Conference Virgin
I leave tomorrow for the NJ RWA Conference. It’s close to me, just up the turnpike, so I’m not going until Friday morning and I’m coming home on Saturday night.
I’m pretty excited, to tell the truth. This is my first conference and I’m not exactly sure what to expect but it feels a little like I’m going to Disney World for the first time. I mean, there are workshops (like rides for writers), there’s food, and best of all, there are bunches of other folks just like me who love books and writing more than pretty much everything else.
Wait, not Disney World: heaven.
So, here’s my list of things I’m excited about:
1) I hear there are free giveaways. I love free stuff. (Who doesn’t love free stuff?)
2) I get to meet some of my favorite authors (I hope). Eloisa James will be there, Elizabeth Hoyt will be there, and JK Coi will be there signing books.
3) I get to meet some of you! Hooray!
4) On a personal note, I haven’t been away from my son for a full night since he was born nearly two years ago. This is a big step for me and probably a bigger step for my DH who is on solo daddy duty for two whole days.
5) I’m pitching for the first time ever…. Ok, moving on from that….
6) I get to find out what the judges thought of my contest entry. I am really excited about getting their feedback.
7) Oh, and I bought a jacket to wear during pitching that is incredibly cute. And, it was on sale! Double score.
What am I missing? Have you been to any writers’ conferences? If so, what did you like? What was not so great? What advice do you have for those of us busting our conference cherry?
Books by the Crew
44 comments:
I've never been to a writers' conference. But I hope you have a wonderful time! You are so going to win that contest!:)
As for busting your conference cherry, just relax and everything will be fine...if it gets a little rocky, think of England!
Good list, Marn.
Kris and I leave today... In fact, I'm out the door in forty minutes!
See you there!
See you there! I know how it feels--I'm leaving my son for one of the first times too (and he's FIVE)
Marnee, you'll have a wonderful time! Just relax, be confident and be friendly. Smile and don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Introduce yourself to people, ask about their work, sit down next to someone you don't know and start a conversation. Take plenty of business cards and give them out freely. Take advantage of as many workshops as possible and make sure you always have a pen and small notebook to jot down names, ideas, questions, etc. Most of all, soak up everything you can and ENJOY the experience! Then come on home to the ship and tell us all about it! :)
You'll get to meet Tiff and J.K. in person before I do. *sticking out tongue at you*
Seriously, I hope you all have a fabulous time. I hear you on the mommy-angst. It's so hard leaving them, but hopefully you'll be distracted by all the shiny happy people and freebies! Viva New Jersey!
Kelly - Think of England! That's my new mantra!! :) LOL!! And thanks for the luck about the contest. I'm really ok if I don't win. I really just wanted the feedback. Eloisa, Elizabeth Hoyt's agent, and an editor at Avon; I couldn't ask for better sources of feedback. LOL!!
Yay Tiff and JK! Can't wait to meet you both. And JK, I can feel your pain. I am going to miss him.
PJ - That is all wonderful advice! I have my business cards. I have a little notebook. And I have my camera, so I am going to try to take some pictures. (I'm notoriously bad at remembering to bring it places or if I take it I forget to use it. Mommy brain....) And I'm going to do my best to embrace the entire experience. I think I've moved away from being nervous and now I'm just so excited to see it all.
Maggie - I hope I'm distracted by the people and freebies too. And thank goodness for cell phones. I suspect my husband's going to be sick of me. LOL!! Viva NJ is right!
Marnee - I think you've got everything covered. Now you get to just go and enjoy yourself. Meeting everyone is going to be a blast. You couldn't be plopping yourself down in the middle of a nicer group of people.
Eloisa is so awesome. She's warm and friendly and very approachable. I'm jealous about Elizabeth Hoyt. I'm not that big on meeting authors, but I'm thinking you may be able to score her new release, "To Seduce A Sinner", before Tuesday (which I've been dying to get my hands on ever since reading the excerpt on her site)!!!
Kelly - LOL "Think of England." That's hilarious!
