By Iola Goulton
Do you live in Australia or New Zealand? Are you signed up to attend the Omega Writer’s Conference near Gold Coast from 7 to 9 October?
Some of you might be nervous about attending. Don’t be—there will be writers of all levels and all genres at the conference. The two things we all have in common are that we all write (or want to), and we’re all Christian.
For those who are a little nervous, or who don’t know what to expect, here are my top ten tips based on what I've learned attending previous conferences:
1. Go for the whole weekend
It’s tempting for first-time attendees—especially those who live near the venue—to attend only for the Saturday. Yes, you’ll still learn a lot even if you only go for the day, but you won’t have the opportunity to get to know people as much as if you stayed for the whole weekend.
2. Most authors are introverts
Sure, some authors (and conference attendees) are extroverts. Most are not. We might not look like it at conference time, but we are. We have a fabulous extroverted time reconnecting with old friends and making new friends … then retreat into our introverted writing caves until Christmas (when our families demand we come out and pretend to be extroverts again).
3. Yes, we do know each other
When you arrive at conference, it can feel like everyone already knows everyone else. That’s partly true—but most of us only know each other from previous conferences, or from online writing groups such as the Australasian Christian Writers or Christian Writers Downunder Facebook groups.
If you’re going to conference for the first time, join one (or both) of these groups and start interacting with the regular commenters. Then, when you get to conference, people will know you. I’ve formed real friendships from my online connections.
4. Arriving at conference
If you’re flying in, plan to arrive an hour or so early and take the conference bus. You don’t want to be stressing because you’re rushing. The bus passengers meet at a convenient coffee shop, so you have time to have a drink and a bite to eat.
It’s also a great opportunity to meet and get to know some of the other attendees before arriving at the venue.
5. You are a writer
One of the questions you will be asked is “what do you write?”
I remember Simon Kennedy asking me this at my first writer’s conference. My answer? I said I didn’t write—even though I was writing 150+ book reviews a year, plus dozens of blog posts on writing, editing, publishing, and marketing.
To anyone else, that looked like I was a writer. But it took me three or four years before I was able to admit to myself that yes, I was a writer, even though I wasn’t writing novels or screenplays or something “big”.
Believe in yourself. You are a writer. Don’t buy into the lie that what you’re writing (or want to write) isn’t “real” in comparison to what X or Y is writing.
6. Be prepared to learn
This year's keynote speaker is Steven James, award-winning fiction author and writing instructor. I haven't heard Steven speak before, but I've read enough of his work to know I don't want to miss the opportunity to learn from him.
No matter whether this is your first conference or you've been to more than you can count, you'll learn something ... whether that's from the presenters or your fellow attendees.
7. No one knows it all
We are all at conference to learn. No one knows everything there is to know about writing. The trick is to know what we know, to know what we don’t know, and to be teachable.
8. Don’t be intimidated
Really. Don’t. The only difference between you and the multi-published award-winning authors is BISFOK time. That’s Behind In Seat, Fingers On Keyboard. And your writing doesn’t have to be perfect—as an editor, I can assure you no one produces a perfect first draft.
9. Bring money
There is a conference bookstall, and you will want to buy books (especially when there is the opportunity to get author autographs as well!). To buy books, you need money. Don’t worry about your airline luggage allowance—you can arrange for your new purchases to be posted to you.
10. After-conference care
If you’re anything like me, you’ll eat too much, drink too much coffee, talk too much, and won’t get enough sleep (I blame those native Australian birds which sound like screaming, not my inability to go to bed on time).
That’s all okay.
Plan for it i.e. don’t schedule anything important for the next few days after conference. You’ll want some time to decompress, and to prayerfully consider how you’re going to apply what you’ve learned to your writing. And to your life.
If you’re a more experienced conference attendee, what are your tips for first-timers?
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