Five Things I’ve Learned from Attending a Writer’s Conference

June 7, 2018 | By Meredith Schorr | Reply More

I’m always so inspired after spending time with authors, and I strive to hone my craft with each book I create. A writer’s conference is a great way to combine these activities. This is why I designated 2018: The Year of the Writer’s Conference.

The first conference of the year was in April—The Muse and the Marketplace in Boston. It was my inaugural overnight, multi-day conference. I’m happy to report that I left the event impressively more knowledgeable in the ways of marketing and craft than when I arrived.

But I also learned a few things not specifically taught in any of the sessions I attended. Here are five of them:

Attending a conference alone is very daunting for an introvert.

I’m extremely independent and I thoroughly enjoy my alone time, but I was overwhelmed by the number of attendees. When it sank in that I didn’t know anyone, the prospect of three consecutive days eating every meal alone and spending countless hours by myself at night made me feel lonelier than I ever imagined.

I was close to tears on my first day and frantically emailing/texting other friends for assurance it would all be okay.

The author community is warm and welcoming.

In the midst of my freak out, I had exchanged numbers with two women I’d recently “met” online who were also attending the conference. They both told me to look for them at the conference-sponsored happy hour that evening. It turned out they knew each other and introduced me to all their friends, who invited me to join them for dinner two nights in a row. I entered the conference a loner and left with several new author friends.

Talking incessantly about writing does not make me weird; it makes me a writer.

My non-writer friends would roll their eyes and tune out if I talked about my writing process, comps, agent and publisher submissions ad nauseum over dinner. Not my new writer friends. We had the best time discussing the three “Ps” —plotting, POV, and pacing—over food and drinks, and I swear I got more buzzed over the conversation than I did from my martini.

I know a lot more than I give myself credit for, but there is also a lot left to learn.

Some of the sessions repeated things I already knew, which I found validating and reassuring. But even after eight novels, I was delighted to pick up new tricks. I’ve come so far from the writer I used to be, yet I’m not nearly the one I hope to become.

Spending time with bestselling authors, and writers who aspire to be published for the first time has the power to motivate me and invoke self-doubt in equal measure.

It was hard not to compare myself with so many authors who have met with more success than me and wonder if I will ever come close to their level. I also listened to the elevator pitches of new authors and thought, “Wow. That book’s going to be huge.” It made me doubt whether my work-in-progress was “enough.”

The truth is, it wasn’t enough then and it isn’t now, but I won’t quit until it gets there. Being around folks who share my passion, regardless of what stage they are in their career, inspires me to work harder and push further beyond my comfort zone.

Next on the calendar is the July Romance Writers of America Conference in Denver. I can’t wait to meet new friends, reunite with old ones, and continue to learn!

A born-and-bred New Yorker, Meredith Schorr discovered her passion for writing when she began to enjoy drafting work-related emails way more than she was probably supposed to. After trying her hand penning children’s stories and blogging her personal experiences, Meredith found her calling writing smart, sassy romantic comedy and humorous women’s fiction. Meredith is a loyal New York Yankees fan, an avid runner, and an unashamed television addict. To learn more, visit her at www.meredithschorr.com.

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