Making the Most of a Writers’ Conference

Last weekend I traveled to an out-of-state writer’s conference. I’ve been to a few writers’ conferences over the years when I could fit it into my vacation schedule and I’ve always come away with some good information. This time I tried something a little different. I invited another writer to attend with me so we could both gain some valuable information and then share what we had learned. Well, I am happy to report that the trip was overall a success. Our plan was simple.

• We registered ahead of time so we could get into the classes we wanted.
• We took different classes so that we could make the most of our time since we couldn’t take all the classes due to scheduling.

After the conference we were able to discuss what we learned in the classes we took so that we both received the benefit of all the classes we each attended.

The conference was very enlightening but it was too far away for me to attend the entire conference so I missed the day where I could meet all of the authors at a book sale on the second day. Next year I plan to go for both days and take full advantage of it.

But, there was an added bonus to traveling with a friend. We had the long drive to and from to talk and share and laugh. It was great gal time in addition to a terrific learning experience.

This year I am again pursuing my writing with more energy than I have in a while and I am determined to make some strong progress in my writing career. My goal is to find more writing conferences to attend and to plan ahead for what other ways I can make the most of the conference. Other things I plan to consider are:

• Make it possible to attend the entire conference to take advantage of every opportunity available.
• Don’t just stick with someone I know but mingle with other writers, networking and exchanging business cards for future contact.
• Make time to connect with the conference planners and ask about the possibility of presenting or teaching a class for the next year’s conference.
• Make sure to connect with any publishers, agents or book sellers to promote my book(s).
• Be sure to have fun and enjoy the trip, whether I go alone or take someone with me.

What about my readers who are writers? Do you attend writers’ conferences? If so, how do you make the most of them?