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| https://bwlpublishing.ca/bator-diane/ |
For anyone new to my blog, Escape with a Writer is the name of my blog where I have promoted fellow authors since 2018. I actually started it because while raising three kids, working all day, and writing, I never had time to figure out what to blog about! I started doing blogs every Sunday. Lucky for me, I have a lot of great friends who have been happy to share their books and their stories and I soon found myself posting twice a week.
Flash forward to 2022 and I teamed up with a public relations guy who sends me even more authors to share. Currently, Escape with a Writer is up to three days a week and may become a podcast as well! One step at a time, right? After all, I just moved!
Just when things have slowed down and the dust began to settle, I'm facing a whole new challenge. Attending one of the largest writing conferences I've ever been to! As a publisher!
Deep breath. I've got this. It's only When Words Collide, which has been sold out for months. How big could it be?
I started with the website and found the venue. Easy enough to get to. Seems to be lots of parking. One big breath out. Did I mention traffic makes me a bit anxious? Yes, I drove across Canada, but that was pretty much a straight shot. This is me driving in a city and... Taking one highway and one main street. No big deal!
When I get there, I need to set up the table for BWL Publishing. Another deep breath before I find THE VENUE MAP! Whew! No big. I'll keep it handy. This is why I love paper.
So what do I do when I'm not looking after the store? Did I mention it's a conference? I checked out the sessions available and had to sit down. Friday alone there are over 40 sessions! Saturday and Sunday there are about the same. Wow! How on earth is someone supposed to figure out what to attend? I don't see a cloning station on that map!
It seems as though the drive in might be the least of my worries!
Lucky for me, they provide a complete list that tells attendees about EVERY one of the sessions as well as who is leading them. Wait a sec! I know some of these people. Or at least I know their virtual versions from all the Zoom meetings I've attended since 2020. Maybe one solution to my problem is to find all the ones people I know are teaching and start from there. Then I can read the summaries and chose things I'd really like to learn about.
Would I prefer to learn about "Writing Short Mysteries that Sell" or "Murder, Mayhem, or Natural Causes? Inventive Ways to Kill of Characters"? Okay, bad example. I'm a mystery writer!
How about "Protagonists Under Pressure: Putting Your Characters in Danger" or "Why are Zombies Essential to a Writer's Group?" I think I may need to find out the answer to that one!
Ooh! "Finding Time as a Writer" is on Saturday, but at the same time as "Troubleshooting Your Manuscript." Time for some serious coin flipping!
Back to more urgent matters. I need to pack my books and load the car.
Now I need to decide which books I should bring.
Next month, I'll let you know how this conference went and fill you in on my next adventure in writing conferences!
Keep Writing
Diane
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