glaring errors in the first page that I neglected to see, but the agents did not. Don’t let that happen to you! You want your story to shine, not your typos. You might think it is super polished, but it is dumb to not even read it before you hand it over (oops).
2. Leave Early
You’re going to miss out. There’s going to be a fellow writer, agent, author, editor, etc. that you are going to meet if you stay, but that will meet someone else if you leave. Now I was super sick, and stayed as long as I physically felt I should, considering I still had a bit of a drive home. As I had stated prior, I had planned on leaving earlier, but am thankful I didn’t because of all the great advice I received from authors at the “autograph party.” I’m trying not to think of what else could have happened if I stayed, but, if you have no real reason to leave (being tired is not good enough) then you need to stay.
3. Not having enough extra money (sorry for the poor wording)
There are opportunities not only to buy food (which is first priority) but also books and other media from the conference, such as workshops you couldn’t attend or publishing guides. I didn’t really think about that, and budgeted myself just for lunch and dinner, wishing I was able to buy a couple of the books from the authors there.
Hope this helps someone wanting to attend a conference! Is there anything on here you would add or omit? Let me know!
I'm Funnier in Person 