DO YOU COME HUNGRY? by Jean Wise

     Do you come to writers’ conferences hungry? Not in the physical sense, but with a thirst for learning and growing as a writer.     Attending writers' conferences  can be a wonderful, though overwhelming, experience(particularly if this is your first experience.) As you begin to prepare for the Florida Christian Writers Conference, one step to take can be listing specific questions you would like to explore.

I find if I have a list of what I want to learn, it is easier to focus. If I hit the brick wall of fatigue, doubt, and rejection, I have something concrete to center on. If I have already identified what I most need to learn, I can then concentrate on finding that answer.

Everyone will have a different set of questions, but here are a few you might consider:

·      What specific writing technique do you want to learn? Dialogue? Voice? Point of view?

·      Do you want to explore a new genre? A non-fiction writer grows by learning fiction techniques. All of us become better storytellers by studying how to write a movie script.

·      Maybe you are working on marketing. Your focus may be to gather as many examples of business cards or one sheets as possible.  You may want to sit down and talk with more seasoned writers about ideas.

·      What new approach to social marketing can you learn?

·      Is there a new trend in the publishing business?

·      Is this person the right agent for me?

·      If I could ask the keynote speaker one question what would it be?

·      Have two or three ideas ready to develop and brainstorm with other writes about  how to bring your ideas to life.

Listen more than talk is a good guideline for making the most of a conference. If you take a few minutes of preparation to get your questions clarified and ready to ask, your hungry heart will find some answers.  Florida Christian Writers’ Conference is a great place to be fed.