Networking at a Writers' Conference

If writers don't attend the big writing conferences, they are cheating themselves of much that will improve their work and help them as writers and poets.

Over the past 25 years, I have attended several conferences held by North Carolina Writers' Network like the one to be held November 8-10, at the Doubletree by Hilton Asheville-Biltmore. I remember when locals complained that the conferences were all too far away from us so no one could go. At that time, one had to travel to Raleigh because all the conferences where held there.

But anyone can make the trip to Asheville (except me). Go for the day, attend the entire conference, Friday through Sunday, or just go and hang around, meeting agents, publishers, presenters and learning all you can about publishing. The cost to "hang out" is a smaller fee than attending the sessions. 

Every day I read about one or two of the presenters and long to sit in those classes. I can't go because of my health issues with fragrances, air fresheners, and chemicals I would run into in the hotel. I would pay if they could ever put those sessions online where I can learn right here at home.

I hope many of our members and local writers will take advantage of this event that comes here to the mountains every three years. How fortunate we are that the staff of NCWN can give us such a high quality three day conference. Some of my favorite memories of the conferences I have attended are the friends I made. Pat Davis, author from Brevard, and I met standing at the elevator in a hotel in Winston-Salem. She lived in Pennsylvania at the time, but we became good friends and are still friends today.

So many of the outstanding writers and poets I call friends today were presenters at conferences. And I am grateful for every one of them. 

Some of you attended our Day for Writers in August in Sylva, NC. Some told me they had never been to a conference and were delighted to know that the fall conference would be in Asheville.

I invite anyone who attends the NCWN Fall Conference to contact me if they would be interested in writing a post for our blog. Those who don't get to go would find it interesting to hear what is done, what attendees liked and the benefit gained from going to the conference. What connections did you make at the conference?

The article below gives you excellent ideas of what to do to make your time worthwhile. Read it carefully and need the advice.

https://www.writersdigest.com/publishing-insights/10-tips-for-effective-networking-at-a-writers-conference

Writers' Conference - What I enjoyed and You would, too

I wish all my students had been at the NCWN Fall Conference this past weekend. Fabulous faculty, outstanding writers and poets on panels, giving critiques, and best of all, getting to know writers from all over North Carolina and many other states.

I had hoped to attend a few sessions on Saturday, but our Netwest volunteers had signed up for classes, and I couldn't ask them to skip and man the Netwest table for me to have time away. The good part of sitting at the table was meeting so many writers, publishers and others connected with NCWN. Everyone who came in passed our table. New wanna-be writers enjoyed talking and telling their hopes and dreams. I enjoyed answering their questions. Often we sold books to people who had seen Echoes Across the Blue Ridge online. Some opened the table of contents and smiled as they recognized the names in the book. One young woman who had recently moved to Fletcher NC, had not realized she now lived in the Netwest area. She was delighted and couldn't wait to  put the Netwest sticker on her name tag.

If you are a serious writer or want to be a serious writer, begin now to save your money for the next NCWN Fall Conference. I don't know the date yet, or the place where it will be held, but I hope to go and I'd love to take some of you with me.

Visit my other blog, http://www.profilesandpedigrees.blogspot.com/ and read more about my relationship with NCWN and attending the Fall Conferences over the years.