Wednesday, July 01, 2009

More advice



I love going to the annual RWA conference. I just don't like all the stress of getting ready to go. You have to pay your registration fee right after Christmas. Then you monitor airline fares and pounce the moment you see a great deal. You have an email loop with you and the others in your chapter who are going too so you can all obsess over the new baggage rules and how to get enough clothes for a week into one suitcase -- especially when you have to have not only business casual but sightseeing clothes and formal wear as well.

But once I've pared the clothing down to bare minimums, squeezed it all into the bag along with shoes, toiletries, jewelry, et cetera, flown to the conference city, negotiated that city's transportation system and checked into the hotel, the stress falls away (mostly) and I'm ready to learn and see old friends and make new ones too.

This year I get to go to something new -- the PRO retreat. And I've been pouring over the other workshop listings to see which I want to attend. Wouldn't you know that a couple I really like are the same time as the PRO retreat? Thank goodness for the conference CDs.

Anyway, I thought I'd borrow from my last year's conference blog and offer a few tips I've gleaned from both past experience and some of my ever-so-helpful writing friends from around the world.

* Volunteer because it's a great opportunity to meet other writers. And you'll be giving back to the organization that gives us so much.

* Wear comfy shoes. Mine this year will be not only comfy but ugly. My leg cast will come off three days before I leave for DC and I don't want to stress my foot. So I'm going to polish up my boxy-looking black shoes with rubber soles and wear them for everyday so I can don my new Kenneth Cole sandals for the awards night.

* Take a jacket or shawl to wear in the conference rooms. They keep the temps at a level comfortable for a man in a wool-blend business suit, which means a woman in slacks and a blouse will have blue lips and goosebumps before you can spell Antarctica.

* The workshop schedule is online at the RWA site. Take an afternoon or evening and go through it. Make a chart with Word or Excel for every day you're at the conference. Write down the workshops you want to attend. Add the get-togethers with various groups of friends you only see once a year. With a schedule, the whole affair seems a little less overwhelming, especially if this is your first conference.

* Do not do as I did at my first conference and try to attend a workshop during every slot of every day. By Friday night I felt as if I'd slammed into a concrete wall. I had major brain overload. Select the workshops you really want to attend, and if it's a popular one, arrive early to assure you get a seat. Then when there's an hour where no workshop really calls to you, visit the Executive Conference Room AKA the hotel bar or the hotel coffee shop and rest.

* If you are targeting a particular publisher, be sure to attend their spotlight session. You'll get a world of information straight from the horse's mouth.

* Speaking of mouths, be careful what comes out of yours. You never know who may be at the back of the elevator car. It could be the editor who has your manuscript or her best friend. Be especially careful not to enjoy the ECR too much because loose lips sink ships -- and writing careers too.

* If you see someone who looks lost or scared, walk up to them and say, "Hi, my name is _______ and I'm from ________. Is this your first conference? What do you write?" Invite them to sit with you at lunch. Introduce them to your friends. A big part of this business is networking and just saying hello may lead to something big.

* One of my writing friends is really big on goals -- even at conference. She doesn't leave home without a goal in mind. I try to do this too and come up with something that is tangible and can be measured, such as networking with five new people or learning about several publishing houses you were not familiar with before the conference.

* I always take a new bottle of over-the-counter pain reliever. I carry it with me everywhere for my own aches and pains or for the editor in the elevator who complains of a splitting headache. This is a great way to make a new friend too.

* Remember to take your camera and remember to use it so you can take home memories of the week. I have photos of myself with favorite authors and love to go back and look at conferences from years past. Remember the charging cable too!

* If you take your cell phone, be sure to TURN IT OFF during workshops. Put in on vibrate and stick it in your pocket. You'll know when someone calls but it won't disturb the speaker (unless you shriek when it vibrates). And remember the charging cord for it too.

* Leave your favorite perfume at home. Many folks have allergies, and even if they don't, fifteen women all wearing different perfume in an elevator can be olfactory overload.

Have I forgotten anything? Please tell me if I have because right now my brain is beginning to turn to mush.

P.S. How on earth can it be July already??? Check out the new contest at our website. I'm going to help one person Run Away from Home.

15 comments:

Christine said...

I know what you mean about the PRO retreat and the conflicts. I saw a few workshops during that time I wanted to attend, but gratefully remembered the CDs existed.

I like the idea of making a schedule, sitting down and figuring it out on paper.

And thanks for the tip about the publisher spotlights!

Lynn Raye Harris said...

Awesome tips, PM! You had me snorting coffee over the part about women with blue lips and goosebumps before you can spell Antarctica.

LOL, I kid you not, my word verif is: barbill. Oh yes, I plan on being in the ECR -- but I hope I don't have a big bar bill!

Problem Child said...

The only place PM and I disagree is the "comfy shoes." Comfy shoes are nice, but I usually take cute over comfy. Hey, I haven't felt my feet since I was 15 anyway...

(But it is nice that she has them -- it gives me something to wear home when I blow out a knee...)

Playground Monitor said...

(But it is nice that she has them -- it gives me something to wear home when I blow out a knee...)

See?? Comfy shoes are probably more an age thing. Well, actually, I've always been about comfy shoes. I don't see PC in Birkenstocks anytime soon.

Problem Child said...

Birks are ugly. As are Ugg boots. I don't care how comfy they are.

They're ugly.

Playground Monitor said...

And your point is...? *g*

I wish they made dress Crocs. They are THE most comfortable shoes.

Problem Child said...

Crocs are also ugly AND they lead to sweaty feet.

~hurmph~

Angel said...

Hahaha! You two are crazy! But I agree, shoes should be pretty. That's why I shelled out $80 for a pair of softspot heels. Pretty and comfortable. :)

You mean someone is planning to use their camera besides me? I was completely amazed to receive pictures of San Fran. Guess all that nagging paid off.

Which reminds me, I think I need a new camera card. Must send the hubby to get that.

Angel

Stephanie said...

Ah, Love, love, love that others "get" the Shoe Madness with me. I started planning most of my conference outfits with the shoes first THEN decided what goes with said shoes.

PM other tips were nice, especially the one about not over booking oneself but on the matter of the shoes, a person must just decide for herself. For me, it's like Patrick Henry said, "Give me Great Shoes or give me death!" or something like that.

Lynn Raye Harris said...

I did rather ignore the comfy shoe tip. Crocs are amazingly ugly. Not on these feet! When I lived in Germany, I work Birks from time to time.

If I were tall and willowy, I'd wear Uggs. But I'm not and won't. :)

I will be the woman in high heels who might be walking slow, but will be stylish. :)

PM's Mother said...

Vanity! Vanity! All of you are crazy (except PM)! I would rather have pretty feet at age 82 than to wear painfully stylish shoes at age 32+ and have ugly feet when I'm an old woman. I'll continue to wear my Privo sandals in the summer and Privo slip-ons in the winter. They may be a little ugly, but like the original Volkswagen Beetle, they are so ugly they're cute! I have pretty feet, too!

Andrea Laurence AKA Smarty Pants said...

Tips - I would say to work on the answer to the question "What do you write?" People will ask you and you need to be comfortable with your response. Personally, I always feel silly talking about my work, even with other writers, so I have to have an answer prepared that doesn't make me sound awkward.

As for shoes, I like mine ever so drag-esque, so comfort is usually not an adjective I use. Not sure why. I like them high and flashy. Just don't want them to rub. Fortunately, my feet are already ugly. Nothing to preserve there. I did order some Foot Petals off Amazon, though. They're supposed to make almost any shoe comfy. Remains to be seen, but I will report back on them, for sure. They were pricey, so I hope they're worth the $$.

Andrea Laurence AKA Smarty Pants said...

And for the record, I bought a pair of Crocs and they are not comfy. They're just slightly too small so my big toe touches at the end and makes me crazy. They're so wide my feet flop around. I don't know... do you have to get used to them??

Playground Monitor said...

I'll have you know that Crocs are antimicrobial and when I stepped on a rusty nail wearing a pair in Curacao, the doc wasn't nearly as worried as he would have been had I been wearing anything else. And to answer SP, I guess I did have to get used to them. After my foot surgery last year they were the only shoes I could wear for a while. You do what you have to do.

PM's Mother said: ...they are so ugly they're cute...

I AM my mother's daughter. I used the term "ugly cute" when PC, Angel and I went shopping last week. I had to explain it to PC. Must be a family thing.

Great idea about practicing the answer to "What do you write." I will work on that. At least now I can say "short category romance" in addition to the short stories. :-)

Katherine Bone said...

You guys crack me up!!

Good tips, PM! But I believe if you pick the right brand in the right size, you can get pretty and comfortable too. Take it from Sasquatch, you CAN find beautiful comfortable, fashionable shoes! ;)

Uggs are awesome! Wish I had the legs for them. Crocs, ca ca! Burken's so so. White Mountain has some really comfortable knock offs.

But then again, I get blisters no matter what I do. That's the way of it when you're chucking from one class to another and trying to meet friends on time. Maybe I'll do better this year since I have to wear nice shoes to work now.

Btw, if you see someone with blue lips, that will be me. I always get cold.