Writing Conference Preparation
I didn't get my teeth as white as I wanted, but I've been working on other things.
Here's what every writer needs to have in their arsenal when heading to a conference (if they've completed a manscript):
Fiction Proposal: Harder sounding than it actually is. The toughest part for me is the comparable books section
One-Sheet: Kind of fun to make, actually. Here's some examples.
Pitch: Blech. You know how I feel about this.
Flash Drive: Just in case anything weird happens, like my beautiful papers get soaked, or an editor wants to read the full, ASAP. (lol)
Folder: Buying one at Wal-Mart on Sunday, to hold all my stuff in.
Business Cards: Not sure who will keep them but from what I gather, they're a good idea.
Maybe you've gone to a conference, maybe you haven't, but have you needed any of the above? Created any? What's the hardest part for you?
On Monday the fourteenth, I have a guest posting about a new, very cool writing opportunity!
Here's what every writer needs to have in their arsenal when heading to a conference (if they've completed a manscript):
Fiction Proposal: Harder sounding than it actually is. The toughest part for me is the comparable books section
One-Sheet: Kind of fun to make, actually. Here's some examples.
Pitch: Blech. You know how I feel about this.
Flash Drive: Just in case anything weird happens, like my beautiful papers get soaked, or an editor wants to read the full, ASAP. (lol)
Folder: Buying one at Wal-Mart on Sunday, to hold all my stuff in.
Business Cards: Not sure who will keep them but from what I gather, they're a good idea.
Maybe you've gone to a conference, maybe you haven't, but have you needed any of the above? Created any? What's the hardest part for you?
On Monday the fourteenth, I have a guest posting about a new, very cool writing opportunity!
Comments
The second time I was prepared. I had all the right "stuff" like you have. Even though I wasn't ready to pitch a book, I practiced on the book I was writing.
And the highlight was that I won an award for a short story, got to make an acceptance speech in front of a couple hundred people and got a trophy and pictures of me accepting it!!!
You'll do great! Relax, enjoy and learn! Can't wait to hear all about it!
First day of school...that sounds about right! LOL
Business cards are good, as are 3x5 cards for making pitch notes on - at least that's what I used to use.
Yeah, I think the cards will come in handy this time around. The first time I went I had no clue what to do with them. I didn't realize there were a lot of pins for things! Congrats to you on the awards. :-)
I'm def. looking forward to wearing my new clothes!
Hey Jody,
Yay! I love coke, so my teeth aren't as white as they could be either. :-)
I wish you good luck! It sounds like fun, lots of work but tons of fun. You've definitely laid out everything I'd have in mind to have with me.
I'd never heard of needing a proposal at a conference. At Mount Hermon the one-sheet was the document we were told to prepare, and even then they mentioned that most agents and editors would look at them but not keep them. Does ACFW recommend having a proposal with you?
Thanks for the link to the one-sheet examples. Mighty professional. It was fun to see Eileen Astels' lovely one-sheet spotlighted.
I dread the pitch, that would be the hardest for me.
jeannie
The Character Therapist
Yep, I've been to two conferences, but they were both in town and I volunteered, so I feel like I missed out on some stuff being so busy.
Great list above. Of all of them, I've only done two: business cards and the dreaded disgusting pitch. Such an informative post, Jessie! And great examples. Thank you!
New clothes go a super long way toward making you feel good about yourself, and you accomplished that. So WOOT! :-)
I know there's a famous historical fantasy series set in Japan around that time but it's more of an action/adventure type book--not anything like my current book.
Hmm...perhaps that'll change by the time I (hopefully) go to ACFW next year. :P
I've created business cards for a small conference I attended a few years ago. They were pretty generic but they worked.
I can't wait to meet you either Katie! I don't know how we're going to meet.... I can't imagine that we'd miss each other. It would be nice to set something up, but I'm not sure how to go about doing that.
Wow, you are busy. Yikes. I hope I have fun too, and I hope when you're done with school or on break you can hit a conference. :-)
Hi Keli,
I know, lol, it was very cool to see Eileen's on there. :-) I didn't think we needed a proposal either but someone mentioned making one and I thought, well, why not? Then if someone asks I can say, yep, here it is.
I thought about using Vistaprint but when my hubby used them for the free cards they automatically started charging our credit card for some program, so I wasn't sure. Then I needed a pic, so it wouldn't be free anymore. I ended up going with Staples. :-) We'll see how they turn out.
Wooohoo Jeannie! :-)
Hey Anita,
Love the snort! :-) I know, I'm so sorry about your teeth. :-( I thought about volunteering, but since this is only my second one, and my first huge one, I thought it might be better for me to kind of get used to things first.
Is the series you're referring to Shogun? My mom read that book and tried to get me to read it in high school, but I was intimidated by the size. LOL I hope you get to go to a conference too. :-)
Hi Jessie,
So was that a one day conference? I think those sound really doable. Glad to know they're helpful too!
I liked doing One-sheets but then ended up not pitching. Instead I met with an editor and she read my first few pages and gave me great pointers for my openings.
I can't wait to hear how you do!!!!
LOL The ones on that site aren't mine, but thank you anyways. :-)
Hey Terri,
Early bird starts Wed. and then Thursday is the main conference. You know, I think I'd prefer pointers than a pitch. LOL
And I've got plans in the works for an April conference, so I appreciate the pointers!