New website (in progress), new blog, yikes. Big breath. I’m not new to blogging, or writing, but the technical side of things…another yikes. Too many yikes.
Extensive research will tell you to stick to one topic, be specific, target your audience, etc. Well, I’ve never been one to follow rules of any sort. Conform. Or stick to one topic at any given time…so I’ll have to label carefully, I suppose.
How do you even settle on a topic for the FIRST post on a new blog? *shrug* Just write about whatever you’re focusing on right now. So between my TBR pile, Janet Reid’s brilliant blog (that I’ve been devouring in heaps), some questions from new writers, and convos with two beautiful critique partners…I thought a post on how to prepare for your first conference highly relevant.
In October, I’ll be heading to my sixth SiWC and I couldn’t be happier about that. But don’t think that number means I’ve forgotten what it felt like the first time I walked into a conference. The uncertainty, the confusion, the…blatant terror. I must have looked like a raccoon caught with his head in the garbage can, stealing the delicious goods. I wasn’t a real writer, for pete sake. I was a journalist working for a small town newspaper. Sure, I had done magazines and radio news, but I was small potatoes. I didn’t even know how I slunk in under their noses. I was just going to fly in under the radar, learn some stuff, and slink back out. Nobody would notice.
Until somebody did.
She sat down at lunch and asked “So, what do you write?”
I froze.
I stuttered.
I felt near tears because surely she would report me to the conference authorities.
But I didn’t cry, or get dragged to imposter writer jail. My first conference was a wonderful experience and I know you’ll have a wonderful experience too! You just need a bestie writer friend to tell you a few secrets first, to navigate the waters a little easier.
The following advice is sort of specific to the Surrey International Writers Conference, but really it could apply to any professional gathering. Hang in there. You’re going to do great!
- You’re not an imposter. You’re a writer. Tell yourself that every day from now until the conference. No matter what you have or have not written, edited, published, or read. If you’ve written words, you’re a writer. Don’t hide from it, own that magic.
- Dress the part. Now, this means something different for everyone because if we all had the same personality, life would be dreadfully boring. You’ll see all kinds of dress at conference but there are some keys to looking the part if you are there to make an impression. Be tidy, wear comfortable shoes (or at least a six hour shoe. Yes, I label my shoes based on how long I can stand in them before wanting to rip them from my screaming feet), choose clothes that represent who you want to be seen as. I write RCMP crime and want to present myself in a polished and professional manner so I tend towards business attire with a flare for a fancier shoe. If you write about whimsical fairies and want to wear a sparkly shawl, do it. If you write about death in the military and want to wear a sparkly shawl, do it. You’re catching what I’m throwing? I’ve seen people in pyjama bottoms who take conference as a fun vacation. The point is, wear what you feel comfortable in and what makes you feel powerful and successful, but be aware of the persona your attire will project. Is it the one you want to project? Yes? Great!
With Jack Whyte at his reading of The Guardian at SiWC. I freaking love that dress. - Do your homework. Are you signed up for a master class? Read the instructor’s latest book. Have a blue pencil with your fave author? Have something worthwhile for them to critique. Intend on throwing your first page in for SiWC Idol? Be sure you’ve read the submission guidelines and your page is on point. Here’s the thing, you can’t possibly read everyone’s book or blog or keep up on every single attendee’s tweets. But you can research who will be there and know a little something about them. Trust me, it helps when you’re standing in an elevator with Robert Dugoni and go all fangirl and stuttery. But then you’ll inevitably miss your floor because you’re chatting. True story. *face palm*
With my friend Anne, meeting Diana Gabaldon at a signing event. - Know the hashtags and social media outlets the conference uses. Did you know that SiWC has a beautiful conference ambassador? Hayley tweets throughout the conference with her location and is always up for meeting new writers. Check out #SiWC, #thisdaywewrite, #SiWCmeets. #SiWCtweets. And this year #SiWC19. You can search the hashtags from previous years as well. Hovering around the ballroom doors at lunch like a hungry, shy vulture not knowing where to sit? Well for one, everyone at SiWC is so welcoming, you can sit anywhere. 5 SiWCs under my belt and I can count on only one hand how many duds I’ve come across. I can guarantee you will love wherever you park. But if you just can’t bring yourself to bust in on a table, find Hayley. Or table 30. What’s table 30? See #5.
