The Day After: Reviewing The Conference

by Regina Allen

After an exhilarating weekend at a conference, you would have brought home books, catalogs, business cards and so much more. Also, you’d be exhausted and in need of a good day to absorb everything you learned and gathered at the conference. Taking a day after a conference gives you downtime, but also time to assess the information gathered, review your goals for the conference, and check your finances.

Assessing Information:
Look over the flyers, catalogs and pamphlets gathered at the conference. One way to assess the information is to form piles. For example, from the last conference, I formed three piles: future conferences, workshops, and author appearances. The piles were based on the flyers and catalogs I collected at display tables. This made it easier to assess the information gathered, reviewing the items by subject matter. Also, review the notes you took at panels and your own thoughts. This will reveal whether the conference was informative, entertaining or lackluster.

Review Your Goals:
If you had a set of goals for the conference, take them out and review them. Check off the ones you achieved and mark the ones left undone. Make notations as to why you were unable to achieve those goals. Decide whether you would include them at another conference. This keeps you focused on your reason for attending the conference. There are no strict rules that say you must have a set of goals; however, many attend conferences for at least one reason and hopefully achieved that goal.

Check Your Finances:
Though rarely discussed, it’s important to review your expenses. Compare the amount you spent to what you estimated before the trip. This year, the conference may have been more expensive. In that case, you may consider adjusting your finances if you regularly attend this conference. If you find that your finances run short of what you regularly spend at conferences, you may want to consider setting aside a little more money in next year’s budget.

Relax:
The main reason for taking a day off after a conference is to relax. You’re heady from an intense three or four-day conference. Take out one of those books and read. Or, if you’re like me, energized with ideas for one of your manuscripts, it’s a good time to take it out and use the new knowledge you’ve gathered from the conference.

Taking a day for yourself after the conference gives you time to review, assess everything you’ve gathered. Sit back, read a book and relax. You deserve it.

Regina is a fiction writer who now lives in New York. She is collaborating with author, Joel S. Ross (http://www.joelross.net) on a medical thriller.

For an extensive listing of conferences, check magazines like the Writer, Asimov’s Science Fiction, Locus Magazine, Poets & Writers and the June issue of Writer’s Digest. For websites, Writer’s Digest (http://www.writersdigest.com/conferences)and Shaw Guides (http://writing.shawguides.com) have an exhaustive listing of conferences and workshops.

National
Maui Writers Conference
September 1-5, 2005
Wailea, Hawaii
This conference offers seminars, workshops in fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, magazine writing and more.
For more information contact: P.O. Box 1118, Kihei, HI 96753.
Telephone: (888) 974-8373
Website: http://www.mauiwriters.com
Email: writers@maui.net

Raven Under the Northern Lights
SCBWI Alaska’s Biennial Conference
March 17-19, 2006
Pike’s Waterfront Lodge, Fairbanks, Alaska
For information on this conference, visit their website at: http://www.scbwialaska.org

Writing the Breakout Novel
September 24-25, 2005
Washington, D.C.
A weekend seminar with literary agent Donald Maass.
For more information, contact: Lorin Oberweger, 2420 W. Brandon Boulevard, Ste. 198, Brandon, FL 33511.
Telephone: (866) 497-4832
Website: http://www.free-expressions.com
Email: lorin@free-expressions.com

International
Screenwriting Dynamics
September 24-25, 2005
Stanstead, Quebec
This is a workshop that helps screenwriters develop marketable property and identify potential markets. For more information, contact: The Writers’ Retreat, Box 193, 3141 Beebe Road, Beebe Plain, VT 05823
Telephone: (819) 876-2065
Website: http://www.writersretreat.com/workshops.htm
Email: info@writersretreat.com

Writer In Residency
Native Women in the Arts
October 2005
Toronto Island
Native Women in the Arts continues the writer residency for the 2005-2006 season. The residency is open to women and female youth of Aboriginal ancestry who are emerging or established writers. To apply, send personal information which includes Aboriginal nation affiliation/community, a synopsis of 1-2 pages of a project you want to complete during the residency and two examples of published or completed works for review (DO NOT SEND ORIGINALS) and your current resume. Deadline for applications is September 15, 2005. For complete information on the application process, please contact: (416) 598-4078.