Making the Most of Your Conference Experience

By Sheila Staley

Every spring, I am filled with great anticipation, especially when I know LDStorymakers Conference is on its way. In fact, I signed up the first day that registration opened. I didn't want to miss the opportunity to go and mingle and to learn from some of the best writers out there. How do you get the most from your Conference attending experience? What should you do to prepare yourself before the actual event? How do you put your best foot forward and do as well as you can at the conference? Here are some things that I do.

As soon as the finalized class schedule is published, I read through it and mark all of the classes that interest me. Then I go back through it again until I finalize the classes that I want to attend. It’s very hard choosing where you will spend your time. I know and love a good majority of the people teaching these classes. Here is where you need to be a bit selfish, and look at what you need to improve your own writing.

What classes are going to move you ahead in your journey to finish a manuscript and get published? Those classes should be your top priority. Also, don’t feel obligated to follow your friends around all day long. We are all at different points in our journeys and need different ideas to inspire and teach us. You can always meet up at lunch or dinner and talk about your day. I also mark on the map, in numerical order, where each class is I want to attend. This type “A” personality trait may make you snicker, but I always get to the classes I want on time and get a seat.

What should you do if you are attending bootcamp, meeting with an agent or **gasp** teaching a class? First, it is important to breathe, make sure to shower that morning and exude confidence in yourself. It is all about taking chances. In this profession of writing, you are taking chances at every turn. I love this quote that truly defines how I feel:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. -- Mark Twain

Then there is class etiquette. You have found the perfect teacher and class that will move you ahead. How do you benefit the most from this class? Take notes that will best help you remember what inspired you that day. Try to keep chatting among class members to a minimum. Though it’s great to be friendly and have a
good time, your main purpose there is to learn. Maybe it’s the teacher in me coming out, but more productive learning takes place when students are attuned to the teacher’s presentation. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t understand something. No question asked is ever dumb; only the question that was never asked. Eating the occasional sweet treat or beverage is also helpful in staying awake, so you don’t miss a thing. The friendly, late night chats in the lobby, can make you a bit drowsy the next day.

Another aspect about the conference I love is the chance to network. Every year I attend, I renew friendships and make a ton of new friends. As writers, we all need friends to encourage and support us along the way. Leave the shy you at home, relax, and open yourself up to the many possibilities that await you at the conference. Remember to bring your “business” card to exchange with other writers. Not only is this helpful with staying in touch, but there is also a coolness factor that your name is in print somewhere. ;)

I know I have a long ways to go before I see my name on the front cover of a book. But I always come away inspired, pumped up, and ready to conquer my muse. The conference experience will be what you put into it. Make the most of your time there, learn, grow, and especially have a great time! To quote Charles de Lint, (Celtic folk musician and story teller, b.1951):

 “When all's said and done, all roads lead to the same end. So it's not so much which road you take, as how you take it.”


A member of Authors Incognito, Sheila Staley writes for the LDS Women's Book Review. You can read all her reviews on LDSWBR or on her personal review blog, Why Not? Because I Said So!

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How do you prepare for conference?