May 2009
Getting Cozy with Karen.
May Musings
"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get."
~ Warren Buffett ~
Someone once asked me to explain the differences between national and local writers' conferences and my preferred venue. At the time, I didn't express a particular preference. I've attended nine RWA® national conferences and almost as many local chapter events, and there are wonderful benefits to both. After recently attending the Colorado Romance Writers Romancing the Rockies Conference, I have to say I've fallen on the side of smaller, local venues.
Why?
Writers attend conferences for a variety of reasons. To network, attend workshops, pitch stories to editor and agents, soak up inspiration, etc. We go into each experience with expectations and hopes that are personal to us and our current needs.
I loved my first national conferences. Keep in mind that I went to my first one in 1993 as a Golden Heart® finalist. I couldn't not go, could I?! :-) It was in St. Louis, Missouri in the middle of the worst flooding the state had experienced in nearly [I think] 75 years. Thanks to a series of broken earth dams the Mississippi River had flooded within feet of the historic Arch which was within sight of our hotel. It rained every day, included one funnel cloud we could see from the safety of our room, and the hotel restaurant had exactly one, two-slice toaster to keep up with nearly 1,200 hungry writers. It was the best experience I've ever had in the business.
I was new to the game, soaking up information as fast as it was pitched at me, and meeting lots of writers after years of writing in solitary confinement. :-) As a finalist, I got an appointment with an editor. The excitement of being a finalist added a special flavor to the entire week. I wore a special ribbon. Complete strangers stopped me in hallways to wish me luck. Awards night was a full plated dinner with snowy white tablecloths and wine in the middle of my table. I felt like Cinderella.at the Oscars. The only thing missing was Clint Eastwood sauntering around the ballroom in a tuxedo.
I'm afraid that one conference set the bar pretty high for subsequent events, and not just because it was the last awards night plated dinner! The next couple of nationals I attended were fun yet, after St. Louis, economics began to whittle away at the very things that made the overall experience special. The fee for St. Louis was around $250, plus hotel, an excellent bargain considering we had all of our meals covered with the exception of Friday night. In subsequent years, the fee has more than doubled and meals have been cut down to two lunches and the awards night "dessert".
Am I jaded? No doubt.
I don't mean this column to be a diatribe against RWA® for the current conference costs. I'm certain our national organizers work exceedingly hard to put on the best event they can for a price we can afford. Having organized a local conference several times, I understand the logistics and challenges of providing meals to attendees. Hotels make their money in meals and it's nothing for them to charge $30 apiece plus taxes and gratuity for a simple salad.
Editor and agent appointments were relatively easy to get in the beginning, too. With the exception of the GH® finalists, it was first come, first served. Register early and you had a chance of receiving an appointment. The rules have been changed so that [my last experience] finalists for the previous three years snagged up everything. I'm a four time finalist, but there was nothing left by the time they were opened to the rest of the attendees. Don't get me wrong. I don't expect to get one because I'm a finalist but, like everyone else, I was hoping to speak to someone at some time during the conference. Before all of the meals were whittled away you, at least, stood a chance of sitting down to a meal with an editor or agent. No longer!
When I started this writing journey, I was able to take advantage of everything conferences had to offer. Where else can you immerse yourself in your craft for days? Monthly speakers at your local chapter are wonderful sources of information, but you can potentially plumb the brains of six to eight speakers a day at a conference. This is especially appealing to those new to the business. At this point in my career I feel saturated by workshops. And if I do want them, I can now purchase the entire conference on CD for around $100.as opposed to spending $1500 or more to attend in person.
The question is at what point do you decide the cost outweighs the value? Remember, I've attended nine national conferences. My costs have outweighed the benefits for at least three, maybe four, of those latter events. I swore after the last one that I wouldn't attend another until I was published when I can take advantage of the published author events and workshops.
This is the reason I've fallen off the fence in favor of local conferences. Some local chapters may have similarly priced conference fees to national, some do not. Most are weekenders providing all meals, wonderful workshops and networking possibilities. More importantly, they provide writers the opportunity to make more intimate connections with agents and editors.
