Have You Attended Writing Conferences?

Several years ago, I attended a major writing conference in New York city in May. It wasn't cheap, either. There were quite a few workshops and talks. A conference like this is fine for beginning writers. However, once you decide what you are most interested in writing, you might want to consider a more specialized conference. If you like to write mysteries, for example, you should attend a conference that is all about that genre. For my part, I love humorous novels and stories, and my favorite author is Dave Barry.

I have never attended a writing conference but it makes sense that it would help you to connect with the right poeple. Let's face it, it really is who you know that can make the difference in the world of writing. I am not aware of any writing conferences in our area. Have you attended any? I have attended many grant seminars and I was amazed at all the grants that are available even to writers. Do a search for grantwriting and you should find many.

I personally do not write books, though I have been told that I should. If you go to Lulu.com you can self publish. Not hard at all to get your book out there. I am a hands on, do it myself type of person and Lulu.com would allow me to do that.

I have gone to a writers conference in Chicago a few years ago (the AAWP), which I enjoyed very much. It was great to see all these famous authors, and yes, there were a ton of publishers and publishers reps there. They had a small book fair (journals and small presses) in a conference room. Most of the folks there were students or professors at universities with creative writing programs. I really got a lot out of it, although I didn't have anything to sell at that point. Of course, everyone is trying to sell their stuff and get to the publishers, but I still thought that it was rewarding. Because I lived in the area, I only had to pay a couple hundred dollars to get in. (They change the locations every year, you might want to look them up online as they are a great resource for a lot of information about publishing.) You can also find out about a lot of conferences through "Poet & Writer" magazine.

I attended a workshop for screenplay writing a few years ago. It was so fun and I learned things that I remember to this day.

I just self published a book and I have never thought of attending a writing conference. What a great idea! Especially since I've been trying to figure out how to market my book. I'm going to keep my eyes and ears open for any writing conferences that may be taking place in my area. Thanks...