I just registered for the 2014 ACFW Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, September 25-28th! Who's coming with me??
www.acfw.com
Trust me. If you've been debating attending a conference, this one is THE conference to attend in regards to professional quality, networking opportunities, courses to enhance your craft, etc. Not to mention the FUN and the fellowship and the worship! It's an amazing time every year.
Registration opened last night, so if you sign up soon, you can get a great rate. It's cheaper for members of ACFW, but non members are of course encouraged to come. You can also become an ACFW member (small annual dues is all that's required) in order to get the better rate. Also, hotels are discounted because of the ACFW group, so this super super classy hotel is only like $150 a night. Score! And you divide that by a roommate or two, and voila - Cheap!
This is what the conference looks like, in no particular order:
Heartfelt worship time guaranteed to refresh you!
Delicious gourmet food
STARBUCKS in the hotel (what what!!)
A fancy gala awards night where you get to dress up (come on, who misses Prom just a little!)
Meeting new friends
Reconnecting with old friends
Learning new elements of the writing craft through an amazing line up of courses
Face to face networking with agents/editors in the industry - all the top agencies and houses, all the ones you're so eager to get a foot in the door with! They will be there!!
15 minute appointments with said agents/editors in which you get to pitch yourself and your work in progress. THIS IS CRUCIAL to breaking into the industry. It's not a guarantee and of course people get published without going to conferences and having these appts, but it is a HUGE help. Editors confirm this every year - putting that face and personality to a submission truly makes a big difference.
Late night giggles and fellowship with new and old friends at the bar/lounge/lobby
Inspiring and insightful keynote address
Super nice hotel and rooms for those few hours you actually sleep
DID I MENTION THE FOOD AND STARBUCKS??? ;)
The chance to get away from home and family and the everyday and get fired up with likeminded people (fellow crazy writers) who actually GET you ;)
The chance to hug ME!!! Yay!
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Sleep? I'm trying to remember if I slept...oh wait. Yes, sometime in the wee hours after laughing til I cried, I must have slept because waking up was hard to do. LOL!
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping God has a plan again this year. I really, really, really want to go again--really! And I choose to believe it will work out.
Last year I found amazing friends and crit partners and learned so much. And I'm glad that "first" pitch is forever over and done with. hahahaha....
I'll be there again this year! I haven't registered yet, but I'll be signing up soon. And I already bought my plane ticket when I happened upon a good deal, so there's no turning back (not that I'd want to!) :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't pitch last year, so we will see how that goes this year...
Now that I'm a little bit over the "newbie, fish out of water" fears that came with my first conference, I'm really excited to see what's waiting this year.
Looking forward to seeing you there, Betsy!!
Here's a topic someone can tackle...pretty please with pen and paper on top. :)
ReplyDeleteHow can I make a plot stronger, more enticing, make it stand out from all the rest? It seems my WIP is a bit lackluster and I'd like to make it shine a little brighter. Any takers?