When NOT to Attend a Writers Conference: An Unpopular Opinion

Writers conferences have been a thing since Egyptian scribes gathered to discuss trending hieroglyphs… or that’s what I imagine. A long time, to be sure. Today, you can find a writers conference in every major city and thousands more online. 

These curated meetings of literary minds are irresistibly inspiring. They are romantic even, boasting of famous writer encounters, the revealing of publishing secrets, and enviable first-ever publishing deals. 

If you’re sensing a “but” coming, you’re not wrong. However, before I dig into the reason behind my slight hesitance regarding conferences, I want to give due diligence to the benefits. The benefits are numerous but to be brief, here are the top reasons why signing up for a conference is the right move: 

Networking 

I’m a firm believer that networking is the most valuable offering at any given conference. In many ways, publishing is still a who-you-know world and conferences make it possible to meet professional writers, agents, and editors. If you show up and network, you’ll be able to make connections and forge friendships—both of which are necessary to getting published.

Information

Though publishing runs on who-you-know, it’s fueled by what-you-know. Just like any other industry, publishing is constantly evolving and growing and what was standard thirty years ago is archaic today (looking at you, double spaces between sentences). Good conferences and workshops give updated information on the must-knows and how-tos of writing, building a platform, and getting published. If you’re new to the writing scene, conferences are a fantastic way to get started. And if you’ve been writing a long time, they’re a good opportunity to sharpen your knowledge.

Inspiration

If you want to fall in love with the craft of writing again, if you want to experience camaraderie and discover that your crazy writer brain isn’t all that crazy after all, if you want be reminded of the power of words to change the world, then a writers conference is the place for you.  

But (there it is) sometimes, a writers conference cannot give you what you need or what you want. Plus, they can cost a hefty sum. So before you register, here are a few questions to ask yourself:

1.     Is the information already accessible?

A good conference will provide you with insider information that you don’t have easy access to. But if the conference features basic how-to’s like “how to write an article” or “grammar 101,” a quick Google search will provide you with the same information—for free. Make sure to do a little research before registering to get an idea of how valuable the information they offer really is for advancing your writing skills. 

2.     Do you already know your next step? 

As growing writers, we’re always on the lookout for the next skill to master or the next step to take on our way to publication. If you’ve done your research, read a book or three on writing, and especially if you’ve attended a writers conference before, then you probably know the next step you need to take. And if you haven’t taken that step yet, you really don’t have any business going to a writers conference again. You don’t need a conference to give yourself permission to do the next thing. Do yourself the honor of accomplishing the tasks you already know to do. This will steward your time and finances well.

3.     Did you budget for the cost?

As I mentioned, conferences can be pricey—for good reason. These events bring in speakers and experts from around the world, host, feed, and lodge everyone, and often in places with beautiful vistas. But say you hear rave reviews about a conference. You weren’t planning on it, hadn’t budgeted for the registration or travel fee. Should you go? If you’re desperate for one of the benefits listed above, then by all means, go. But if not, then don’t. Keep writing, there’s always next year. 

Because the important thing to remember is that conferences are not quick get-published schemes. As networking and information-sharing events, they provide you with the tools to write and seek publication. The prerequisite to publishing has always been, and will always be, to write. So when in doubt, start there.