Writing Conference Reflections

Last week I gave a list of all the things I was excited to do while in Utah for the Storymakers Conference. It was a blast! I had a great time and learned so much. I'm home now, and have been reflecting on the conference for a couple days. It was my third time attending the conference, and my experience at each one has been so different.

In 2014, I was in the middle of querying my first ever novel, and had received nothing but rejections. I had a pitch session with an editor, and was looking forward to hearing Orson Scott Card speak at the keynote dinner. Having never been to a writing conference before, I literally thought those two things would be the only benefits I got out of the conference. (shakes head in shame at past Kara)

The pitch session was great, not because I was invited to send material to the editor (I wasn't), but because it was what I finally needed to let go of that first terrible manuscript and move forward with my writing. I got to meet OSC, which was cool, but even better was meeting the person in front of me in line to talk to him: Amy Wilson, who became my friend and someone who I swap work with!

Last year, I went to the conference as a freshly agented writer with a highly polished manuscript. Most of the classes I gravitated towards dealt with plotting a new book. And I have to say, not having a pitch session took away ALL the stress I felt at the first conference!

I used the plotting techniques I learned last year to plot a new book, and finished my first draft a month before this year's conference. The classes I chose this year were all tools that I could use while working on the second draft. In fact, during almost every class, I found myself scribbling notes in the margins of my notebook with specific ideas of what I could do to improve this draft. It was awesome.

Whether you're a newb or a seasoned writer, a good writing conference will have something for you. I highly recommend Storymakers. If you go in 2019, I'll see you there!

RT Convention 2014 Recap

Unfortunately, I usually only have time to fit in one major conference a year. In the past, I've attended the San Francisco Writer's Conference and the New York Pitch Conference. Both had amazing craft workshops which featured everything from sharpening your first chapter to honing your final pitch.


Having these two workshops under my belt, I thought I was prepared for the RT Convention in New Orleans. Boy, was I wrong. RT is like a conference on mega steroids. There is so much to do and see it is almost impossible to fit everything in. There are writer tracks, reader tracks and sessions covering every genre and category. To say I was overwhelmed at the beginning was putting it mildly.


Once I got my footing, I settled in and took advantage of everything the conference had to offer. This  included several pitch sessions where I got to meet one-on-one with editors and agents. It also featured a special panel at the end of the final day featuring Gayle Forman, author of the YA Contemporary novel, IF I STAY, and a star from the film, discussing the movie which will be coming to theaters in August. Very, very cool!!!


Now I will have to admit there were many other great things about the conference. The mega book fair, where I got to have some of my favorite authors sign their books (see photos below), was unbelievable. But the most amazing thing was getting to meet so many writer friends in person. Whether they were published or newly agented, they were incredibly kind to share their stories about the path to publication, and I have to admit this was my favorite thing overall.


If you are interested in growing your craft, and meeting tons of writer friends in person, I highly suggest you check out info on RT 2015 taking place in Dallas next year. Just make sure you wear comfy shoes because you'll be sprinting to every incredible session!


Photos of some of my cool spoils from Leigh Bardugo & April Tucholke:

Conference Season Is Upon Us

Years ago, it seemed like conferences happened mainly in the summer, but perhaps as a beginning writer I just didn't have so many of them on my radar. Now that I have access to a larger network of writers and industry folk through social media, it seems like there are cons (both conferences and conventions) going on every week of the year.

And let's face it, as much as we'd like to go to every single con that comes our way, it's just not practical for financial and time-management reasons. So how can you balance the pros and cons (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) and find events that work for you?

If you have your heart set on a specific con but can't afford all the expenses, there may be options to help. If you are able to volunteer, there are often significant discounts in store for you (registration, parking, food, etc). But this doesn't mean you volunteer to man a table for an hour and then blow off other commitments, while expecting to get free admission (or free stuff)--most cons live or die by their volunteers, and you are genuinely a necessary cog in the machine.

Also, many workshops and cons offer scholarships. You may have to do some digging on the websites, because they're often not on the "front page", but there are funds available to those in need. One of the most extensive portfolios of scholarships I've seen recently is for the Clarion West Writer's Workshop. Regional chapters of national organizations, such as the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and Romance Writers of America, sometimes offer grants and scholarships for their national conferences too.