- Meet everyone. New friends lurk around every corner. And we mostly sit at Table 30. In 2014, Tom from Texas was new too. He decided that every meal he would sit at table 30 (they are all numbered), so at least he would know where he was going and look like he knew what he was doing when he walked into the ballroom for meals. Little did he know he would start…a thing. Now Table 30 (note the capitalization) has grown by leaps and bounds and is not pigeonholed by a mere single table. Table 30 is a mindset; an attitude. If you’ve ever sat at the numbered table 30, or with someone from Table 30, you now belong to the group. Everyone is welcome. Embrace quirky little inside stories and jokes like this because at SiWC they don’t stay “inside” for long. We love collecting more people. Nobody stays awkward/alone on our watch.
Group photo with everyone who sat at Table 30 at the last lunch! Will you be in this year’s photo? - Have a goal. Okay, so you’ve signed up for the conference. You’re so excited you can’t breathe. You bought new pants. Now what? From now until October, you need to set a goal and focus on it. Do you have a WIP (work in progress) and want a blue pencil (critique) session? Do you feel your book is finished and you’re ready to pitch to an agent? Do you have an idea for a book that isn’t written yet and you want to learn how to best craft your manuscript? Whatever your goal is, there are steps you need to take between now and conference to give you the best shot at success! If you are ready to pitch and query, read everything on Query Shark. It’s gold. Delilah S. Dawson also tweets gold when it comes to instructions for stuff like this. Check out her #tenthings. I could send you in a million directions here, the point is to have a goal. Don’t know what your goal should be? Never be scared to drop a question in the comments. You’ll have writer love in no time.
- Pack light for your day, you’re not a mule. This is something I wish I would have known the first time I went to SiWC. I brought my usual briefcase. Ugh. It was heavy and awkward and took up too much room by my feet. There are what…600? 700? people there. The hotel is very comfortable, the meeting rooms are spacious, but I’ll tell ya if you end up in a class taught by the spectacular Diana Gabaldon, you’re going to end up practically sitting in someone’s lap (sorry to Dennis Staginnus a few years ago!) and wishing you had brought a smaller bag. I carry 2 books (one is hollowed out and holds my money, pens, phone, etc. It’s so cool, you have to see it.) and one is a bound book for notes. I don’t even carry a water bottle because the hotel is so amazing and there are water stations everywhere.
- Speaking of notes…take them. Use them. Reread them year to year! I don’t take exhaustive notes, but I write down those little gems that will help you later when you are huddled in the corner rocking back and forth during your third edit. I’m really happy I used this particular book for my notes because it was big enough to keep going and now has all my conference notes from every year in it. It’s super handy to have them all in one spot. I like them in hard copy so I don’t have to worry about saving them on a hard drive/losing them in the event of a crash.
- Know your schedule. Yes, you should have a schedule or at least vague knowledge of where you’ll be next. The conference prints up these handy programs that are full of great info. Write in it. Highlight the sessions you want to be in, see if it jives with any blue pencil or pitch sessions you have booked, AND see if you need to block off time to stand in line for more of those sessions. I even schedule lounge time (you have to try a lemon drop) and down time. Unofficially, on Thursday evening after master classes we’ve started doing a first page critique for anyone getting ready for SiWC Idol. This started a few years ago…and just got bigger. By bigger, I mean louder. Sorry to the lounge staff and anyone else trying to have a quiet evening. We talk POV, first lines, and whether or not Kate finally nailed the voice for this novel. *eye roll* Friday night is always Shock Theatre, and Saturday usually has more than one mix and mingle to be at, or karaoke song to smash after the banquet. My point is that there is a lot to take in, so prioritize what you want to see and do and make it happen!
- New or not, SiWC is all yours. Whether this is your first time, or your 27th (it’s the 27th this year) this is your conference. The website is very comprehensive, Twitter is usually pretty tweety (#SiWC19), and there are soooo many excellent blog posts about past conference experiences, dos and don’ts, and the like. Read up, get familiar, build your confidence. If you want a little boost about whether or not you’re a writer (you are), you can read a speech I did at SiWC in 2015.
Looking fabulous with Diana Gabaldon at the masquerade!
Need help? Shoot me an email. I love to share new conference excitement! And I’ll see you at Table 30.