In a fit of enthusiasm last fall, I registered for a big, well-regarded writing conference, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), But as the time to head out to Kansas City drew near, I found myself more and more second-guessing the decision; my cold feet had nothing to do with the conference offerings and everything to do with my interior emotional landscape.
I reflect on all that neurotic jazz ad nauseam in my “An Author’s Journal” posts, so I won’t go into the whys and wherefores here. Today’s blog is about a message from the universe that arrived just in time for me to wrap up the final day of AWP like a normal human.
Saturday Writing Conference: Wrung Out or Last Chance?
In my defense, I did go to four panels back-to-back on my first day at the conference. I briefly forayed into the bookfair and even found an former writing teacher, novelist and editor Michael Nye, manning the Story Magazine booth.
But by evening on Friday, the walls were closing in fast, and I couldn’t wait to retreat to my hotel room and waiting emotional-support daughter. Saturday loomed, large and long. How to get through it?
Advice for Writing Conference Life
Fast forward to Saturday morning. Facing a long day of mindless peopling, I blow off the yoga class I’d planned to attend. Instead, I spend a few hours reconnecting with my journal and a reading a few newsletters. Cat Rambo’s Patreon weekly round-up includes a link to a blog, “Making the Most of Your Conference Budget,” over on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFFWA) website.
The heading “Set Goals” leaps off the phone screen. Set specific, measurable, actionable goals. Oh, yes, I’ve heard that before. Numerous times. I quickly come up with some tasks that will force me to network as well as feel like less of a loser. Here’s the list I came up with:
- Speak to three writers. Bonus points: Get contact information.
- Interact with the vendors at three booths.
- Find two potential speakers/judges for St. Louis Writers Guild events.
How Did Those Goals Work Out?
I’m aware that is not an ambitious list, but it was enough for my frame of mind on that particular afternoon. Generally, I respond well to specific objectives. And the fact that they were modest allowed me to be purposeful and spend my valuable emotional energy on folks that really interest me.
Talking to People, Like People Do
I meet Raghav Rao; we were eating conference center lunch at the same table. A Chicago-based author, Raghav has written a novel about a woman from India haunted by terrible events, the fall out of which follow her to the United States. It will be available this fall. Rao is going to provide me with an advanced review copy (ARC) for my book review blog, so watch for that in the coming months.
Later, I attended a great workshop, “Writers Making Comics and Collage: How Changing Mediums Changed Our Writing,” with Kelcey Ervick, Nick Francis Potter, and Lauren Haldeman. They all contributed to Rose Metal Press’s Field Guide to Graphic Literature. I meet them at the publishers booth, where they signed my book, and we gushed together about Lynda Barry.
Writing Conference Bookfair Booths
AWP had a huge bookfair, rows and rows of small press and writer services. I resisted the impulse to methodically visit each booth, in numerical order. Rather, I dropped in on a few that caught my eye.
I visited the Realm of Goryo, Dane G. Kroll’s Kaiju series, where I won a cute mini of Goryo, the kaiju. Of course I bought the latest book, a make-your-own-escape type tale called Khulandra Attacks! It was fun for me to find some fellow science fiction/fantasy nerds at this primarily academic conference.
I also meet the nice person (whose name I didn’t retain) at Typewriter Tarot. Here, the focus is Tarot-assisted writing and more. Lots of support for creativity. I’ve used Tarot prompts in the past (and had such a story published), so we had a nice chat. I got to recommend Cassie Mothwin’s Tarot-based journaling game, Tangled Blessings. So, networking, yo. I’m now following Typewritertarot on Instagram. A podcast is also available, Your Creative and Magical Life.
I talked to some bright young folks at Tiny Spoon, “an experimental bite-sized literary” magazine. They thought I was a teacher, which was fun.
Networking for my Guild
Among the many panelists I heard and the booth people I chatted with, I have some good ideas for Guild speakers (and even spoke to one person about it) and maybe even guest bloggers I can share here.
All in all, the final day of the conference was rewarding. I won’t say I wasn’t drained, but I was also recharged. And proud of myself for stretching my wings a bit.
If you found “Living Your Best Writing Conference” interesting, you might enjoy reading about “A Writer Gets the Twisties.”
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