Why Attend A Conference

Why Attend A Conference?

by Elaine Grant

        I attended the 2006 Jubilee Jambalaya Writer’s Conference in Houma, Louisiana last weekend.   It was one of those situations where I’d planned to go and even registered for the conference, but other things came up and I thought I wouldn’t be able to go. Then last minute, another change of fortune and I was free again. And I’m glad I went.

        All around, it was a great conference. Well-organized, excellent speakers and presenters, a nice-sized book signing with some well-known authors. The food was only adequate, but there was good music during lunch outside on a lovely, cool spring day.

        I caught up with several of our New Orleans sister writers whom we had worried about after Katrina.   Rexanne Bechnel is doing well and writing again, promoting her new book from Harlequin NEXT - The Payback Club.    Barbara Colley is back in the New Orleans area and has a new book out in her Charlotte LaRue mystery series about a maid who works in the Garden District of New Orleans.   Erica Spindler was keynote speaker and promoted her latest thriller release Copy Cat due out in June. All were optimistic about their futures and the future of New Orleans.

        I also had the opportunity to discuss my current books with Dianne Moggy of Harlequin Enterprises for a few minutes and get her advice on how to submit them. This is a major reason to attend a conference where agents and editors are in attendance if you have a book ready to submit. They come to conferences like this for two reasons: To support their authors who are appearing at the conference (in this case Erica Spindler) and to meet writers with publishing potential for their house. Almost invariably they invite a submission of at least a partial.

From the presentations I attended I learned several fascinating things:

·         From Barbara Colley --The five mistakes most first time writers make:

1.      Book doesn’t fit a niche in the market

2.      Writer has no conception of viewpoint

3.      There is no real plot

4.      Amateurish writing--poor grammar, endless descriptions

5.      Trying too hard to sound “writerly” instead of allowing voice to come through

·         From Eileen Dreyer--In a movie script you have about 10 pages to set up the entire movie.

1.      In a book that translates to your first chapter.

2.      All of the elements of your book--hero, heroine, villain, setting, tone, voice, theme, sense of the conflict--should be introduced in the first chapter.

3.      The deeper and more complex the book you’re writing, the more complex your first chapter should be.

4.      You have about one paragraph to hook the reader (or agent or editor).

        And my favorite scrap of knowledge: Tami Hoag has no idea “Who Dunnit” until the last chapter of her books. Why is that my favorite? Because I don’t have a clue “Who Dunnit” in my current thriller and it’s driving me nuts. So maybe I’ll just write like Tami and find out who the real villain is when I get to the end of the book!

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