Guest Post by Annette Lyon — #anwaconf16 @annettelyon

We are less than two week away people. Can you believe how quickly time has flown? I sure hope you're registered! This week we are excited to have a guest post by Annette Lyon. It is a fantastic piece. Be sure to read it and her spotlight.

Getting the Most out of a Writing Conference

By Annette Lyon

The ANWA Time out of Writers Conference is right around the corner, and I’m getting excited like a kid getting ready to enter Disneyland. 

I’ve been attending conferences for 20 years—literally. My first conference was back in 1996. I remember sitting in the crowd and making a goal to one day be the one speaking to attendees. It's still a bit mind-blowing to think that I’m on the other side now—that I’m published many times over, I’ve served on many conference committees (even chaired a conference), and I speak at conferences each year. 

And twenty years in, I still love the writing conference scene. 

More importantly, I've learned something new at every conference I've attended. While the types of things and the amount I learn vary, conferences are always valuable experiences.

Here are a few ways to make the most out of Time Out for Writers 2016:

1) Look over the schedule in advance.

This is especially important if the conference offers more than one workshop at a time. You'll want to know where you're going and what you want to learn. It's miserable being on the spot, having to decide NOW between two or three great choices.

A couple of other reasons:

—Some workshops have limited seating, and you may need to RSVP for them in advance. If you miss the window, you're out of luck.

—Seeing the schedule tells you who is teaching what, which gives you a chance to familiarize yourself with the presenters and their work. (And that can help you decide which class you’d get the most out of personally.)

2) Leave Your Comfort Zone at Home.

By nature of what we do, writers are solitary and often introverted, qualities that don't serve you well at a conference. One of the most valuable parts of any conference is networking with industry insiders, rubbing shoulders with other writers, and making friends.

Many critique groups form after the writers in them met at a conference, and deals go down thanks to contacts made there.

This is hard. I know it is. But force yourself to sit next to someone you don't know. Introduce yourself. Chat with other writers, both published and unpublished. It's not so hard once you break the ice, because after all, you do have one big thing in common: a love for writing. 

Break the ice with any attendee with a simple question: “What do you write?”

3) Be Open to Feedback.

This goes hand-in-hand with leaving your comfort zone at home. If you are part of a critique workshop, a pitch session, or are getting feedback in any form, put on that thick skin, open your arms, and let it all in.

Remember that no one is there to attack you personally. Any feedback you get is given to genuinely help you grow as a writer and to improve your work.

4) Bring Your Supplies.

In whatever form they may be. Absolutely bring a notebook and something to write with. Bring several pens in case one runs out of ink, another gets lost etc. You may get a syllabus for note-taking as well, and a laptop is great for taking notes too, but you can't guarantee you'll have enough writing space on a syllabus, and a battery can die. 

Along the same lines, be sure you pack any charging cords and adaptors you might need for your laptop, tablet, phone, etc. A water bottle is also a good idea, as is some ibuprofen (trust me on this one!), lip balm, shoes that won’t give you blisters, and clothing that’s both comfortable and professional looking. Layers are often a good idea; idea you never know when one workshop room will be freezing thanks to arctic A/C, and another will be too hot. 

5) Follow Conference Etiquette.

Read any information on the conference web site and that the conference sends to you. Some basic things to keep in mind:

Don't pitch to an agent or editor at any time except in a pre-paid pitch session. (They tell horror stories of being pitched to in the restroom, in the elevator, at lunch . . . don't do it.)

Don't hog Q&A time, and pay attention so you don't ask questions that have already been answered.

If you made a meal selection when you registered, be sure to claim the meal you picked (you can't change your mind now, or someone else won't get the meal they paid for).

Turn your cell phone to vibrate. Don't talk on the phone during workshops. Feel free to post about the conference to social media, but keep your texting to that. And definitely use hashtags so those interested can find your posts about the conference! 

Arrive to each session on time. Be respectful during classes; don't talk to a friend in the middle of a lecture. If you have a pitch session or other appointment, get there early.

If you have suggestions for a future conference, feel free to leave feedback, often on a feedback form or web site. But be kind; realize that hundreds of man hours and months of work have gone into preparing for the event. Yes, people make mistakes, but there may be a reason for something you aren't aware of.

