RWA 2013 kicks off in Atlanta, GA tomorrow night with the Literacy for Life event. This will be my first RWA national conference after a few years and I’m getting sooo excited to return.
Part of my enthusiasm is seeing old friends again and the delight in meeting new people too. While I’ve been packing, planning, and gathering swag, it’s natural for me to reflect back on how I got hooked on the joy of writer’s conferences to begin with. There’s an excitement in the air, and the genuine thrill of being surrounded by people who ‘get it’.
Writing can be so solitary and yet the classes, mentorships, and networking at conferences are vital parts of growing as an author.
My first writer’s conference was about thirteen years ago. It was a Smoky Mountain Romance Writers conference and it was a fantastic prequel to the ‘bigger’ scene of the RWA national conference.
I attended that conference with my new friend and critique partner Tracy Cotton and together we learned so much about the industry and the people we read and admired. Here are a few highlights, memories and lessons that still support me today:
“Green covers don’t sell!” Sherrilyn Kenyon declared while we were lounging in her hotel room for the sole purpose of ogling the photo gallery of on her laptop that inspired her hunky, Dark Hunter heroes. To this day I have a paranoia about green covers – although that book sold just fine for Sherrilyn. 😉
“Deliver what they want first. Don’t try to break all the rules before you have your audience.” Sage wisdom from Debra Webb, who was leading a class on how to pitch to Harlequin.
“An alphasmart is your best ally – especially one without an Internet connection.” This philosophy was touted by several authors including Karen Hawkins and Carmen Green. To this day, most of my rough drafting is done on the device I affectionately refer to as ‘alphie’. (in fact, I’m on my second alphie)
“Take care of yourself.” Again, sage advice from Debra Webb. “Take stretch breaks, cut off the caffeine at noon.” Well, I stretch, but most days I’m still caffeinating one way or another long past noon…
“Just breathe.” Literary agent Susannah Taylor who gave me terrific feedback right after I made my first-ever, rigrously rehearsed agent pitch at hyper-speed. Thanks to her, my pitch to an editor at nationals two months later went much better.
“Don’t give up. You have to find what works for you and run with it.” This from Karen Hawkins who was teaching the last class on Saturday before awards. Her candid insight into her own process is something I look back on as a reality check whenever I get overwhelmed.
That class also taught me it’s okay to follow my natural inclination to write a story in a less than linear way. Because that’s a quirk I consider a strength and it works for me. 😉
I’ve made some great friends since I started my writing career and I look forward to seeing a few of them along with everything in store for us at #RWA13!
Live the adventure!