I can't believe it's been a year since I lost my conference cherry. LOL! You are going to have SO MUCH FUN! But I will warn you, the food - not so good. Just sayin'...
PJ's advice is perfect. It's hard to remember to soak it all in when your sitting there the entire time thinking, "I can't believe I'm here!" And then there's the voices that say things like, "OMG! That's Eloisa James sitting next to me!" LOL!
I'm the same way about the camera. I bought my new digital camera right before NJ last year and I think I took less than six pictures. I just never think about it. Gah! I need to work on that.
The DH and Lil' Pirate will be fine. They are going to have a great time and you'll be so lost in writer land, you won't even notice that it's been 30 minutes since you last called home. LOL! But I'm guessing you are going to get tackled when you get in that door Saturday night. LOL!
Fingers crossed for a contest win!
Irish - I love Elizabeth Hoyt myself. Her Prince's trilogy is wonderful. I aspire to write such steamy historical stuff. And I agree; I couldn't be plopping down with nicer folks. :)
Ter - Is ok about the food, actually. I have to take some of my own food anyway. (Hypoglycemic).
I am completely afraid I'm going to sink into fangirl stalkerness. I'll be squeeing and carrying on like a teenage girl at a Jonas Brother's concert. (All in my head of course, I would never be so undignified. *snortals*)
And OMG, I do the same thing with the camera. I bring it, forget to use it, and then kick myself about it later. I'm going to try to do better this weekend.
I think they'll be fine too. DH can handle the baby but I suspect my house will look like a war zone. Oh well. It's worth cleaning all day Sun. :)
Oh, and thanks about the fingers crossed. I can't even explain how excited I would be if I won. LOL! And pretty shocked, I'd imagine.
I also forgot to mention that my mommy heart feels for you leaving the little one. I remember having to go on a business trip for 3 days when my daughter was a little over a year. The DH took a couple days off work and promised me he wouldn't leave her side. LOL I was so afraid he was going to do a "dump and run" with either his parents or mine, but he didn't. They had a good time together, bonded and he got a little taste of what it was like to have to be on-call 24/7. It also set a very healthy pattern and made it a lot easier for me to leave him with the kids in the future. It was good for all of us.
Irish, that is exactly what I needed to hear. But you know how every worst case scenerio runs through your head at these times.... LOL!!
And I totally recommend the Spring Fling, but it's an every other year conference. I'm making it my goal to have something ready to pitch there by 2010.
Marn, you're gonna do great babe! And you're going to have the best time. You'll never want to go home.
I agree with Irish. Eloisa is glorious. She's so nice and she makes you feel like you've known her forever. Even my shy little self warmed right up to her. Not to mention Ig, Irish and Kim. I talked their ears off. LOL
Marn - I've done the fangirl thing. Totally embarrassing. It was funny in San Fran when we were all walking to the CPK together for the JQ luncheon. I was walking with Elizabeth Hoyt and said, "I can't believe I'm walking with Elizabeth Hoyt." To which she responded, "I can't believe I'm walking with me either." LOL! She was wonderful.
Sin - I think we'll have to see about Spring Fling. I can't even plan next month let alone two years. LOL!! And I'm sure you'll have something to pitch by then. I have faith.
Ter - LOL! that's funny! :) She sounds cool. She's one of my favs. :)
Oh I'm so excited for you! You will have an absolute BLAST! :) I haven't met Eloisa but I've met Elizabeth. And I'm jealous you get to meet J.K.!
Everyone has such great advice...I don't have much to add. Although, I'll say that at Nationals I brought TONS of business cards an only ended up using two of them!
Your pitch will be wonderful, I'm sure. What does one say for a pitch? Good luck? Break a leg? Break a pencil?
I haven't ever been to a writing conference, but last summer I went to my first search engine marketing contest (my day job). I was extremely nervous and very shy--and one of the "rockstars" of my industry recognized me.
Now, you probably don't blog on one of the top 10 sites of your industry with your picture by your byline, but still, people are going to be at least as friendly as they were at my conference!
