Conference Preparation

Are you going to a writer's conference? I attend 2-3 per year, and I'm leaving for the Romance Writers of America conference on Monday. Which has me in a conference flurry making sure I have everything ready to go. When I was a conference newbie (and still sometimes today), I always worried about what I needed to do to prepare for the conference. Since I'm actively getting ready for one now, I thought I'd share my conference preparation checklist.

Things to pack:

• Clothes... do not forget accompaniments like socks and underwear. This seems obvious, but I did forget to pack underwear once.


• Fancy clothes. Does the conference have any fancy dress events? I'm going to two this year. Again, speaking from experience, make sure you try on said fancy clothes and accompaniments before packing. Your prom dress from 20 years ago probably no longer fits.


• Shoes. I am not a shoe person, but I typically bring 4-5 pair. Dress shoes, casual shoes, fancy shoes, and a very comfy spare in case the cute shoes you had to have turn out to be blister makers.


• Toiletries and makeup. I keep a toiletry bag permanently packed since I travel so much. BUT... on my last trip, I realized (too late!) that the bottles I refill were not refilled. So make sure you refill yours. I just bought a bunch of new ones for 99 cents each at Target.


• Vitamins and medications. Especially if you are on a medication, make sure you pack extra. As for vitamins, if you occasionally take anything for extra energy, bring it! You'll need it. Trust me. :)


• Cords for all electronic devices. Why they can't make one standard cord to fit all, I don't know. But check and double check that you've got a way to charge everything. My friend Camy also brings a power strip. I haven't gone that far, though I admit to borrowing hers.


• Snacky stuff. Some conferences have scheduled meals as part of the conference, others have meals on your own. I've suffered through enough plates of  "what the heck is this" to know that I will not be well-fed. Plus, I tend to be too busy to actually sit down for most meals. Since a girl still needs to eat, I bring snacks. This year I have protein bars, individual serving packs of almonds, and some protein powder (hopefully I can find something to put it in). This is also handy for the plane.


• Jewelry. I'm not a jewelry person, but I've known a number of people over the years who freak out over forgetting theirs, so I'm adding it to the list.


• Pajamas. Partially because at this conference, our team is hosting a PJ party, but also because I've had the horrifying moment of having a roommate say, "uh, I forgot my pajamas."


• Comfy clothes/exercise clothes. Okay, so I only end up using my exercise clothes on about 25% of my trips. But it's actually kind of weird how bonding of an experience it is to work out with your fellow conference goers. As for comfy clothes, there will be times when you want to go relax and not be in business wear.


• Bathing suit. Maybe you're not a hot tub/swimming pool person. But I really love to go sit by the pool for a couple of hours to chill. And sometimes, it's so nice to relax in the hot tub after a long day. Other times, I'm too busy to enjoy it.


• Copies of all your travel information. Companies lose reservations. But if you have a printout to show them, then they can figure it out much easier than trying to read your scribbled confirmation number.


• Knitting supplies. I like to knit. If I don't get to knit on the plane, I get cranky. I also find that knitting helps me concentrate in meetings. So there is nothing worse than finishing a project on a trip with no backup. Even if it's just an extra skein of yarn to start a scarf, at least I have something to keep from going crazy.


• Cash, cards, and ID. When you're eating out with a number of people, not all restaurants will split the check. So having cash makes it easier for you to pay your share. I also have my insurance card and AAA card. The insurance is just in case, and I've never used it. But sometimes I get extra discounts with my AAA card.

 

Things I do to prepare the homefront:

• I have kids, which means I need to make arrangements for them. Since I'm the primary caregiver, I cannot assume that my husband will remember everything they need. So I put together a schedule and make a list. This trip, the kids are going to daycamp while he works, so I am printing out the schedule and information for that as well.


• Laundry. Not only do I want clothes for the trip, but I want my family to have everything they need.


• Grocery shopping. I stock up on anything I need for my trip, but I also buy easy to prepare meals for my family. Word of caution: I have prepared lots of freezer meals that don't get eaten. Don't feel bad if you find out that they ate nothing you bought. They are probably using this as an opportunity to gorge themselves on the junk food you don't usually let them have. This used to bug me, but now I let it be their reward for letting me go.


• Provide everyone with copies of my travel information.

 

Things I do to prepare professionally:

• Business cards. I am the idiot who forgets to bring them, or if I do bring them, they are always in my hotel room. This year, I am going to do everything in my power to remember to bring them AND carry them with me. I've missed out on so many good connections because I didn't have a card.


• Putting together my pitch or blurb. I have it written out (and printed out) to refer to in case I forget, but I work really hard at trying to memorize it. Many (but not all) conferences frown on you handing editors or agents a piece of paper to take with them. Find out the etiquette of this ahead of time and plan accordingly. If you do bring a one-sheet or other paper, make sure it has a professional and neat appearance.


• Getting my schedule together ahead of time. I prefer to have it printed out. I have a thin three ring binder with page protectors that I use to organize all of my information. I just slip my printouts into the page protectors and go. It's so convenient to pull out my binder and have my schedule laid out. I also keep a copy of my reservation information, confirmations, and tickets there. Basically, every piece of paper related to my trip is in this binder.


• Make arrangements to meet up with professional contacts and friends. Conferences are so busy, and I've found that if you don't intentionally make the time, you may not get to spend time with everyone you were hoping to see.


• Knowing what I want out of the conference. I heard the advice that you should go with a goal you want to accomplish from being at the conference. This goal should not be signing the contract with your dream editor or agent. That doesn't happen at conferences, so don't set yourself up for failure. In case you were wondering, my goal for this conference is to re-discover my joy.

