5 Reasons to Attend a Writer’s Conference

We writers tend to be solitary souls. We love hunching over our computers, pounding away at our latest and greatest WIP (Work In Progress). Normal people don’t understand the satisfaction we get from writing or typing the words THE END.

What’s an introverted writer to do?

Shower, get dressed in something other than yoga pants and last year’s women’s retreat tee shirt, and head to a writer’s conference. Why?

1. You’ll make tons of new friends. You may think you don’t need any more friends (they can be exhausting, right?) But writing friends get you. They understand your need to talk about deep POV, Word versus Scrivener, and how your MC took off in his own direction.

2. Writer’s conferences are about CONTACTS, not contracts. Don’t come to a conference hoping to go home with a book contract. This is your time to connect with agents and editors to see who might be a good fit. Kind of like speed dating.

3. You’ll get honest feedback on your writing. Who doesn’t want to be told your writing needs improvement, right?

4. The keynote speakers are inspirational. Writing is hard. We wonder if what we’re writing really matters. Keynote speakers know this, and they’re poised to lift you back up, then give you a kick in the pants to get you going again.

5. They’re fun and the food is great.

5.5 You just might come home with your next great idea.

About Jane S. Daly 20 Articles
Jane Daly was awarded the Excellence in Editing award for her book, The Caregiving Season, and two Cascade Awards sponsored by Oregon Christian Writers. She is also the author of Because of Grace (2015). Jane Daly is a California girl living in an Oregon world. She and her husband and two cats relocated to a small town in rural Oregon from a big California city.

4 Comments

  1. I’m wondering if you can write a blog post about Christian Writers’ Conferences that writers can attend. I am a New Englander looking for a Christian Writers Conference near me.

  2. Check out the first annual SoCal Christian Writers’ Conference. http://socalcwc.com/
    If Karen Ball, Kim Bangs, Allen Arnold, and Tosca Lee aren’t enough reasons to come, I’ll be there, ’cause it’s in my neighborhood and I miss all of my Inspire friends!!! Come for the Conference and stay for a Disneyland or Huntington Library day with me! ~Julie

  3. These 5.5 reasons apply to those weird extroverted writers, like me, too. I get energized by crowd and look forward to seeing what God has in store for the interactions with writers on stage and behind the scenes. I would love to attend the SoCal conference, Julie Williams. Seeing you is enough of a reason, but that faculty list is amazing! I’m praying for provision, and will be praying for you all if I can’t make it this year.

Comments are closed.