Conference
I found a writing conference for children's book authors--including young adult.
It's SCBWI Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators.
They have conferences every summer in Los Angeles and it seems also one in New York during the winter.
I'm trying to decide if:
a) I want to go to one
b) If I want to go to the February one or wait until next August.
In terms of (a). In theory, the conference sounds like a good idea. It seems agents and editors prefer to get clients this way, rather than through email queries. They conferences are great for networking. BUT I'm shy. And I'm even more shy when I feel pressured. I fear I'll go to one of these things with the idea that this is IT....I find me an agent or my whole writing career is over.
A few months ago, I read a young adult novel (Fanboy and Gothgirl) about a young artist who goes to a comic book convention. He feels his whole career is on the line and believes the world will open for him when he shows his favorite comic book writer his work-in-progress. The results are not a happy scene and I fear I'll have some kind of scene like that.
It's hard enough to be rejected via email. It would be so much worse being rejected in person.
But most of the conference is not about meeting with an editor or agent and showing them your work. It's mostly about casual networking. Chatting. Brown-nosing. Ass-kissing. Being cute and funny. Promoting yourself without coming on too strong.
I'm horrible at all that stuff. So bad that I worry it won't just be about me getting ignored at the conference. It will be about me being unofficially banned from the whole writer's world. I picture sending a query letter to someone and them saying...."Name sounds familar? Who is she again? Oh, she's that dorky girl at the 2008 conference." And then they immediately delete the query.
If I do decide I'm brave enough to go....
I prefer New York over Los Angeles.
But I think I prefer Los Angeles weather over New York winter weather. February in NYC? No, thank you.
Plus, February is too soon.
August gives me time to think things over.
It's SCBWI Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators.
They have conferences every summer in Los Angeles and it seems also one in New York during the winter.
I'm trying to decide if:
a) I want to go to one
b) If I want to go to the February one or wait until next August.
In terms of (a). In theory, the conference sounds like a good idea. It seems agents and editors prefer to get clients this way, rather than through email queries. They conferences are great for networking. BUT I'm shy. And I'm even more shy when I feel pressured. I fear I'll go to one of these things with the idea that this is IT....I find me an agent or my whole writing career is over.
A few months ago, I read a young adult novel (Fanboy and Gothgirl) about a young artist who goes to a comic book convention. He feels his whole career is on the line and believes the world will open for him when he shows his favorite comic book writer his work-in-progress. The results are not a happy scene and I fear I'll have some kind of scene like that.
It's hard enough to be rejected via email. It would be so much worse being rejected in person.
But most of the conference is not about meeting with an editor or agent and showing them your work. It's mostly about casual networking. Chatting. Brown-nosing. Ass-kissing. Being cute and funny. Promoting yourself without coming on too strong.
I'm horrible at all that stuff. So bad that I worry it won't just be about me getting ignored at the conference. It will be about me being unofficially banned from the whole writer's world. I picture sending a query letter to someone and them saying...."Name sounds familar? Who is she again? Oh, she's that dorky girl at the 2008 conference." And then they immediately delete the query.
If I do decide I'm brave enough to go....
I prefer New York over Los Angeles.
But I think I prefer Los Angeles weather over New York winter weather. February in NYC? No, thank you.
Plus, February is too soon.
August gives me time to think things over.