• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Meg Waite Clayton

Author of the international bestsellers The Postmistress of Paris, The Last Train to London, and 6 other novels

  • Meg
    • Bio
    • Short Works
    • Meg’s Writing Process
    • Favorite Bookstores
  • Books
    • The Postmistress of Paris
    • The Last Train to London
    • Beautiful Exiles
    • The Race for Paris
    • The Wednesday Sisters
    • The Four Ms. Bradwells
    • The Language of Light
    • The Wednesday Daughters
    • International Editions
  • Events
  • News
  • Videos
  • Bookgroups
    • The Postmistress of Paris
    • The Last Train to London
    • The Race For Paris
    • The Wednesday Sisters
    • The Four Ms. Bradwells
    • The Language of Light
    • The Wednesday Daughters
    • My Bookclubs
  • Writing Tips
    • Tips for Writers
    • How Writers Get Started
    • On Agent Queries
    • Publishing Tips
  • Contact

January 31, 2013 By Meg Waite Clayton

A Survival Guide to Writers Conferences: 1. Eat Chocolate for Breakfast

A friend who is heading for a writers’ conference next month asked if I had any advice, and since it’s not the first time I’ve been asked:

1. Eat Chocolate for Breakfast.

Just a square of extra dark. It’s a known mood enhancer, and everyone does better at everything when in a good mood. Oh, go ahead. Lunch. Dinner. Midnight snack.
Journal Avatar to Link Back to Blog Hop

2. Choose Your Own Path.

Do everything that looks appealing. Skip anything that doesn’t. Writers’ conferences can be exhausting, and a little downtime can be restorative.

3. Bring Your Elevator Pitch.

Two sentences. Short. Vivid. Punchy. Rehearse it. Agents and editors have been known to hang out at these conferences, and first impressions matter. Even your friends will thank you, as your mother really doesn’t want the 1/2 hour explanation of your book, even if she pretends she does. If the two sentences appeal, people will ask for more, or better yet, ask to read.

4. Tuck Business Cards into your Lanyard Badge.

Or wherever else they will be handy. Swap cards with everyone you meet, so you can connect later.

5. Read the Participating Writers’ Books.

You won’t likely be able to read the books of every author presenting at your conference, of course, but reading around in the writers’ works will help you decide with whom to study (if you’re given a choice) and which panels to attend. Writers tend to be a generous bunch, but conversations that start “I haven’t read your books, but…” tend to be considerably shorter than ones that start “I loved [insert title here] — especially [something specific, and preferably flattering].”
And most importantly…

6. Be yourself, and try not to be shy.

Many of my closest writer-pals are people I’ve met at conferences, and those friendships go a LONG way to keeping us all sane. Most of those I’m closest to are friendships that began before any of us were published.
If you have other tips, please share them in the comments.  – Meg

Share:

Filed Under: Meg's Posts, Top Writing Tips, Writing Tips Tagged With: books, chocolate, writers, writers conference, writers conferences, writing, writing advice, writing tips

Meg Waite Clayton


Meg Waite Clayton is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of eight novels, including the Good Morning America Buzz pick and New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice THE POSTMISTRESS OF PARIS, the National Jewish Book Award finalist THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON, the Langum-Prize honored THE RACE FOR PARIS, and THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS, one of Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Essential Best Friend Novels of all time. Her novels have been published in 23 languages. She has also written more than 100 pieces for major newspapers, magazines, and public radio, mentors in the OpEd Project, and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the California bar. megwaiteclayton.com

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Book Marketing Tips (23)
  • Bookstores worth Browsing (33)
  • Guest Authors (66)
  • How a Book Gets Published (32)
  • Literary Travel (4)
  • Meg's Posts (376)
  • Poetry Tuesdays (15)
  • Publishing Tips (19)
  • Top Writing Tips (10)
  • Uncategorized (4)
  • Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun (115)
  • Writing Tips (62)

Archives

Footer

Post Archives

Follow Meg on Goodreads

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Copyright © 2023 Meg Waite Clayton · Site design: Ilsa Brink