When I plan which cons I want to attend for the year, I try to keep "Return on Investment" in mind. If a favorite writer or speaker appears on the program, I'll certainly take a closer look and see if there are enough other opportunities to learn something, and meet new (and old) writer friends in person, to justify my time and money. The good news is that with so many different cons out there, some with a wide focus and some with a very narrow focus, that there is genuinely something for everyone.

My post on February 17th will list some places to find out about cons, and some that you might want to check out. Come back and see, and if you have a favorite writing or fan event and want to get it in the list, feel free to email it to me at strikingnotes (at) yahoo (dot com). Thanks!

Pre-Conference Giveaway WINNERS!

THANK YOU to all who entered and to all who helped to spread the word about NYRC 2013! Whether you have something ready to revise or not, you're sure to find useful wisdom at the New Year's Revisions Conference. 

It is totally online, totally free, and totally revisions. ;)

• Next Thursday, January 3, 2013: Critique Partner Matching Service
• Our Q&A agents/expert panel
• A Peek at Our Line-up
• What You Should Bring to the Conference

Back to our awesome giveaway...

The prizes:

SHADOWS OF THE HIDDEN by Anne Riley (e-copy)
DEADWOOD by Kell Andrews (signed ARC)
AMAROK by Angela Townsend (e-copy)
A LITTLE BIT WICKED by Robyn DeHart (e-copy)
GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA by Shannon Duffy (e-copy)
SHIMMER OF ANGELS by Lisa Basso (e-copy)
$10 amazon.com gift card


The winners: 

Amanda R.: A LITTLE BIT WICKED by Robyn DeHart (e-copy)

Rena T.: DEADWOOD by Kell Andrews (signed ARC)

Dawn A.: AMAROK by Angela Townsend (e-copy)

Tiffany B.: SHIMMER OF ANGELS by Lisa Basso (e-copy)

Aldrea A.: GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA by Shannon Duffy (e-copy)

Shelly C.: SHADOWS OF THE HIDDEN by Anne Riley (e-copy)

Joel S.: $10 amazon.com gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations to the winners! Enjoy your spoils, and get your red pens ready for January 4, 5, and 6!

Pre- Writers Conference Giveaway: NYRC 2013

Woot! I love it when Operation Awesome is operation: AWESOME!

It's time to spread the word about our upcoming online writers conference, and what better way than with an awesome online giveaway!

Enter using the rafflecopter form below.

New Year's Revisions Conference 2013

January 4, 5, and 6 

Totally free, totally online. 

You wrote the crap out of that book in November. Or maybe you've been working on yours even longer. The time has come... revision time. Pay the piper, meet the reaper -- all those lovely euphemisms for the real work of writing: revising. You do not have to do it alone. We have gathered a group of fabulous book lovers: the ones who write the books, the ones who represent the authors, and the ones who edit the books. They all want you to succeed in making your book as shiny as it can possibly be before you query/publish.

That's the focus of NYRC 2013.

If you love books, want to write, or have written a book, this conference will have plenty for you to love in the way of professional publishing advice, and yes, more giveaways. There will also be a critique partner matching service for those looking for a second pair of eyes for their work.

We'll be live-tweeting the events @OpAwesome6 and using the #NYRC hash tag. Hope you'll join us!

To recap:

• Professional publishing advice from our panel of experts
• Guest posts by literary agents, editors, and published authors - all with an eye toward helping you through the revision process
• Book giveaways - *happy sigh* mmm, books.
• Critique partner matching service (January 3, the day before the conference officially begins)

Giving away today via rafflecopter (giveaway runs from Dec. 21-24):
SHADOWS OF THE HIDDEN by Anne Riley (e-copy)
DEADWOOD by Kell Andrews (signed ARC)
AMAROK by Angela Townsend (e-copy)
A LITTLE BIT WICKED by Robyn DeHart  (e-copy)
GABRIEL STONE AND THE DIVINITY OF VALTA by Shannon Duffy (e-copy)
SHIMMER OF ANGELS by Lisa Basso (e-copy)

$10 amazon.com gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway