Fabulous Conference Weekend

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I spent the last weekend in September at the 25th annual Georgia Romance Writers conference, Moonlight & Magnolias. It was a fabulous weekend! I spent it surrounded by people excited about their projects and eager to talk about writing. With so much energy in the air, I naturally came home jazzed about my own work and ready to roll.

The one thing about the conference that surprised me was people ditching their appointments with agents and editors. I assume this happens because they’re nervous or don’t feel ready. I can understand the nerves, but I’ve never seen an editor or agent eat anyone in a pitch session, or even just yell. They’re usually friendly and interested. After all, they come to these conferences looking for new projects. The book doesn’t even have to be finished for the author to have an appointment at Moonlight and Magnolias, unlike the ones pitched at RWA’s national conference.

As for feeling ready, there are often people around who’ll help someone work on a pitch. As long as the author can say what the central conflict is, what the hero and heroine each want, why they want it, and what stands in their way, she has a enough of a pitch to start. The agent or editor will ask questions if she needs more information.

Anyway, I’d encourage anyone who can do it to attend a regional conference. They’re smaller and less intimidating, with more chances to meet people, than the national conference, and the opportunities to pitch are sometimes more open. A friend of mine got an invitation to submit from an editor while they were outside smoking together. So you just never know what good things can happen.

What do you like about conferences? Which ones have you enjoyed attending?

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