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“Getting the Most out of Summer Writing Conferences”by Waverly Fitzgerald Summer. And just as medieval pilgrims turned their thoughts to great cathedrals where they could obtain an indulgence for sins, my thoughts turn to writing conferences where one might gain the boon of an indulgent agent or editor. There’s been a lively discussion on the Seattle Writer Grrls list serve about the various summer conferences in the area. (Not on the Writer Grrls, list serve? You should be. Just go to www.seattlewritergrrls.org. Guys are welcome too.) I’ve followed it with interest partly because I know the writers involved: I met them at conferences. That’s probably the best reason to go to a conference: to hang out with and get to know other writers. You may not find an agent or an editor, but you can find your next writing buddy, writing group or maybe the person who will (years from now when she’s published) introduce you to her agent. Workshops If you are interested in writing workshops with an environmental theme, the Northwest Cascades Institute offers two upcoming writing workshops: one on environmental writing from July 25 to 29, and another on poetry in August. Conferences A little farther afield, and on a comparable level, you can go to Willamette Writers Conference in Portland in early August (Aug 3-5 in 2007) Or Surrey International Writers Conference in Surrey, British Columbia in mid-October (Oct 19-21, 2007). All three conferences provide a wealth of opportunities for writers including contests, keynote speeches, shared meals (the food, like most hotel food, is undistinguished but the conversation is great), classes (usually an hour long) on a variety of topics and chances to pitch your book to agents and editors. Surrey offers a day of more intensive writing workshops before the conference; PNWA offers the same on Sunday, after the conference. I would never miss an opportunity to take a Donald Maass workshop (I think he’s simply the best teacher of commercial novel writing around) and he always teaches at Surrey so I’ll be there. Each conference has a slightly different flavor. Willamette has the most screenwriters, which means it also has the most young and good-looking men. Surrey seems to favor historical fiction writers. A few like Diana Gabaldon and Jack Whyte have been attending for years (they always judge the Story contest and Diana’s fans always throw her a party complete with bagpipes and men in kilts). This year my favorite historical novelists, Cecilia Holland, will be at Surrey, another reason I’ll attend that conference. Prices vary for the conferences too. PNWA is the most expensive, simply because you must sign up for the whole conference ($515 at this point in time for this year). You can volunteer at PNWA but even volunteers must pay for admission. At Surrey and Willamette, you can attend for part of a weekend. I like to combine one or more paid days with a volunteer day (after my shift is over I can attend other events for free). Willamette is $425 for three days, but you can also register for 2 days ($350) or 1 day ($225). Surrey costs $209 a day for Friday or Saturday, $109 for Sunday which is a half day. When you add in hotel and transportation costs, they’re comparable to PNWA. Willamette handles the agent-editor appointments in a unique way which I like. You simply pay $15 per appointment, an add-on to the conference price. For those on a budget, this is depressing but I liked the certainty of knowing ahead of time which agents and editors I would see. For most conferences you get one (PNWA gives two) free appointments as part of your registration. You indicate your first choice but if that person’s schedule is full, you get bumped to your second and third choices. At the conference itself you can get in line to sign up for vacant slots, but I hate waiting and I hate missing the other events. However, if you use this opportunity well, you can go far. When I was a volunteer in the pitching room at Surrey last year, I saw some writers who managed to get appointments with every agent and editor through sheer perseverance. The pitch can be the most nerve-wracking part of the conference, especially if you believe this is your ONE CHANCE for success, the payoff for all your years of hard work. Most agents and editors will say yes, send me your work, unless they really don’t represent the kind of writing you do (and it’s up to you to do your research ahead of time). But I did have one agent (she had just been fired from her job so perhaps she was understandably bitter) dismiss my Slow Time book with a wave of her manicured fingernails and the comment: “You’ve got to write a book that the people who read People would read.” If you’ve never pitched before, take one of the classes on how to pitch your book offered at the conferences. You can also find some great pitch tips here: Practice your pitch by delivering it to your friends, writing group and everyone you meet at the conference who says “What are you writing?” But don’t place too much importance on the pitch. I’ve had three agents and I didn’t meet any of them at conferences. When you’re thinking of selling your work, you’re in it for the long term. People who meet you this year may accept your work five years later. Don’t burn bridges. And don’t ignore your peers while chasing after the industry professionals. You can also get feedback on your writing, not just your marketing pitch, at most conferences. Surrey calls this a blue pencil and offers you a free appointment with a published writer (sometimes an agent or editor) who will look at a few pages of your writing and give you suggestions for revision. One writer who looked over my detective novel at Surrey referred me to a publisher she thought would like it. Those clever folks at Willamette have figured out great ways to make more money. They charge $65 for a critique of up to 25 pages of manuscript (a deal if you know how much editors charge). For screen writers, Willamette also offers a lab where actors will read your script aloud to see if it works at a cost of $15 per script. Besides the Big Three conferences, there are also several smaller writing conferences in our area. The Whidbey Island Writers Conference