Conference Time

by Ron Estrada

This week Super G will have some activities planned for those of you unable to attend the ACFW Conference in Indianapolis. I will be there, but the last time I attended was six years ago. I think I’m about due. Does that mean my writing career has suffered a great setback? Not at all. We’re not writing conference attendees. We’re writers. Let’s be honest–most of us attend conferences because it’s fun to hang out with all our writing friends who we usually only see on facebook. And since most women have 350 profile pictures, not one of which is actually of them, we don’t even know what our friends look like.

Yeah, it’s a blast. A very expensive blast. Most attendees of a a writers conference will show a negative balance in the earnings for the year. That’s just the honest truth. Most of you are better off spending three days working on your craft in the comfort of your home. Read a good how-to-write (HTW) book. Grab a bottle of wine to go with your personal banquet of grilled cheese and Doritos. You’ve just saved $1000 and didn’t have to share your wine.

Now, don’t get me wrong. A conference is a great event and a time to do things you really can’t do on facebook or read in a HTW book. This is the rare opportunity you’ll have to get some face time with people who can help you along your career. Most of you are thinking editors and agents, and that’s fine. But keep in mind that these poor souls visit a dozen conferences a year and will probably forget your name as soon as their next appointment walks through the door. By all means, meet an agent and\or editor. Better yet, pick one out and be sure you get a few minutes in front of them. That’s a relationship you’ll want to nurture over the next…oh, twenty years.

Your #1 Conference Goal

So what is it that I think is your primary goal when attending a conference? Find your mentor.

Writers, especially Christian writers, love helping those climbing the literary ropes behind them. And you’ll find all of them very approachable. You may not be able to get on a chatty basis with Jan Karon or Jerry Jenkins, but great writers like Ronie Kendig, Gina Holmes and, of course, Gina Conroy are regular folks who know very well what it’s like to start out in this business. Gina One and Gina Two will not be there, but please don’t mob Ronie and tell her I sent you. She kills a lot of people in her books. I don’t want to find out how much she can put into practical application.

But you get my drift. ACFW’s website will have a list of writers who will be there. There will also be a lot of writers not on the list. You probably already chat with a few on facebook or their blog. Someone is your favorite. Shoot her a note and ask if she’ll be at the conference. Tell her you’d love to chat. Don’t wait for a chance encounter. BE PROACTIVE. Was that loud enough? Successful writers get that way because a) they can write a halfway decent story and b) they directed their own fate. Yes, I know, it’s in God’s hands. But God gave you a mind as well. I’m pretty sure He’d like for you to use it. I don’t recall God transporting Abraham across the dessert on a flaming chariot. The man had to walk. He trusted God. So trust Him. But get off the couch in the lobby and corner your favorite writer. Don’t be shy (but please don’t corner her in the restroom).

Your goal, like I said, is to find a mentor. You may not be successful. You may get your little chat meeting with your writer, and then you pop the question–could you look at some of my writing and maybe give me a little direction? Trust me, she will not be offended. She will be thrilled. You see her as a role model. I’m pretty sure most people wouldn’t find that offensive.

And now she may say “No.” She is simply swamped. Has ten books due to the publisher this month, etc. But she will remember you (because you’ll keep commenting on her facebook and blog posts, writing reviews for her books, and saying hello whenever you pass her at the conference). She may eventually ask to see your work or recommend another writer to mentor you.

How to Form a Tribe

The goal here, people, is to make connections, build relationships, network. No, it is not a sterile business way of thinking. You are not using people to further your career. Chances are you’ll truly like them (and they’ll like you) and will enjoy building these relationships. Besides the mentor you are searching for, you’ll meet dozens of other writers. Again, there will be a few who stand out because they’re about at the same level as you, write the same genre, live in the same area…whatever. Sometimes people click. Pay attention to that clicking. It’s there for a reason.

I’m betting, right now, many of you are sweating over the 20th version of your one-sheet you’ve written this week. You’re practicing your pitch in a mirror because the dog is hiding now. You’ve re-written the opening line of your sample chapters so many times you’ve hit your word count goal for the day with it.

Re. Lax. Work on this–Smile. Extend your hand (firm grip, not crushing). Say “Hello.” Got that? That little routine will move your career along faster than a one-sheet so beautifully crafted that it will surely land in the One-Sheet Hall of Fame.

So, again, for those of us fortunate enough to go this year–seek a mentor, make friends, have fun.

Now that all the pressure is off, you may actually enjoy this weekend. And for all of you not going, congratulations on all the money you’re not spending. Give yourself the weekend to write. You’ll be ahead of the rest of us.