Writing Craft Wednesday: Prepping for a Writer’s Conference
Okay, so today isn’t really Wednesday. Between all the family craziness and trying to get ready for my first national writer’s conference, I forgot to post until Friday this week.
Desperate for a quick, easy topic I thought I would share about preparing for a writer’s conference in a question and answer format. Feel free to skim to the question you have and ask any I didn’t answer in the comment section. I will respond as best I can and add to my answers after I get back.
What do you do at a writer’s conference?
I attended the Kentucky Christian Writer’s Conference last year and have been registered for the American Christian Writer’s Conference since early spring. Both of these conferences offered writing workshops on publishing, writing craft, and managing life as a writer. There are also opportunities to meet with editors, agents, publishers, mentors, and other authors, both published and unpublished.
The ACFW Conference also has a Genre Dinner night where you get to dress up as one of your characters or the general period in which you write. This is a picture of the dress I ordered. After the conference, I will write a post that shares my experiences – including me actually dressed up.
What do you wear to a conference?
A writer’s conference is a professional gathering of other writers and professionals in the industry. Business casual is expected. You will be doing a lot of sitting and walking, so you want something comfortable.
For me, that means I am deciding between dress pants and my long skirts. I was going to wear some dresses, but all of them are knee length, and I am not exactly the most lady-like person when sitting. Makeup and jewelry are reserved for professional events like these for me.
Conference centers are notorious for subjecting a person to a wide range of temperatures. Dress in layers. I am bringing a couple cute sweaters and my blouses are all short sleeve.
What do you bring to a conference?
In general, you will want business cards, one-sheets, and a notebook and pen – or tablet/laptop if you prefer, but be aware outlets are limited and there are lots of people vying for them. Depending on what your goals are and who you are meeting, you may also need to bring chapter samples, book proposals, and/or synopses.
Some odds and ends I would not have thought of are thank you cards, to give those professionals you have met with; folders that will hold a business card, your one-sheet, and chapter samples;  and a briefcase or professional bag instead of a backpack.