Have fun and be sure to take pictures of your fam to show off!
Steph - Those were perfectly good pitch luck statements. :) Thank you! :) I think that my business cards will probably go the way of my camera; brought along but forgotten for the most part, unless I'm reminded somehow. LOL!! But thank you and I'm excited I get to meet JK too!
Jordan - I am sure people will be super friendly, but I don't think anyone will recognize me. I have a weird name though so if people might have stumbled across me, they may recognize that, I guess. And i promise I'll try to remember to take pics.
But I'll definitely blog about it next week and I'm hoping I get plenty of new info to share with everyone from these workshops.
Marnee, how exciting that you are going to your first conference as a finalist! Have a wonderful time and come back with lots of stories to tell so that we stay-at-homes can enjoy the conference experience vivariously.
And I'm still giggling over Kelly's "Think of England" comment. :)
I've only been to a conference for a couple of hours in the capacity of "stalker fan girl." I loved it still. Even in that capacity it felt good to know that I was going to a place where friends would be.
Have a blast!
Marnee...find things to ask about...like all those pins and awards people have on their badges. It's a great way to open up a conversation. Plant your camera in your hand!
I pitched at the SF RWA conference. Found in person pitching much easier than writing the query letter. It's easier for an editor to see how excited you are about your book face to face. So, be excited!
I'm a real wallflower and though I've been to RT and now the big RWA thingy...I missed a lot. Best advice? Don't be me!
Take emergency chocolate for courage...
Good luck!
2nd - You were in San Fran?! I can't believe I missed the chance to meet you. And you're right, I still feel like there is a ton of stuff I missed at both conference I've attended. It all blows by so fast and there's so much to take in. It's easy to get overwhelmed.
YEAH! I'm loving the conference stuff! You're going to have so much fun!!! It is Heaven...except for that brief moment of Pitching Hell, though the people are super nice. Even when you leave your purse in the room with them and you have to go back and retrieve it.
Janga - I've got my pen and paper ready, prepared to write down everything you guys might miss. Fear not; I'll give you guys the scoop when I get back. And I am still giggling about "Think of England" myself. Kelly - LOL!!
Iggy - I will carry on the stalker fan girl mantle, have no fear! :)
2nd - I hope pitching face-to-face is easier than writing a query. That's been taking me months!! LOL!! And emergency chocolate is now on my "remember to pack" list. :)
Cap'n - You left your purse in the room!?
Yes, yes, I did.
Island (and Irish), it was so awesome meeting you guys in Chicago!! (When can I come back?)
Have fun, Marnee! It'll be a great time to meet all those authors and other people. And good luck in the pitch session.
terrio - Yes, I was there. Clinging to a wall somewhere, terribly intimidated. Save when I pitched! But that was a one on one with an editor I'd arranged through mutual friends. And she was great!
I suffer from an overactive polite gene. It's crippling. (Won't you help? Encourage the invisible woman in the corner to step out of the shadows...) Yes, fear of saying something stupid, so I don't say anything at all...so there!
I have friends helping me out...I do better at each conference.
Marnee! Yes, don't forget the chocolate, and a bag to carry all the freebies, because no one gives you a bag...or if they do, it isn't big enough. Get one of those long handled cloth ones at Michaels, you can cover it with pins or draw designs on it.
Forgot your purse in the pitch room!? I love it. I thought my sending off chapters 1 and 3, without 2 to the editor was hilarious... (techno glitch from hell...)
Hope someone will be in Orlando ta pillage with!
Hellion - that's awesome. What did you do?
2nd - Oh no! You didn't send the 2nd chapter? WHat happened?
Ely - thanks!! I think it's going to be great. And I sure am going to need the luck with the pitching. If I can just spit the thing out without completely embarassing myself, it will be a good day.
Captain - Don't lie to these nice ladies. You know you did that on purpose to make sure the woman remembered you. Bloody brilliant!