This is the ultimate value I seek. Yeah, all of that other stuff is fun but I need to talk with agents and editors. With fewer attendees at a smaller venue, it's more likely I'll get an appointment or share a meal with these industry professionals. As the Agent/Editor Appointment Coordinator for our conference, I know that everyone got appointments with every agent and editor they requested. Several attendees talked with all eight of our visiting editors and agents.
Now there's value for your dollar! I'm in this business to get published. I may still need training in my craft and connections with my peers, but the single most important thing I can do for me is connect with industry professionals who can help forward my career.
Do I still wish I could attend D.C. in July? You bet your bippy! There's simply no appreciable value in it for me right now. For those of who do get to go, I have one recommendation. Wring everything you can from the experience. The more value you find in your experience, the better. And, by all means, have fun!!
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What else is happening in my writing world?
Thanks to lingering health issues, I had a difficult time getting back in the writing saddle as you probably noticed since you haven't received a newsletter since February. :-) Toward the end of April, though, I finally re-launched my career with three back-to-back weekends of personal writing excitement.
The third Saturday in April, I was scheduled to appear at the Heart of Denver Romance Writers on a panel with authors, Lisa Pietsch and Terri Clark. We were to discuss the logistics and benefits for writers of joining MySpace and Facebook. We were all prepared when a blizzard that Friday postponed our talk. It's been rescheduled in September.
The following weekend, the great folks at Saguaro Romance Writers flew me out to Tucson for a full day version of my "W" Plot workshop. Their wonderful VP put me up at her home for the weekend and generally schlepped me around. We had a great crowd for the presentation. The food was great, everyone was friendly, and everyone had a good time learning the plotting technique first hand. Only one snafu came up at the last minute. I had to revert my overhead presentation to powerpoint, a program I'd never used before, but it was an enlightening experience. A lot easier to accomplish than I expected, and now I hope I never have to use my overhead presentation again! Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?! I'm exceedingly grateful to the folks at Saguaro Romance Writers for giving me an opportunity to join them.
The third weekend was the Romancing the Rockies Conference. Sherrilyn Kenyon was the Keynote Speaker, Dianna Love our Luncheon Speaker, with Mary O'Gara finishing up as our final speaker. The food was great, so was the networking. I worked through most of the conference, but did attend a couple of great workshops. I didn't pitch my novel-wasn't ready-but I did get chat time with four editors, three agents and the book buyer for Borders. When my story is ready, I know where I'm going to pitch it. All in all, a productive weekend!
I'm currently conducting The "W" Plot workshop for Colorado Romance Writers' new Online Workshop Series through the end of May. I set the series up-two workshops a month-for them. You might want to check it out at coloradoromancewriters.org. There are some great topics!
I haven't scheduled another online "W" plotting workshop until August so that I can get on top of my writing again. However, if you have friends who can't wait that long, I do have updated lectures they can purchase on my website at karendocter.com/News.htm.
As always, if you'd like to comment on this newsletter or anything else, please feel free to sign into my guest book at the bottom of my this page. Looking forward to hearing from you! If you're on MySpace, you can find me at myspace.com/authorkarendocter. If you're on Shelfari, I'd love to be friends and share what we're reading. If you're not and would like to be, contact me at karendocter@yahoo.com. All I need is your email address to invite you. And by all means, if you enjoy reading my newsletter each month, please tell your friends. They can sign up for their own copy easily at the bottom of this HOME page.
See you in June 2009 if you'd like to Get Cozy with Karen again. In the meantime, feel free to check out the rest of my website at your leisure.
I wish you a month overflowing with creativity and confidence. May you realize all of your dreams!
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Articles
Plotting.Beauty or Beast?
First Print - savvyauthors.com blog, June, 2010
Born to Write
Colorado Romance Writers Romance in the Rockies newsletter - February, 2006
The Big Kids Clubhouse Secret Handshake.Finally!
Colorado Romance Writers Romance in the Rockies newsletter - August, 2006
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