A Three-Part Series Covering How to Get the Most Out of a Writers Conference
Part 2: Be Friendly
A writers conference is a magical time. Writers from different locations and backgrounds, all with the imagination, dream, and drive to put their tales to paper (or digits) gather together to drink too much coffee and talk shop. And yet, far too many attend a conference (often at sizable expense) without the faintest idea how to truly get their money’s–and effort’s–worth. Over three installments I will give you a cursory look at what you should do to maximize a conference experience. In this second part, we will look at what to focus on once you’ve stepped through the venue door.
You are on display when you’re at a conference. So, be the best you you can be when you’re there. Be friendly. I don’t mean to be nice or to be amenable. Those are shallow niceties. I mean be friendly in the truest sense of the word. Greet and deal with everyone in hopes of making a friend. Listen to them talk. Cheer them on. Share with them, whomever they are. Be friendly. Make friends. Friends have a connection and a desire to help each other. That is what you should want and be for those you engage with at a writers conference.
Let me dig a bit deeper into this “friendly” thing. Friends don’t start a conversation by presenting a business card. Friends don’t start by talking about themselves, either. Friends ask questions and genuinely listen. Friends don’t simply wait for their turn to talk, but respond to what is being said or proffered or asked. Friends come back and have a second and third conversation throughout the conference, even if each is only five minutes. Friends demonstrate an interest in the continued wellbeing of that friendship.
Make friends, not contacts.
Now, why am I harping on this friend thing so much? It comes from seeing too many people treat those they meet as potential business transactions. Nobody likes being commodified, not even the professionals whose job it is to focus on the dollars, cents, and contractual obligations. Literary agents repeatedly state that, when meeting an author, they look not just for a sellable book, but the sense this could be a working friendship. They want a connection with the writer that will last beyond selling the first, second, or eighth novel. Agents, editors, and other literary professionals know that publishing is a business, but that writing is an art. Artists need support and connection–friendship–from those they rely on to get their stories out in the world. So make friends, not contacts.
There are lots of step-by-step do’s and don’ts lists for spending your time at a writers conference. However, if you focus on being friendly the rest will fall into place. You’ll gain a sense of what’s important in each moment and see opportunities open before you. You’ll come away not only with new knowledge from great workshops and fabulous memories from fun times at the hotel bar, but with a broader collection of friends. Then you can share the joy of reconnecting with them at the next conference.
The 30th Annual Pikes Peak Writers Conference takes place April 27-30 in Colorado Springs. Registration is open now!
The 40th Annual Colorado Gold Writers Conference takes place September 8-10 in Denver. Registration opens May 1st!
