Writing Tip: Writers Conferences Rock!

I'm heading to The Chicago Writers Conference this weekend and then, in another week, I'll be heading to Salem, MA for the first Writer Unboxed Unconference. 
Too many conferences?
No way.
I love being in the company of writers, and sharing the experience of writing with so many like-minded people. There will be published authors there - traditional and self-published, there will be poets, novelists, memoirists; people who journal and who write self-help books, and there will be people who haven't yet begun writing but want to. There's something so motivating about being around all those writers. And...I always learn something, lots of somethings (here are ten things I learned at last year's CWC). And the biggest bonus of all...it's fun!

Are you a writer? Take thee to a writers conference.
Meanwhile, here's a great article about how to enjoy it once you get there:

How to Rock a Writers Conference

John Vorhaus on Oct 23 2014 | Filed under: Shrinking Violets, Un-Conference

For those of you attending the Writer Unboxed Un-Con – especially the newbies among us – it may be useful to give some thought to how to get the most out of your upcoming writers conference experience. For those of you not attending UnCon, it may be useful to store these tips in a cool, dry place, against the day when you next wander down the conference trail. And for those of you with long experience of writers conferences, it might be useful to ignore everything that follows – but chip in with your own tips at the end.

First and foremost, campers, SET THE RIGHT GOAL. If you head into UnCon (or any con) with the goal of hitting some prized target (like landing an agent or a book deal, or whatever your ticket to heaven might be), you risk disappointment if that doesn’t happen. Worse, you’ll put all this stress on yourself to make it happen. Instead try this: Have fun. That’s a goal you can easily achieve, just by showing up and hanging out. I’m not saying don’t make the most of your networking opportunities. I’m just saying don’t obsess about it. As they say in poker (whence, let’s face it, all wisdom springs), “Let the game come to you.” What this is really about is setting your expectations. High expectations = buzz kill. Low expectations = fun!

Read the rest of the article.