GENREALITY

I’ve attended and taught at hundreds of writers’ conferences over the years.  From Maui seven straight years, to RWA National, to Thrillerfest, to small local writing group conferences.

There are two aspects to getting the most out of conference:  what you do formally and what you do informally.

Formally:
Often, attendees go in with a single-minded focus that the most important thing is the agent/editor pitch.  And they do it poorly.  An agent/editor appointment is a chance for one-on-one face time.  It’s a two-way thing.  You don’t have to ‘pitch’ your book, you can get feedback, which is more valuable, if you ask questions instead.

What you are trying to do is communicate your enthusiasm for the book—through the material.  There was something about your idea that excited you so much you wrote 100,000 words.  You’re looking to communicate that.

In my previous post, I talked about the importance of attending craft workshops.  Look at the list of presenters.  Pick those who bio is representative of what you hope to achieve in your career path.  One thing you can do, is go to workshops that aren’t as “hot”, where there will be fewer attendees and get closer contact with the presenter.  There have been times I had only two people attend my workshop and we got a great dialogue going.

NETWORKING—this doesn’t mean take up smoking so you can stand outside with that big time author.  Really.  Most people are pretty approachable so be courteous.  A lot of presenters are fried or busy doing business meetings, so take that into account.  A lot of your networking should be with other attendees who might not be published yet—there are future NY Times best-selling authors all around you.  Don’t hide in your room, afraid to mingle.  Most writers are introverts so it’s hard for us.  You have to expand your comfort zone by going into your courage zone—this is a tenet of Warrior Writer.  So force yourself several times a day to introduce yourself to someone new and talk to them.  Remember, a lot of people feel the same way and would be happy to talk.

Don’t hide in your room ‘polishing’ your pitch.  A conference is about the people.

Don’t stick with just the same people from home that you already know.  Meet new people.

Study the list of presenters.  Put faces with names.  Check the ones you would really like to talk to.  Then DON’T stalk them.  Keep your eyes open.  You never know who you might get on the elevator with.

Be careful what you say.  Don’t bad-mouth people at conferences.  Bad karma.  It will come back to you—and not in a good way.

Ask people about them.  Always a good conversation starter.  If you happen to sit next to an agent or editor at the bar, ask them questions—don’t pitch.  Ask about what they think the future of publishing is; kindle; what their hobbies are; how did they get into the business; what’s their favorite part of their job—etc. etc.  You can learn a lot.
And it’s a learning experience overall.

And, as a bonus– this time sharing with Hannah

What were you doing this time last year? Did you have writing goals? Did you accomplish them? Do you care? I wrote about goals on Blaze Authors blog a few weeks ago and you can see what I have planned for this year. But part of me wants to get past that need for accomplishment and remember why I’m writing in the first place. I actually put that as one of my goals. Writing is therapy for me. If I go to long without doing it, I get the wunchies. That’s my word for being wigged out and anxious.

I wonder sometimes if part of that is fear. Like if I don’t hurry up and write something, maybe I won’t remember how. But I’m a really emotional persona and I think I need to get those words on the page as part of my therapy. I mean, I spend most of my life with characters talking in my head, so I’ll end up in the loony bin for sure if I don’t write down what they have to say.

I also have a great passion for telling stories. I may not be the world’s greatest writer, but I know how to tell a story. And to me PASSION is what it’s all about. If you’re in this business to make money, you’re doing it for the wrong reason. Don’t get me wrong, I want to get paid as much as the next guy, maybe even more, but if there’s no passion in the story telling, that’s not going to happen.

So what happens when you’re contracted for a book and you aren’t particularly passionate about what you are writing? Well, you need to take a step back. You need to get to know your characters better and give them an opportunity to express their needs. You need to really think about your story. If you’re bored by it, readers will be too. So what can you do to shake things up? How can you make thing more exciting?

I’m sort of known for writing whacked out plots that end up seeming completely plausible. And it’s because my life is absolutely crazy and wicked strange stuff happens to me all the time. Sometimes bad, but most of the time good. I had something in my upcoming Harlequin book “Truth and Dare” that my editor questioned. “Could this really happen?” She asked in revisions. I had to tell her yes, because it was loosely based on a real life experience I had. I’ve found when I have some truth in the story, whether it’s about a witch or a Marine, it always works better. Sure I make it all up and I do some crazy stuff sometimes, but it’s all based in some kind of emotional truth.

Oh, my, that’s sounds fruity tootie. But it’s true. When my characters are feeling as passionate emotionally about what is going on, as I am as I write it, it works. The story is compelling because the reader is experiencing the story right along with the characters.

Are there particular books that stand out in your mind? Characters that you’ll never forget? Those were done by writers who were passionate about their work.

Share with me some of those books and characters that stand out for you. Tell me, I really want to know.