Rachel Werner
The Right Time for a Writers' Conference?

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In-person events are populating back on the calendar in rapid succession for most industries now that the COVID-19 pandemic finally appears to be waning. This is certainly true in the publishing world as well. But don’t allow FOMO to trigger you to overspend or overbook yourself before doing adequate research to assess if the cost and time investment to attend a particular conference is the next best move for you now—or if an alternate professional development opportunity is perhaps a better option.

The first step is being fully aware of your current writing goals and how they may—or may not—align with the event theme or program lineup. Objectives might include:

  • Connect with fellow writers
  • See a live reading or interview with a fave author
  • Receive pro feedback on a manuscript
  • Meet literary agents
  • Gain more insight into how the publishing industry works
  • Take a creative writing workshop

All of these can definitely be helpful if you are ready to act in the moment. But so often, we’re not—either because of imposter syndrome or failing to pre-plan appropriately to maximize our experience once we arrive. Show up ready to make beneficial career moves by:

  • Having ‘A,’ ‘B’ and ‘C’ lists of sessions you would like to attend. You may not always get your first choice so it is wise to already have backups selected.
  • Leaving room in your itinerary to mingle…and reflect…and WRITE. I have made this mistake more than once: Filling my day from morning to night so that I can see and do everything on my bucket list within reasonable driving distance to where the event is happening—such as dinner with old friends; visiting a trending café in the area I’ve been trolling on Instagram; a long run or hike in one of the city’s most scenic parks etc. Which, in the end, is far too much when your primary reason for being in town is to connect with other writers and gain fresh insight on your manuscript(s) and career trajectory.
  • Knowing your catchline. Can you effectively summarize what you write about and/or for whom (or hope to) in five minutes or less? Can you do it in two minutes? If not, spend time practicing before you get there. Especially if you’re lucky enough to snag a moment with an agent or acquiring editor. You’ll want to sound polished, rather than flustered, during that interaction.
  • Wanting to receive editing advice. Whether in a paid pitch session or a workshop setting, there’s a solid chance that if you opt to share a writing sample, you are going to hear unanticipated suggestions for revision. But one has to be ready (on an emotional level) for constructive criticism to be useful. If not, you may solely absorb the “negative” from any commentary offered to you by peers and the publishing experts present.

Already determined that attending a conference or litfest is a part of living your best writer’s life this year? Here’s a shortlist to kickstart your search:

While finalizing if and what event(s) you’re going to register for, don’t forget what sparked the initial desire to venture into a creative environment of this magnitude—a love of writing and of books. You are a storyteller at heart; Never doubt you belong right here with the rest of us.