Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Conference Bound

Is it Wednesday again? Wow.

Sinead and I are off to the NJRW conference this weekend. I'm sure Molly's a little jealous, but her daughter already went to one writers' conference when she was 3 weeks old, so she put her seven week old little foot down, refusing to join us at this one, JR Ward, or not. (Come on, Lucy. JR Ward!)

I used to go to conferences all fired up about pitches and getting requests, and now that I have an agent to do that job for me, I do wonder sometimes why I still fork out the money for conferences. I'm in that limbo place where I don't have book promo to do, but it doesn't make sense to do formal pitches, either. I should be trying to get speaking gigs (I actually love public speaking), but lately haven't been very motivated to get my act together there, either.

There's always lots to learn at conferences, but after going to so many, I feel lucky if I see at least one good talk at each one, now. Many talks give me a been-there-heard-that feeling.

So, it becomes about meeting up with friends and networking and maybe getting a chance to chat with some of the editors, even though I won't be formally pitching.

My time this weekend would be better spent finishing my revisions, but hey, it should be fun.

Plus, we're going on Porter Airlines, that flies out of the Island airport in downtown Toronto (okay, just a short ferry ride from downtown Toronto) and is supposed to be really cool. Rumor has it, they actually still give you a drink and snack without asking for money. How quaint. How nostalgic.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hell yes, it will be fun.
Why, because I don't get out of the house very much and this is two days of freedom...
Gird your loins. There will be drinking.

Leah Braemel said...

Have fun, Maureen and Sinead.

I'm like you with the conferences, and I've only been to a couple. I'm not getting a lot out of the workshops anymore (comes from taking too many online courses). I got more out of the networking with other authors in Ottawa. And oh, what bliss to go to a conference without having to worry about pitching.

Molly O'Keefe said...

Sinead - your comment filled me with a jealous rage. Damn you and your loins.

Abby said...

I'll see you guys there. First time at a conference - I certainly hope there will be drinking. I am relying on it.

And I WILL be pitching.

Anonymous said...

Abby, definitely see you there. I'm pitching too, not sure to whom or when, but we can share stories.

New Jersey drunk writer talk at the bar?

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