ACFW Tips: Conference Don'ts

Me & Lisa Jordan with Rachelle Gardner, our wonderful agent.

On Tuesday I gave you a quick list of ACFW Dos:

1. Be yourself.
2. Ask questions.
3. Reach out.
4. Have fun.
5. Slow down.

Today I want to share my list of ACFW conference "Don'ts." Go ahead and use them for any conference you might attend: the MBT Storycrafters, Mount Hermon, Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference (and it's sister conference: Southwest Christian Writers Studio), Writing for the Soul.  Let's get started:

1. Don't try and do it all. Do yourself, your roommates and everyone else at the conference a favor and realize there is no way you can go without sleep from Thursday through Sunday. You cannot talk to everyone. You cannot take every workshop. You cannot retain all the information thrown at you, no matter how good it is--and it's all good! Pace yourself. (See #2 of the "Do" list.)
2. Don't put all your hopes and dreams on this conference. Come prepared to pitch. Come prepared to sell your novel with passion because you believe in it like no one else. And then realize that's all you can do: Pitch your story with passion. What happens after that is not under your control. If you don't land a contract or an agent, is the conference a bust? No. You've learned craft. You've connected with other writers. More importantly, if you don't land an agent or you don't win a Genesis, are you a failure? No, no, and no. Remember: God values you because of who you are (His) not for what you do. 
3. Don't compare your conference experience with someone else's. Go ahead and celebrate another writer's success. Don't wish you were them. You have your life story and they have theirs. Don't stare at what they have and overlook what you have. You may be sitting in the crowd this year, but who knows where you'll be next year. And if you're still sitting with me in the crowd--hey, we're a fun bunch! 
4. Don't miss the prayer room. There are the appointment rooms. Tense. Tense. Tense. There's the classrooms where we learn, learn, learn. There's the room where we dine. Noisy, noisy, noisy--but in a good way. Sit back and listen to all the "he saids" and "she saids." There's the bookstore. Dreams. Come. True. In all your comings and goings, take time to slip into the prayer room. It's quiet. It's a place to stop. Refocus on Who created you as a writer in the first place. Take a friend and pray together. Or go alone. Being there just may be the highlight of the conference.

In Your Words: Can you think of anything I've forgotten? Any expectations we should leave behind? Any "don'ts" that we should remember as we prepare for ACFW or any other writers conference we hope to attend?

ACFW Tips: Conference Dos

Having fun at the MBT Pizza Party at the 2010 ACFW conference

I'm making my list, checking it twice.
No, I'm not talking about my Christmas wish list.
I'm prepping for ACFW, which is the talk of the CBA writing world right now.
I'm no conference newbie, not with more than a decade of conference attendance behind me (and a drawer full of name tags to prove it. Not really. I tossed 'em in an organizing frenzy a couple of years ago.)
Over at the MBT Ponderers blog, I posted about what I'm packing for the conference. Hint: I'm not limiting myself to a carry on bag.
There's a lot of chatter on the Internet--Twitter and various writers' blogs--about how to enjoy the conference. How to succeed, whether you're an introvert or an extrovert or somewhere in between. Me? I'm an introvert who doesn't mind taking center stage, so long as I'm promised downtime afterward. Realizing you're likely dashing from blog to blog and taking frantic notes, I'm going to give you my ACFW To Do list:

1. Be yourself. You're the only you attending the conference. I'd like to meet you when we say hi--not you-pretending-to-be-someone-else. 
2. Ask questions. Here's a good question to ask when you meet someone new: What do you write? Then sit back and listen to their answer. Don't worry about preparing your answer just in case they ask you about your writing--and they probably will. You've been me-focused for so many weeks pre-conference. Isn't it nice to think about someone else?
3. Reach out. Odds are there's someone at the conference who's even more overwhelmed than you are. Maybe they are a first-timer. Or maybe they're pitching their novel for the first time. Encourage someone else. Let them practice their pitch with you and then pray with them before they head off for that nerve-wracking 15 minute appointment. 
4. Have fun. There's fun to be had at the conference. Enjoy the workshops. Enjoy the keynote speakers. Pitch your book.(Yes, this can be fun! Get excited about sharing your idea!) But take time to meet with friends for coffee. Browse the bookstore together or go work out at the exercise room. It's okay to go off-schedule and focus on relationships. 
5. Slow down. Before you know it, you'll be packing your suitcase for the trip home.Wait! Didn't you just get here? Start each day by asking yourself: What do I want to accomplish today? And then leave room for God to change your plans. End each day by looking back and savoring the unexpected blessings He revealed.

What about you? What's on your conference To Do list? On Thursday I'll share my ACFW conference "To Don't" list.