Choosing Which Events to Attend

Wednesday I posted about not being able to attend every conference or writing event I want to attend. To read more, scroll to the previous post.

I don’t know how you do it, but this is how I decide on where my time and money will be best spent:

1.       Location. How far do I have to travel, and how long will it take me to do that, and how much will it cost?

a.       If I need a plane ticket and hotel room, I need to really weigh those costs, along with the conference price.

b.      Is there an upcoming conference or event that might offer similar classes or opportunities that will perhaps cost less?

c.       Will I be able to continue writing while I travel, or will I spend 6 hours driving? And is it worth going if that’s the case?

2.       What will I get out of this conference/activity?

a.       Sometimes I go strictly for social reasons or to support other authors or organizations—and that’s perfectly okay. It doesn’t all have to be about learning or pitching or work-shopping. But…

b.      Will I learn something new or find assistance with the thing on which I need the most help? (This could be writing, marketing, formatting, pitching, querying, self promotion, blogging, online networking, publishing, etc.) OR…

c.       Am I going to connect with other people in my profession? If so, is this event going to be well attended or intimate?

3.       What will I have to give up to participate?

a.       A couple years ago, I skipped a great conference because my daughter had been invited (at the last minute) to participate in an out of town soccer tournament, and I didn’t want to send her alone. To me, her tournament was more important. I know others who have left conferences for karate tournaments, birthday parties, etc. I think it’s important that we know our priorities, and not compromise them. There will always be another activity or conference.  

4.       Who will be part of this event?  

a.       Are the instructors people whose classes you have attended three times already, or are you going to learn from someone new?

b.      Are you going to support a friend or to meet new people?

c.       Will you hide in the bathroom or branch out and socialize? (If you’d rather hide out, you should be going to a more intimate conference, IMO.)

d.      Is an agent or editor to whom you’d like to pitch or who you’d like to meet going to be present? What about an author? Other type of instructor?

e.      Are you going for academic or social reasons? (Either is okay, so long as you know what’s important to you.)     

5.       What is included in the price?

a.       Will you have meals included or is that another expense? Are you expected to pack a lunch or will they offer snacks for purchase? What kind of time will you have should you choose to go out?

b.      Does it cost more to pitch? To workshop? To attend a social event?

c.       Are these things that matter to you?

6.       Word of mouth. Who is talking about this conference and why?

a.       Because seriously, the best conferences get talked about. By everyone. You know it’s worth going when that’s ALL anyone can discuss during a three day period or whatever. Does that mean you need to suck it up and spend the money? Not always. See the above list and think about those first.

7.       Finally: Are you going to regret not going?

a.       Meaningless analogy: I once told a friend if I can find a piece of jewelry that I think I love, but then walk away from it, and have forgotten it an hour later, it wouldn’t have been a good purchase.

b.      Apply this way of thinking to conferences: If you think you love a conference, but can miss it without a bucket of regret a few days later, you probably didn’t miss as much as you think you did. And if you do regret it, plan to go the next year, since the best conferences tend to come around annually.

8.       One last thought: I’ve never gone to a conference/activity/workshop from which I didn’t gain SOMETHING important. Ever. So if you can afford to attend everything, and can physically handle it AND keep writing AND keep up with your family, friends, etc, then do it. Seriously. What do you have to lose?

And there you have it.  Eight things to consider when you’re building your personal writing investment portfolio.

Today’s question: Which events are you attending this year? Why?

A Personal Investment

And no, I’m not talking about stocks and bonds or whatever, but writer’s conferences. They all cost money. More importantly, they cost us time. As do book signings, and gatherings, and other bookish-type events.

But we go, partly because it’s necessary, and partly because the investment of our time, and often our money, is most likely to have a return. The writing profession is like one of those slow growing bonds that has potential to pay off, but might take a ridiculously long time. Or not. Depends on who you talk to.  

No two investments are the same. No two writing conferences cost the same amount of money, nor do they all run for the same amount of time. And then you have to look at what classes or discussions they offer, and other services, and what’s included, and if you’ll need to also pay for accommodations and transportation…

You get the drift, yeah? So how do you make a decision like that? Especially when, like me, you would prefer to go to everything, be involved with and support everyone, yet have limited funds or time to do so? (I still have yet to find a time-turner.)

Recently, someone kindly reminded me that it is my debut year, and that I need to make sure each thing I attend is going to be worth my investment. And she’s right. I do. These things add up. Both the cost and the time commitments. Suddenly, I have deadlines to keep and swag to buy and promotions to run.

Last week, I missed a conference I have attended for years, because it is now a long distance conference for me (when it wasn’t before), which would have included buying a plane ticket, staying in a hotel, and probably renting a car. During that same time frame, I also missed two or three other fun signing events. In May, there is another conference, another similar situation. I choose to attend that one instead. Because we can’t do everything or be everywhere, no matter how much we wish we could.

How do you choose your best investment of time and money when it comes to your career?

(Stay tuned for Friday’s post, when I will answer this question myself.)

Humbled, Grateful Thanks.

Last week I attended one of my all-time favorite gathering of writers, the LDStorymakers’ annual writer’s conference. I love this conference because a lot of my friends—fellow writers / authors—generally attend. It is run by the group of people who originally convinced me that I really can do this writing thing, and that it doesn’t matter if I’m a stay-at-home mom of four from a small town in Utah. They taught me early on that writing books isn’t scary and intimidating, nor is it impossible.

This year, I find myself a bit short on descriptive words, because when it comes to support from the writing community, I am truly rich. So many people have offered to take my hand and help me up whenever I need it—which seems to be more and more frequently lately. They are always there to give me renewed energy and help me to believe that I can do impossible things.

It leaves me more than grateful, and truly humbled.

I love my friends. So instead of talking about everything I’ve learned, I want to say thanks. To my blog readers, to my biggest supporters, to my true and ever-loyal friends.

You know who you are—all of you.

Wherever my path leads, I am beyond blessed to know each one of you.

So thanks. That’s all. Just thanks. It is because of you that I will never, ever give up.  

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow, you're only a day away.

Dudes! Tomorrow. Tomorrow is this year’s LDStorymakers writer’s conference, which is one of the largest conferences in Utah. And it’s one of my favorites. And also, I’m totally dragging one of my fab 5 besties with me this year, so it’s going to be extra fun.

Quick thought for the week: What are the five main reasons you attend writer’s conferences (or not)?

Mine:

1.       I love to learn, and this is a great way to learn from industry greats.

2.       I love to be social, and conferences are the best place to do this in a professional sphere.

3.       Face-to-face time with agents, editors, and my favorite authors.

4.       Conferences are a great way to fill your tank of inspiration past the top.

5.       All my friends are there. Well, okay, not all of them. But a lot of them.

What about you?