distinguishes itself by being in March (Feb 29 to March 2 in 2008). It has a more intimate feel. Master classes are offered on Thursday. Small breakout sessions with published writers called Fireside Chats are offered on Friday afternoon in local homes. Saturday and Sunday classes and keynote speeches and a prepared lunch are offered at the high school. For a look at last year’s schedule, go to: Another small writing conference, Writer’s Weekend, is already over for this year. I’ve never attended this conference but I have a good friend who found her very supportive writing group there and has since finished a novel with their encouragement. The emphasis is on genre writing, it’s held at the Roosevelt Hotel in downtown Seattle and they only accept 100 attendees. For more information go to: I especially like the small regional conferences which are more writing-focused: Write on the Sound and Garden of the Gods. Write on the Sound is sponsored by the City of Edmonds and held on the first weekend in October (Oct 5-7, 2007). Writers attend hour-long workshops in an old school building next to the library, eat boxed lunches and listen to a keynote speaker in the lovely old theater in downtown Edmonds. It’s a friendly, easy-going conference. The classes cover every level from beginning to advanced. Since most of the teachers are local, it’s a good opportunity to find people you would like to study with later. I was so impressed by Nick O’Connell’s class on writing non-fiction articles, that I’ve been referring people to him ever since. Writing in the Garden of the Gods, a one-day conference in April sponsored by Field’s End, wins my award for best overall conference. Perhaps because it’s just the right size—it felt warm and welcoming. Perhaps because of the high caliber of the teachers and presenters. It was held in a beautiful place (Kiana Lodge), served excellent food, and provided a nice balance of social time and learning. I loved the “Page One” workshop, a session in which two published writers critiqued (gently) the first pages of manuscripts that had been submitted by participants ahead of time. The MC (George Shannon)was great and a good MC can make or break a conference (Surrey also has an excellent MC). Here’s the 2007 information: Of course, every genre has its own conference. The Romance Writers conference is October 26 to 28 in 2007. Writers of speculative fiction can go to conferences every month all across the country. There are also conferences for mystery writers, children’s book writers and illustrators and Christian book writers. Plus fan conventions. I especially enjoyed Left Coast Crime which roams up and down the West Coast. In 2008, it’s in Denver. And if you want to find a writing conference in Italy or Nebraska, just go to www.shawguides.com and type in location and month for a list of all writing workshops and conferences. If cost is not an issue and you’re ready to take your writing to the next level, you might consider attending the writing conference in Maui on Labor Day weekend. It always has a sterling line-up of agents and editors (who wouldn’t want a free trip to Hawaii?) and has an impressive record of successful sales. Janis Wildy from my writing group just called and reminded me of the many opportunities provided by book fairs, which feature panel discussions by authors, booths manned by all sort of writing organizations and publishers, and talks by well-known writers. Alas, Seattle’s own book fair folded two years ago but one can still go to Portland’s Bookfest in November (November 9-11, 2007): Waverly’s Tips for Surviving a Writing Conference 1) Identify your goals; make them specific and quantifiable. If your goal is to meet other writers, make a goal of speaking to one new person a day. If your goal is to learn about the business end of publishing, sign up for all the classes that focus on publishing. If you want to pitch to three agents, you know you’ll have to wait in that line to get new appointments (or pay for them). Then relax and enjoy the rest of the conference. 2) Lower your expectations. Think of a conference as an opportunity to make connections with people you will be working with for years. 3) Extend yourself. Talk to the person next to you in class, at the lunch table, looking at books on the display tables. I like meeting other Seattle writers at conferences; we feel closer once we get home because we shared the experience of the conference. But you also want to make new contacts. 4) Volunteer. It’s a great way to meet people. Volunteers are always needed to transport the out-of-town writers, agents and editors. 5) In class, put up your hand if the teacher asks for examples. Even if the teacher doesn’t like what you write, you will undoubtedly gain fans among your classmates. 6) Enter contests. I’m a bit ambivalent about the contests. Corry, from my writing group, won second prize in the story contest at Surrey, which meant she became a sort of minor celebrity at the conference and she has a lifelong fan and advocate in Jack Whyte who raved about her work. But I worry sometimes about the many eyes that see your work when you submit it for a contest (although you could sue someone who stole your work). And some writers are discouraged by the critiques they received. I know one writer who got two critiques on her first chapter. One said “this is the best thing I’ve ever read.” The other said: “This is awful. It will never get published.” Naturally her entry did not go on to the finals. 8) Take advantage of all that’s offered: manuscript critiques, agent and editor appointments, the free literature on the networking table, the books on the bookstore tables, the hotel bar, the cable TV, the hotel swimming pool. 9) Know yourself. If you’re an introvert, make sure you have time alone to recoup from all the social interaction. I like to watch mindless TV in the hotel room although sometimes I get a second wind taking classes. (Note to self: Don’t forget to take your bathing suit to Surrey. They have a pool in the hotel.)
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More articles on writing by Waverly Fitzgerald: Getting the Most Out of Summer Writing Conferences Imitation: Conscious and Unconscious |
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