I know many of you will be in Colorado next month for ACFW's Annual Conference and some of you are signed up for other conferences this year or next. Congratulations!
The week before you leave will be full of little details--packing, smoothing out family and work problems, printing out travel plans, and making sure you have everything necessary to thrive at the conference. So, I'd like you to take some time now, or a few weeks before you're scheduled to leave, to clarify what you want out of the conference.
What is your goal in attending this conference?
You may have several, but one will stick out more than the others. This is your main goal, the one you want to focus your energy on. When you have met this, you can relax and pick activities that will meet your other goals. But don't waste all of your energy on activities that don't matter to you at the expense of the one that does.
My goal in attending RWA's National Conference was to make a personal connection with my dream editor and agent. In order to do this I scheduled pitch appointments. I wanted to discuss my book with each of them so they could put my name to my face, and, more than anything, I wanted to make a positive impression on them.
My lesser goals were to network and to make a few real connections each day, and to learn more about the publishing industry.
Please, please, do not set your main goal as "selling your book." A conference isn't a book-selling sweepstakes. It may help you sell your book. It may help you get your project in the right person's hands or it may nudge your foot in an agent's door, but you will not come home with a contract.
And many of you will disagree with me on this, and that's okay, but here is my opinion on a touchy subject.
Save your pitches for your pitch appointments.
These poor agents and editors are stalked relentlessly. They don't want to get accosted in the elevator. They're tired, they're stressed, and they want to relax at night. They don't want to listen to a complete stranger's book concept outside of a pitch session. (If I were an agent or editor, I might not even want to listen to the pitches in the sessions! It looked exhausting.)
I'm not saying to ignore the agents and editors if you see them in the lobby, but treat them as you would any other human being. Be friendly. If you've already pitched your book, go up to them and say hello, chit chat a minute, then leave them alone. Don't make it all about you and your writing. Respect them.
If your main goal is to learn more about the industry, then plan on attending at least one industry related workshop each day. If you want to immerse yourself in craft, attend at least one craft related workshop each day. If you're there to network, try to make two or three meaningful connections every day.
Remember, everyone has different goals at a conference. Don't be afraid to say no to an invitation from another writer if the event will take away from one of your goals. You can always meet up later that evening or for breakfast.
Join me on Wednesday when I'll discuss the finer points of meaningful networking.
Happy Writing!
Showing posts with label Conference goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conference goals. Show all posts
Monday, August 17, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
March Goal Review 2009
Here we are in the middle of March already! Wow!
So...remember those goals you wrote down back in January? The ones where you decided what days you'd write and how much you'd write and how much you wanted to finish in 2009 (whew!)?
Photo by aarongeller
How's that going for you? Have you stuck with it? Did writing on schedule become a habit? Or has it flat-lined like the annual health regimen we all seem to start in January?
Not sure?
Well, get out your calendar. Take a look back and scan how often you wrote. Do you see a pattern? Does every Tuesday and Thursday have something written on it? Or are there days (or weeks, gulp!) with NOTHING? Scary!
What works about your writing schedule? What doesn't? Now that you've had a few months to review, is there anything you'd like to change about your writing goals?
If you've stayed on track and are finding the set schedule useful, fantastic! If the system just doesn't seem to be working for you, why not? Have you found your own way to stay on track?
Writing down your goals and setting a schedule is meant to help you accomplish more. That's all. Yes, you might feel pressure when you look at your calendar and realize you haven't written in three weeks, but that's the whole point. You don't want to get so far off track that you accomplish nothing. Pressure is part of life. No, it's not fun, but it serves a purpose.
Time flies by--cliched, but true. Do you want to wake up on December 31, 2009 and realize another year passed you by and you're still not closer to fulfilling your dreams?
Me neither.
It might be a little painful. It might not feel good every minute. But if writing is important to you, recommit to your schedule, or make a new one you will commit to.
Thanks for stopping by.
And...
Get Motivated! It's Monday!
So...remember those goals you wrote down back in January? The ones where you decided what days you'd write and how much you'd write and how much you wanted to finish in 2009 (whew!)?
Photo by aarongeller
How's that going for you? Have you stuck with it? Did writing on schedule become a habit? Or has it flat-lined like the annual health regimen we all seem to start in January?
Not sure?
Well, get out your calendar. Take a look back and scan how often you wrote. Do you see a pattern? Does every Tuesday and Thursday have something written on it? Or are there days (or weeks, gulp!) with NOTHING? Scary!
What works about your writing schedule? What doesn't? Now that you've had a few months to review, is there anything you'd like to change about your writing goals?
If you've stayed on track and are finding the set schedule useful, fantastic! If the system just doesn't seem to be working for you, why not? Have you found your own way to stay on track?
Writing down your goals and setting a schedule is meant to help you accomplish more. That's all. Yes, you might feel pressure when you look at your calendar and realize you haven't written in three weeks, but that's the whole point. You don't want to get so far off track that you accomplish nothing. Pressure is part of life. No, it's not fun, but it serves a purpose.
Time flies by--cliched, but true. Do you want to wake up on December 31, 2009 and realize another year passed you by and you're still not closer to fulfilling your dreams?
Me neither.
It might be a little painful. It might not feel good every minute. But if writing is important to you, recommit to your schedule, or make a new one you will commit to.
Thanks for stopping by.
And...
Get Motivated! It's Monday!
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