6) Most of all, HAVE FUN.

As far as craft goes, I learn much less at a conference today than I did back in 1996, simply because I've been working at it for so long, but I still find nuggets at every conference, new ways of approaching a concept, a cool new lens to see the craft through. 

But even if I learned nothing new, I'd still go, for one big reason: conferences charge my creative batteries in ways nothing else can. There is no other place I can hang out where everyone there, literally hundreds of people, really get the writer part of me.

No one looks at me funny when I talk about characters having conversations in my head, or the latest cool fact I learned in my research, or how a plot twist just showed up. 

My people really are found at writing conference, which makes them, in many ways, a special kind of Writer Disneyland.

Guest Post by Randy Lindsay — @randsay @anwaconf16

Exciting, exciting! The conference is less than three weeks away! Have you registered yet? The door prizes are being collected, and the book review contest is being put together. Have you seen the awesome donations? Be sure to stop by. 

This week we are being treated with a guest post by the amazing Randy Lindsay. Check out his spotlight and his website. Let him know what you think, and Enjoy!

STRUCTURED EXPERT OR FREEFALLING ADVENTURER?

For me the journey through the enchanted land of Authordom has been an exciting adventure. At each stage, I have savored the moment that I worked so long to reach. My first contract offer from a publisher. My first book signing. My first peek at the cover for my newest book. And now the opportunity to write a guest post for the ANWA blog. 

Each of these mileposts on the journey has multiple component parts that are in their own way special and exciting. Take the guest post opportunity, for instance. The invitation itself is a stop and enjoy it moment that leaves you with an important choice to make. How do I react to the invitation?

Option 1: Arch an eyebrow in a sophisticated manner and say, “It’s about time someone recognized me for my complete and utter writing brilliance.” Yeah, probably not the best approach. 

Option 2: Call my author friends and ask, “I was invited to write a guest blog for ANWA, were you?” And then when they say they weren’t, laugh and hang-up. My friends might think it was funny, but why take the chance?

Option 3: Read the e-mail a second time in order to savor the moment and then write a post where you pretend you weren’t seriously considering the first two options. 

Alright, enough goofing around. What I really wanted to address was a specific part of the offer to write a guest blog—the topic. Is it better to be given a topic to write about or to have it totally open for the author to choose?

Some of you may be asking yourselves, “Who wonders about stuff like that?” Apparently, I do. It’s part of what makes me The StoryMan. If that happens scares you, then join the club. 

I’m The StoryMan because literally everything is a story idea to me. Television commercials, political debates, even conversations I overhear at the grocery store all have the potential to bloom into a story. So then why do I prefer to have a topic assigned to me? Why do I feel more comfortable with a predetermined starting point?

I don’t know. I’m an author Jim, not a psychiatrist. 

What about you? Do you prefer author’s choice or assigned topic?

Spotlight on C.J. Anaya — @cjanaya21 @anwaconf

Today we are spotlighting C. J. Anaya. She is an Amazon bestselling author of young adult and adult romance. She will be teaching Guerrilla Marketing: Launching Your Book to Bestseller Status at the conference. Check out her bio here and books. And don't forget her website which has many good resources for authors. Below is a blog post C. J. shared with us. Enjoy!

I’ve had many people ask me what I love about literature, and why do I love to read? What inspired me to become a writer, why do I love to write, and what are my favorite things to write about? 

To sleuth out the answers to these fantastic questions, we'll have to delve into the mind of an impressionable, ten-year-old girl, and discover what first propelled her toward the written word. My answer to this question is simple, really.

It's all about Nancy Drew.

The first book I remember falling in love with was my grandmother's copy of The Haunted Bridge, a Nancy Drew mystery by Carolyn Keene, a pen name for the many authors of the Nancy Drew Mystery Series.

Be still my little heart. There really was nothing more exciting than embarking upon a journey with hip, smart, beautiful, and sophisticated Nancy as she expertly weaved her way through shady characters, dangerous adventures, and less than honest eye witness accounts in order to discover the truth. She was a strong female character who gave me the kind of courage that I think every little girl is in desperate need of these days.

