Writing Conferences 201: Sophomore Year

“When last we left our heroes…”, we had discussed how to make the most out of your first writing conference. It’s good advice, but just like all other endeavors, how to do something the second and third time is different from how to do it for the first. 

You will have different goals. You will have mistakes to correct, and successes to compound upon. You will be seeing acquaintances you made the last time, and connecting with friends you made over the year. You’re not quite a veteran, not somebody who might be tapped on the shoulder for leadership or to present, but you’re no newbie.

Today we’ll talk about some of the best ways to make sure these subsequent investments of time, money, and energy deliver at least as much benefit as your first foray into the conference circuit. 

What’s the Same, What’s Different

Several factors will make your second and third writing conferences different from your first. Some of the most important include:

• You will no longer be overwhelmed by the scope of information and social pressures, and instead be more able to focus on your goals. 
• You will have already had practice in approaching and engaging with attendees, presenters, agents, editors, and staff.
• You will suffer less from imposter syndrome, as you will have already met many peers (and folks behind you on the path) the last time. 
• You will better be able to identify which impulses to take a break stem from real needs, and which are parts of the emotional roller coaster that’s part of the writing conference experience. 
• You will be better able to take effective notes, as you will have spent the past year identifying what kind of information is most useful for you. 
• You will recognize a handful of people from the previous year, and be glad to see them. 

Meanwhile, the ways that the conference remains the same will bolster your confidence because you will (rightly) feel like you know what you’re doing. If it’s in the same facility as last time, even things like knowing where the restrooms and breakout sessions are has a surprising impact. If not, the rhythm and vibe of most conferences are similar enough to each other that you will still feel at home. 

Most importantly, you will have run through a full iteration of setting, working on, and achieving or failing to achieve conference-related goals. Speaking of which…

Building on Last Year’s Goals

You left your first conference with a set of social, professional, and craft goals that make the investment worthwhile. By the time you’re preparing for that second conference, those goals will have fallen into one of four categories:

1. Goals you achieved, and which have made a positive impact in your writing career
2. Goals you failed to achieve, but which would likely make a positive impact had you achieved them. In many cases the progress you did make has had a positive impact. 
3. Goals you achieved, but which didn’t have the impact you thought they would. 
4. Goals you abandoned because you realized they weren’t helping your writing career. 

As you set your goals for this coming conference, take the following actions:

• For the first type of goal, think about how continuing or expanding on it will continue to help your career. 
• For the second type of goal, look into what got in the way of success. Find resources at the conference that will help you succeed in the future. 
• For the third type of goal, seek advice and information. Find out if this is because the goal doesn’t work for your needs, or because the goal simply needs adjusting. 
• Abandon the fourth type of goal, and use what you learn at the conference to set new ones. 

This process will help you keep your conference (and post-conference) activities on track. 

Rinse, Repeat

If this is your third, fourth, fifth, or tenth conference (but see the last section of this article), you’ll do pretty much the same things. Your goals will shift and change as your career shifts and changes, but this process will serve you through most of your career. 

Ten Commandments of Your Next Writer’s Conference

1. Thou Shalt Do That One Thing

You know which thing I’m talking about. The event or activity, or even personal challenge, you wanted to do last time but didn’t…prioritize making it happen this time around. You might have wanted to talk to an agent, but chickened out. You might have wanted to attend a talk about networking, but it was booked opposite of a talk you wanted to see more. You might have wanted to attend a mixer, but got a call from your kids. 

Whatever it is, do the thing. Bring reinforcements (chosen from last time’s conference buddies) if you need to.

2. Thou Shalt Welcome the New Writers

Make a point of spotting the writers who are at a conference for their very first time. Don’t worry; they’ll be as obvious to you as you were to veterans last time. Chat with them, sit with them at meals at least once. Help them find the restroom or prioritize which breakout sessions they attend. Be there to help them the way you wish you had been helped last time. 

This isn’t just good karma. It helps you feel competent and assured, meaning you’ll be better able to do the challenging things you have on your to-do list.

