Writers Conferences in General: Go or Don't Go?

[Kristen Lippert-Martin]

I've never attended a writer's conference. I think about it now and again, but I always talk myself out of attending for one reason or another. I picture lots of hungry writers trying to sidle up the agents and editors, and the idea of joining the scrum makes me hyperventilate. What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear your take on the pros and cons of conferences. Do they really help you make contacts? Ever found a crit partner at one of them?

[Hilary Wagner]

I think if you can take away one good tip from a writer's conference it's worth it, not to mention the number of local writers you'll meet. I went to the IL SCBWI conf. back in November (my first one) and it was great! I actually met with another YA writer, who I found out lives in walking distance from me!

I admit a lot of what I heard in the workshop's I attended, I already knew, but I did get a few good tips that I would not have known if I had not attended, so for me, it was worth the price of admission. :)

Good luck if you decide to attend a conference!

xoxo -- Hilary

www.hilarywagner.blogspot.com

[Jennifer R. Hubbard]

I've gotten many different things from writer's conferences, including:
Inspiration. (It's WONDERFUL to be in a hall full of people who devote themselves to writing, and who understand what this difficult journey is like. And I always come home with a new eagerness to write more.)
Critique.
Foot in the door to closed houses, in my pre-agent days.
Practice at pitching.
New writer friends.
A revision technique that I still use today.
Countless examples of how to give presentations and do panels.
Information on marketing and promo, including samples of marketing materials and author visit contracts.
The experience of hearing some wonderful and legendary writers talk about their own process and journey.

Two conferences I recommend highly: the New England SCBWI (registration is open now for this May conference) and the Rutgers One-on-One Plus conference (registration usually opens in spring/summer for this October conference; this conference has an application process because they pair you with a published author, editor, or agent for a day of mentoring).