I had an idea that perhaps I could be as outgoing, determined, and intelligent in whatever I decided to pursue because Nancy Drew did it every day. I stuck to mysteries until my high school English courses introduced me to literary greats such as Jane Austen, William Shakespeare, Mary Shelly, and Harper Lee. From these individuals and their stories, I learned that first impressions are not always reliable when assessing one’s character, high school drama is really "much ado about nothing", morbid creations can enthrall and thrill, and hatred for people based on race, gender, or cultural differences is a sad reminder of the frailties of mankind and the mistakes our history tends to repeat.

Most of all, I learned that I will forever be drawn to fierce, intelligent, courageous women.

Jane Austen authored many romantic comedies that delved into the manners and every day intricacies of the gentry. She dared to write during a time when females were encouraged to look ornamental on the arms of their spouses. The name, Jane Austen, was never printed on any of her books during her lifetime, though she dared to challenge and ridicule the niceties of polite society and their never ending attempts at matching suitable gentlemen with suitable gentlewomen. She revealed the unvarnished truth, and reveled in it, despite the troubling confinements society placed upon her gender.

Mary Higgins Clark dared to broach the subject of sexual abuse in her novel Where Are The Children? She wrote this book during a time when society was uncomfortable with the subject matter and refused to address it as a real issue, though sexual abuse was just as prevalent then as it is today. She is the perfect example of an author willing to push the boundaries by revealing truth when most preferred to give blind eyes and deaf ears.

Anne Frank, though she never knew it when she lived, is the author of the most compelling glimpse into the life of a Jewish girl during the time of the Nazi occupation.  She wrote with such beautiful, heartbreaking prose. Her witty observations, emotional outbursts, and candid details gave light to a truth more horrific than any young girl should ever be expected to endure. Forced into hiding for two years to escape persecution and imprisonment, she lived her life to the fullest, at least as full as a young girl could considering her circumstances. I hope she resides somewhere in heaven, at peace in the knowledge of the affect those two years of her life had on my own life, not to mention so many millions of others who shared in her quiet griefs and exulted in her small joys. I ask you, with books like these, who doesn’t love literature?

Fierce, intelligent, courageous women. Oh, how I wanted to be just like them.

I could spend hours attempting to pinpoint every single author who inspired me to live loudly, think deeply, and indulge in long hours of tireless reading that led to wild musings of my own, but we would be here for hours together discussing a subject that can never be fully explored. Suffice it to say, I was interested in my own nuggets of truth, and what I might have to offer the world if I ever had the courage to try.

I eventually found that courage buried deep within me, planted years ago in the heart of a little girl who solved a thousand mysteries and lived a thousand adventures without stepping outside the safety of her own bedroom. The time had come for that little girl to discover her own adventures as the main character in her own story. With the guidance and support of some very dear friends, I became a writer, and I wrote about what I knew. As I met other authors who shared with me what they knew, I realized that their truths were just as important as Jane Austen's, Mary Higgins Clark's or Anne Frank's.

And so I write.

I write about the concepts of free will versus a foreordained destiny. I write about honesty in relationships and honesty with one’s self. I write about silly things to encourage laughter and serious things to get people thinking. I write about love, compassion, forgiveness, and communication. I’ve taken cues from my strong female leads and continued to write when I was afraid, discouraged, or too tired to even consider it. I have something to say and something to share, and I love to do that with my writing. I think every author does.

There are books that explore the realms of paranormal adventure, others navigate the dangerous dynamics of love, relationships, and the impossibility of a perfect life. No matter the level of drama, intrigue, moral platitudes or devastating tragedies, there is always something to be learned from anyone and everyone. With thousands of lives being lived and thousands of authors furiously scribbling away so we can all live them, it stands to reason that we as human beings should enjoy their adventures as much as we enjoy our own. There are nuggets of truth waiting to be discovered. What if those truths were simply one novel away?

To all of my author friends everywhere, I say, share those truths and find joy in the journey. To all of you voracious readers out there, I say, carry on and happy reading. And for any mothers out there looking for a great book to introduce to their impressionable, ten-year-old daughters...well...I'd start with Nancy Drew.

With love,

C.J. Anaya