3. Thou Shalt Be Very Suspicious of Pitch Sessions

Pitch sessions are expensive, and have a success rate only the tiniest bit higher than cold-querying any given agent. If you’ve never pitched, the experience can help you bounce your ideas off a professional, clarify your book’s scope and mission, and provide a lot of other benefits — none of which are directly related to getting your book accepted by an agent. But only buy a handful.

4. Thou Shalt Have Something to Show For Thy Time

At your first conference, your main mission was showing up and figuring out how it worked. This time, be more solidly on mission. At the end of each block of time — be that a breakout session, a meal, a keynote talk, a mixer, or whatever else — quickly write down the three most important things you gathered from the session. 

Once you’ve done that, write an action item for yourself based on each of the three things. You might not have time to do this immediately, but try really hard to make it happen before you go to sleep. 

5. Thou Shalt Show Up Early

Here’s a trick. Show up on the first day while people are still setting up for the conference — and I mean while staff is carrying stuff from vans into the hotel. Step in and offer to help. Conferences are always short-staffed and your contribution will be noticed, even if you just lug a few heavy objects across the hotel lobby. 

This will put your face in front of the people who are best able to help you make the most out of this conference and those in the future. I’ve made this a policy at every conference I attend, and it’s a big part of why I’ve been invited to speak at conferences across North America.

6. Thou Shalt Not Annoy the Faculty

One thing that happens as writers attend more and more conferences is they grow more confident. Sometimes that confidence can lead to a place of presumption or even entitlement. A lot of the time this does more good than harm, but there is one place the exact opposite is always the case. 

Never pester, annoy, monopolize, follow to the restroom, or otherwise irritate the agents and authors on site. These folks are friendly and kind-hearted professionals, but they’re also working on a weekend and probably sleep-deprived. They have long memories, and they gossip. A lot. 

Keep your interactions short, in appropriate times and places, and on point. If possible ask them what they’re excited about. Don’t mention your writing until they ask. 

7. Thou Shalt Separate From Thine Group

You will have made some friends from last time, and maintained those contacts via social media since. You will be glad to see them, and comforted by their presence. That’s great, but it can also be limiting.

One of the most important reasons for you to attend conferences is to make new connections. If you’re running around with a clique from last year, it makes that more difficult. Spend some time with them,  but at least half of your time making new connections. 

8. Thou Shalt Thank a Speaker

Take the time to single out at least one agent or presenter during idle time and thank them for something you learned from them. Be specific, but brief. If they invite a longer conversation, accept that invitation. Otherwise, remember their name and find them on social media. They’re likely to remember the connection and reciprocate, which will give you a higher-level contact in your web. 

9. Thou Shalt Be Laser-Focused With Your Goals

Last time you showed up with some goals, but you were also getting oriented. You also might have set some goals that turned out wholly inappropriate once you learned what conferences are actually like. 

This time, you know what to expect. Come in with goals. Pursue them relentlessly. Hold yourself to account throughout the weekend. If you have conference buddies, set up some time to check in with each other about them.

10. Thou Shalt Remain Reasonably Sober

I mentioned this last time. Writers are a drinky profession, and alcohol is the chosen social lubricant of the writing industry event. But you need to keep it to one drink per hour, because drunk people at conferences are noticed and remembered, neither fondly. 

This needs repeating because you’ll be more comfortable at your second conference, and you’ll probably be hanging out with people you know a little bit. You’ll be tempted to let loose. Resist that temptation. Keep it to one alcoholic drink an hour. 

Besides, those bar tabs can add up very quickly.

One Last Little Thing: Knowing When to Say When

Conferences deliver a very specific rush, one most writers find no place else. You learn new things. You spend time with people who truly understand and appreciate the journey you’re going through. There is booze, and folks to consume it with. The whole time, you’re partying while feeling like you’re doing important work that furthers your writing career. 

But there’s a point of diminishing returns. For some writers it becomes something of an addiction, hitting the conference circuit and enjoying the vibe without moving forward in your career. Heck, take a look at the resumes of the boards for most conferences and you’ll see a lot of people who are spending time on conferences they should spend on writing. 

We’ll get into this in detail in our next installment of this series; for now, just make sure you keep going to each conference with a set of defined goals, and that you’ve achieved most of them by the time you get home.