by Alycia W. Morales @AlyciaMorales

We recently posted a sneak peek at the 2019 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference faculty list. It’s a great one, so make sure you check it out by clicking on this sentence to follow the link.

There is so much to do at a conference. Networking. Meeting with agents and editors in hopes of publication – or at least great publishing tips. Taking all the classes. Choosing which classes to take. Making new friends. Finding your way around. How does one “do it all” at a writers conference when there’s so much to do?

Here are a few pointers from an experienced conference goer, faculty member, and conference manager:

Choose classes based on where you’re at in your writing career in this present moment.

Are you new at blogging? Take a blogging class. Are you trying to develop your platform? Take a social media class. Do you need extra cash fast? Take freelancing and magazine article writing classes. Are you in the middle of writing your first novel? Take classes on craft. Don’t take a class because you want to write a screenplay someday. Focus on the present. That screenwriting day will come. And when it does, that’s the time to take that class.

Don’t try to meet everyone.

Not everyone is going to be the person you need to meet. Before you go to conferences, review the faculty list. Google them. Find out what the agents and editors are looking for or acquiring by visiting their websites and finding the information. We writers discourage lazy writing, so we shouldn’t be lazy when it comes to investigating who will best suit our writing needs when it comes to agents and editors.

When something falls through, try plan B.

So that meeting with your favorite agent or editor didn’t go as planned. Maybe they weren’t acquiring steampunk. Or historical fiction. Amish romance. Or vampires. Always carry a plan B. I don’t know about you, but I have a running list of novels I’d like to write – or at least toy with – some day. When your pitch falls short, hit a home run by suggesting something else. Ask what the agent or editor is acquiring and pitch your alternate story. Maybe you’ll knock it out of the park…

Utilize the opportunities provided you at the conference.

You could only sign up for two appointments. Or your first choice was already full. Maybe you discovered something about an editor or agent after the fact, and now you want desperately to meet with him or her. What’s a gal to do? Find the busy agent or editor at dinner. Walk them to class and offer your assistance. Ask them to have coffee with you – your treat. We’re creatives. Be creative and use the opportunities presented.

Recognize you can’t do it all.

We’re human. We need sleep. And we have our limits, despite our best efforts to check off everything on our self-inflicted to-do lists.

First, we need to let God write our lists when we attend conferences. Open the doors He wants opened. Close those He doesn’t. Create divine appointments. Allow us to cross paths with those He knows we need to meet.

Second, we need to be sure we get enough rest to make it through the conference and retain the information required for our careers and endeavors. Which means being flexible and letting go of things we may or may not be able to do.

Third, we need to remember that at some conferences there are recordings we can purchase so eventually we can attend most of the classes presented, because we can listen to them later.

Fourth, we need to rest and trust in God while we walk in peace, knowing He has our best interests at heart. When someone says no, He has something better than what we consider the best in store.

Give yourself a break.

Avoid putting unrealistic expectations on yourself. We don’t want to go to conferences and bog ourselves down with so much that we can’t enjoy our time with others like ourselves.

Just as it’s important to offer the agents and editors and best-selling authors the opportunity to take a brief break to use the facilities or get a drink of water before we sit with them for an appointment, it’s important to offer ourselves a few minutes to recharge or look at the beautiful view around us. Take a moment. Or a few. And just be there – no pressure.

What’s a way you keep your to-do list at a writers conference reasonable? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Alycia Morales is a freelance editor and writer. Her writing has been in Thriving Family magazine, Splickety Love, and several compilation books. Her editing clients have won several awards for their manuscripts, including finalist in the Selah Award. Alycia’s first ghostwriting project, The Spirit of Hospitality by Larry Stuart, releases in December 2018.

She is also the conference manager and the blog editor for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference.

When she isn’t busy hanging out with her writing friends, her husband, and her four children, Alycia enjoys reading, watching TV, hiking, and crafting.

Follow Alycia at her blogs, Life.Inspired. and The Write Editing. She can also be found on Instagram and Pinterest.