My First Writing Conference

I recently attended ANWA’s (American Night Writers Association) annual conference in Mesa, AZ. It was my first writing conference and it was AMAZING and EXHAUSTING!

I took incredible classes like Plot Twists: Surprise Your Readers in a Good Way by Paige Edwards, Traditional Publishing Demystified By Lynnette Novak, and Using a Romance-Specific Character Worksheet by Jennifer Griffith, to name a few.

Some classes didn’t quite pertain to me while others I couldn’t take notes fast enough. My brain was bursting at the seams from not just the new knowledge, but all the networking with amazing, talented writers. Everywhere I turned I saw a face I followed on Instagram or a familiar face printed in the back of the many paperback books I have on my shelf. It was exhilarating.

Kaleena Shreeve, Melinda Carroll, and I organized the B.O.B (Beginning of book) contest. We had almost One hundred submitters. It was crazy. Kaleena and I made a slideshow and certificates to celebrate the winners. Melinda did a ton behind the scenes. Being on stage was a bit nerve racking, but it’s always exciting to conquer your fears. And no one threw rotten vegetables at us. I call that a win!

The two things that terrified me the most about conference was that I was doing a ten page manuscript consult with an editor from a small publishing company and a query letter consult with an agent. I was scared because if they liked it then they could request a look at my full manuscript. Was it ready for that yet? What if they hated it? Would I have to scrap my first novel? There were so many things that would need to happen with them loving it or hating it and I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I had never met with a professional about my book. I do have great critique groups and talented writer friends but this felt new, life changing, vulnerable. I convinced myself that I was probably going to be told it wasn’t any good. Back to the drawing board! But what I got was the complete opposite. I don’t think it’s appropriate to say who said what or what companies they were from but I will say that both of them were surprised that I had only been writing since last year. One commented that out of all the work submitted to her (that day? That conference? I don’t know) that mine was her favorite! How awesome is that? They both mentioned liking the idea of my book.

I had picked an editor at the beginning of the week and only needed to pay her and send over my full manuscript. So when I emailed her, telling her what the editor and agent had said, she was excited to get to work right away.

I’m hoping to submit my full manuscript in the next month or so. Fingers crossed!

All and all, I feel like the conference was a success. I made some new friends, connected in person to people I had emailed and Instagram stalked (only half kidding), and learned so much about my own writing and the business of being an author. I am already planning to attend next year and hopefully by then I’ll have someone interested in buying my book. Wouldn’t that be nice? I love to dream but I also love to hit the ground running, making those dreams come true.

If you are considering attending a writing conference, maybe start small like ANWA. Try it out! And don’t be afraid to reach out to other writers. Don’t be shy. Chase those dreams!