 

Have you been to a writer's conference? What do you do to prepare? I'd especially love to hear any tips I may have left off.

ACFW Conference- Are you in?

First, my apologies to those who came here yesterday expecting a blog about the conference and found I hadn't updated. I got back from the hospital later last night than I'd originally planned, so I didn't get a chance to get online.

Sooo, anyway... the ACFW conference!

The American Christian Fiction Writers is holding their annual conference September 20-23 in Dallas. It'll be my first ACFW conference. For whatever reason, that weekend in September is one of those cosmically bad weekends. I usually have 4 or 5 separate events in different parts of the country so I always have to choose. This year, I decided that the conference had to be a priority. I keep missing out on seeing great friends. Plus, even though I attend a lot of writing conferences, there is something different about attending one specifically geared toward Christians. I found that out at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference.

So here I am, making a commitment to attending ACFW this year.

And, because we know I don't do anything halfway, I'm also signed up to teach a course on taxes for writers. Those who read my blog regularly know that during the tax season, I'm an insane tax preparing machine. One of the things I've noticed every year is how little the average American understands about taxes. More importantly, I've found that the average self-employed business person (aka WRITERS) are doing their taxes wrong because they heard from their brother in law's second cousin's neighbor's best friend that they could do some weird thing on their taxes. When I mentioned this to a few friends at ACFW, they said, "Hey, you should teach that at conference." Well, alrighty then.

Actually, it was a good fit. I'm going into year two of teaching tax classes, so adding in a class especially for writers isn't a stretch for me. And hopefully, I'll be able to help educate a few more folks about doing their taxes right. Staying within the law AND getting the best deduction possible.

I'll be teaching on the following:

Tax time can be a frightening and dreaded experience for a lot of people, particularly to creative writer-types. In this workshop, writers will learn some practical tips for making the most of tax time, including:


1. Tax Basics
2. Keeping tax records organized
3. Is it a hobby, or is it a business?
4. Important deductions and expenses for writers
5. The Home Office-to deduct or not to deduct
6. Travel Expenses
7. Making the estimated tax nightmare manageable

If you haven't signed up yet, now is the time to do so! You never know what you'll learn!

See you in Dallas!

What do writers do at conferences, anyway?

1. We eat. (Note the pretzels on the bed, chocolate on the nightstand and other assorted goodies throughout the room)
2. We go to workshops. Really. I did attend one. Krista even mentioned me on the tape.
3. We eat. I'm still full from the luncheon we had for our authors.
4. We socialize. Er, network. It just so happens that my best friends are also good business connections.
5. We eat. Room service is on the way.
6. We party. Last night was the PJ party, tonight the Harlequin party, and tomorrow, the Rita party.
7. We eat. There's some yummy goodies at the parties. Chocolate fountain, anyone?
8. We get free books. I'm up to 2 boxes and change. Research, you know.
9. We eat. I'll be hungry after tonight's party. All that dancing.
10. We are inspired.

Writing is a weird, solitary job. But at conferences, we're allowed to re-connect, and find a little more of that spark to keep us going for the next year or so. However, when that's not working so well, we play!


And just so you really get the picture of how insane we are... here's exhibit A: an innocent bed. My innocent bed. Quite pretty, really. Except we didn't know what that big round pillow was for.



Baseball, anyone?

Nothing profound to report

Really.

God and I have been talking about homeless people, and it's been interesting. But mostly, out of the conversations, I came across something else.

I spent the afternoon exploring downtown Dallas. I didn't exactly mean to, but I had a few errands to run, and I needed to eat something that wasn't overpriced and undercooked. I ended up at this place called Thanksgiving Square . I meandered through the garden, reflected on the Scriptures, and all I could think of was how God had put me right where I needed to be. I can't explain many of the events of the past few months. Even though I have to say that they have been among the most difficult of my life, I am so thankful for where God has brought me.

I returned to the hotel and ran into some of my very dear friends. I have to say that I hate living so far from the people I love the most. I seriously love these people. I can't wait to see more of them.

Dallas or Bust... on a flying Sea Otter?

Yep, Sherman the Sea Otter was my transport to Dallas. A very interesting flight, not the least of which was all the smoke that came pouring out as we arrived at the gate. A lot of very relieved, "Thank God it didn't happen while we were in the air," echoes could be heard throughout the plane. There's a bumper sticker that says "as long as there as still tests, there will still be prayer in school." Maybe we should amend it to include air travel.

At the airport, I ran into an author I know and respect, and we ended up taking a shuttle together. Then, we stopped to pick up more folks, and one of the women was another dear author friend. We arrived at the hotel, and I have to say, I was both humbled and floored by the amount of people who knew me on sight, called me by name, and hugged me with so much warmth and love. Wow. When folks see me at conference, they tend to think I'm an extrovert. I think this is my once a year dose. A much needed dose. And I will still need to go hide in my room once and a while, but it'll be okay. Tomorrow, my roomie has an event to go to, and I have nothing pressing until the evening, so I'm going to sit on my big fat bottom and read a book by the pool. Maybe two. Or three. Or four. Or five. I have seven at the moment, guaranteed to grow by the time I leave.

And... because I have had so much encouragement and am already feeling ready to conquer the world, I may even get that proposal finished. And submitted.

Or I might take a nap.

Once my roomie arrived and we got settled, we met up with some friends and went to dinner. Here's a pic for you:


From left to right, we have: Cheryl Wyatt aka my roomie, Debra Clopton , Me , Julia Justiss, and Lenora Worth .

See ya tomorrow with updates! Or not. Depends on if I nap or not.