2nd - As I don't have a wall-flower bone in my body, rest assured I will drag you off that wall in DC. Sadly, I won't be in Orlando. But I think Kelly will be as that's her neck of the woods.
Marn - You're going to be just fine. You have a great hook, a unique story, AND you combine the two most sought after genres today - para AND historical! Add in your incredible writing and you've got it made, girlfriend!
Well, when it occurred to me that I'd left my purse behind (Wouldn't you all like to be so fabulously unabsorbed by that dirty nasty little thing called money that you don't pay a lick of attention that your purse is GONE?), I said my favorite four-letter word (rhymes with "duck"), bolted back to the pitching area, and was handed my purse by a lady who recognized the completely chagrined harried look as a person who was senile enough to forget her PURSE.
Actually, I wouldn't recommend it as a "remembering" technique. I'm pretty sure this is the agent who let me send her 3 chapters and she still hasn't written back to me. Pretty sure she wasn't impressed.
Ah! I bet you're right Terrio...brilliant! I have to remember that...leave something behind... Brilliant! (I may have made the worst pitch you ever heard...but you did hear me.)
Yes, no second chapter. Hee, hee. I got back a very nice rejection letter with enough points that it wouldn't have mattered...probably. Water under the bridge and a good story to tell once I've arrived. I wrote a letter of apology, poking fun of myself for the glitch. Another brilliant way to make an impression! Next submission? Will be perfect!
Honestly, I didn't expect this particular pub to take me on. I wanted the experience of pitching and some feedback, so it was all good...
Wish you were going to be in Orlando...not sure I'll make the DC conference. Who knows?
*LOL* "It may be the worst pitch you've ever heard, but you have heard of me..." I love that.
We may have to tweak Jack's immortal words to writing too: It may be the shittiest first draft ever written, but it is finished.
I used to say that about getting into a fight. You may kick my ass, but you'll know I was there.
I once left my purse in a McDonalds outside the Cleveland airport. Then realized it was missing once I got to PITTSBURGH! Yeah, that flight to eliminate the 8 hour drive turned into a 12 hour drive. *sigh*
2nd - We'll hold out hope you make it to DC. You never know what could happen between now and then. :)
With this economy? Who knows!?
I want a wealthy mentor...what ever happened to that idea? A sponsor, wealthy...knowledgable... Sigh. Think I'll write him...
Marnee - you are in for a fantabulous time! There are so many fantastic authors who attend this conference. And they are so friendly and full of great advice. Free great advice given unabashedly. It's amazing. You'll be talking shop and realize - Dang, I'm talking shop with (insert author name here) as if you are a peer because you know what? You are a peer. Cool stuff that. It's the stuff that sustains you, at times.
So - Yes, to free stuff. Yes, to meeting Eloisa James. She ROCKS. Yes, to meeting Elizabeth Hoyt. Ditto on ROCKin'. You get to meet folks from the Blogworld for the first time. Can't beat it!
Deep breaths on pitching. You'll do wonderfully. Good luck on the Golden Leaf. How EXCITING!
And the family package will do fine on the homefront! This is your day. ENJOY! Say hey to Tiff and Kris and Eloisa and the rest of the folks.
Hellion - You are always welcome back here! I've got great guest accommodations complete with a private bedroom, bath, two noisy kids, two barking dogs, a smartass husband in an extremely messy chaotic house. :)
It would be better to come in the spring or summer, but Susan Elizabeth Phillips is doing a book signing not far from me this February (possibly the worst time to be anywhere near Chicago)!
HELLION,
No need to even ask. You show up at my front door whenever you like. My home is always yours--ALWAYS.
Yay!!
*high fives Marnee*
Stalker fan girls live on!
Sorry I missed you! Child with a severe never ending migraine and all that, you know how it is. Anyway, I've been to one conference but it was small, only a few hours long. But I did get to pitch to Leah Hultenschmidt and meet Gemma Halliday. You'll have a blast, and you'll come home on fire.
Have a great time. Can't wait to hear about your time.
Renee
Post a Comment