I just completed a seven day virtual conference with the Historical Novel Society. What an experience! Over 600 historical fiction writers attended. Each day began at 8:00 am and ended at 11:00 pm. Imagine all the learning packed into those hours! The conference, filled with workshops, author talks, and chat rooms devoted to specific subjects, was an extravaganza covering ancient times through World War II and everything from the craft of writing to the ins and outs of marketing. There were so many workshops and conversations rooms from which to choose it was impossible to get to them all. Fortunately, all workshops were recorded and will continue to be available for the next 90 days so I can still see the ones I missed.
So what did I learn about? Everything from writing dual timelines, to the use of symbolism, to creating characters that fit with the time period, to tips for researching, to branding and building a platform, to choosing comp titles, to creating a social media strategy, to starting an author collective and more! On top of all that, there were talks by keynote speakers, bestselling author Lisa See and publishing guru Jane Friedman. Besides workshops, the conversation rooms, each focusing on a different topic, offered excellent opportunities for networking as well as brainstorming with other authors.
The pandemic has been horrible, but if one good thing has come from it, it is the availability to attend virtual events. This was the first time the Historical Novel Society has offered a conference online which means it's also the first one I've been able to attend as I simply can't afford the costs of the conference, travel, lodging, and food. The organizers had an enormous amount of technological issues to handle in creating and running this event and they did a superb job. Kudos to all involved!
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