Why take advantage of writing conferences anyway? What do you get out it?
Going to a writers conference not only forces you to practice introducing yourself to strangers, but it also gives you the opportunity to meet other local writers. After listening to about a dozen introductions, I became acutely aware that I was the only creative writer in the room and I was surrounded by a sea of serious journalists. There were editors, designers, and of course freelance writers, but I wasn’t in the process of taking the leap to fulltime freelance writing, so where did I belong? This is when self-doubt began to nestle into a small corner of my brain. What am I doing here? I am no hardcore journalist. And then it clicked. I was there to learn.
So I spent my time focusing on every word that was being said instead of the doubt. I gained amazing writing tidbits from ways to keep track of time and how to price your work, to overcoming writers block and how to re-slant articles. I recorded everything in my tiny notebook. It was everything I always wanted to know about writing, but was afraid to ask.
Now, I realize how similar writers really are. Most of us have routines that must be done before we are ready to work. Mine is cleaning; my instructors was baking brownies. I also realized that it is especially important for me to be surrounded by creative people, and having access to a great cup of coffee, which you don’t often find in corporate kitchens. If you ever have the opportunity to check out a Mediabistro or Society for Professional Journalists conference then do it. What you could be gaining from the experience could seriously enlighten you or fill in any gaps of information you may be missing.
I went to two writing conferences in the past month and it was totally worth it. I’d do it again in a second because the information I gained greatly outweighed the $65.00 cost.
They were both held by www.mediabistro.com. I attended Managing your Freelance Career on Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006 and Advanced Freelancing for Magazines held on September 6th, 2006. Any questions? Ask away.
