Writers conferences offer good opportunities.
Some people aren’t quite themselves at writers conferences when they sit down for an appointment with an editor or agent. They’re more nervous and more formal, performing a part to sell their product.
Yes, an elevator speech and a book proposal are important. But they convey only part of the picture.
That’s where encounters throughout the rest of the conference come into play.
Recently, several well known authors have been exposed as living lives far different than they claimed. When the spotlight was off or the pressure was on, they displayed a hidden aspect of their character. The eventual exposure cost them their careers and called their message into question.
For an editor or agent to make an informed decision about placing your writing in the public eye, they need to know more about you than they can learn in fifteen minutes. They need to see not just your polished words, but also your character.
That means seeing unpracticed moments and reactions under stress. That’s where writers conferences excel. Outside the appointments and classroom sessions, you can see more of someone’s story. Long-distance travel and large-group events put people in a crucible. Things go wrong. Doors shut. Other people need help.
How will you respond?
In decades of attending conferences, I’ve sat with many people for formal appointments. But most of what I’ve learned came by seeing them responding to a conference’s many unstructured moments. I saw more of their real self.
Editors and agents look for a message that’s genuine, delivered by one whose life doesn’t crumble under examination. A conference offers a good place to start.
