1. Audie says:

    I’ve been to a few writer’s conferences, and, really, I have a hard time not thinking I simply wasted my time and money.

    Perhaps the worst was the big ACFW conference I attended a few years ago. Outside of being a spec-fic writer who was essentially on the outside looking in, the main thing I came away with was that even there sound Christian teaching had given way to inspirational fluff. Heck, they even gave out copies of The Voice,

    A bit better was the time I attended Writer’s Advance Boot Camp, where I was able to get some constructive feedback on a story I was working on at that time. And the food was outstanding, too. But even there, inspirational fluff topped theological substance.

    Perhaps the thing I hate most about these conferences is what I can’t help but call the mercenary aspect of it, or the networking thing or as you put it, “it’s not what you know, but who you know, that counts.” I don’t think I can think of words strong enough to express my distaste for that kind of mindset without getting into language I’d rather avoid. It’d rather avoid any attempts to try to use others to advance myself.

    I don’t know if I’ll attend another conference or not, I sometimes think about it, but at this point it seems more a waste then anything else.

  2. Katherine says:

    I haven’t been to a writer’s conference per se, but I’ve gone to a book fair/writing seminar in Nashville. The seminar I attended was somewhat interesting and I had fun picking out books. Next year I really want to go to Realm Makers

What do you think?