Let’s see what gems I can distill from my 28 pages of notes, shall we?
But first, let me say that the conference organizers were truly amazing and their energy tireless. How do they do it? Man, the staff and volunteers of the Pacific Northwest Writers’ Association (PNWA) totally slayed it! 
Alright, here are some of the highlights from my scribbles:
- Blogging, tweeting and Facebook do not replace the intent and effect of a newsletter. A writer can use this medium to impart information that will help their readers ‘have a better life.’ It should include a feature article, maybe some Q&A, a resource list or some type of resource that fits your persona, e.g. recipes, a calendar of your events, and, of course, all of your contact information. Thank you to Visual Quill for this one.
- John Grisham reads the obituaries and draws character sketches from them. Brilliant! This insight came from Robert Dugoni.
- A quick way to pinpoint agents who are accepting queries and submissions is to make a list of all the agents who are attending various conferences throughout the year. Sarah Callender shared this tip. I also love the name of her blog, Inside-out Underpants.
- Write down the one thing you don’t think you could write about—something secret or shameful, something you believe but are afraid to express—and then look for a place in your manuscript where you could give this feeling to your fictional protagonist. In other words, write personally, from what’s in your heart on that day. This is the wisdom of Donald Maass.
- Breathe, as conveyed by several of the agents during the forum that preceded the Power Pitch sessions.
- Location and atmosphere together create the setting, and atmosphere is the emotional part of the setting. Use details in your writing not for what they are, but for the emotion they evoke, e.g. the snap of a twig in the forest can evoke fear and trepidation. Author and book doctor Jason Black spoke almost these exact words.
If your book is ‘club appropriate,’ then there are tons of ways to get involved with book clubs—personal appearances, Skype, email Q&A, etc. Start by adding a book club section to your website and contact bookstores (where clubs often register so they get notifications of new releases) to let them know you’re available to participate. This was all part of Janna Cawrse Esary’s presentation; she has participated in more than 50 book club meetings.- Need a vocal warm-up to loosen your lips before you do a book reading? Try a handful of repetitions of ‘red leather, yellow leather.’ And if you find yourself needing to stop and take a drink of water during your reading, use it as an opportunity to add dramatic flair! Thanks to Craig English for these tips.
- Backstory isn’t a bad thing, but remember, you’re not writing a story about the backstory, you’re writing a story because of what happened in the backstory. What was it that happened offstage that was the igniter to the real story? Things that make you go ‘hmmm’ from Lynn Price.
- Christina Katz didn’t just talk about author platform, she talked about platform dynamic—the heart and soul you want to give to the world, and how you put it out there. She made me realize just how boring my current website is; it doesn’t give the slightest hint about my irreverent, self-deprecating, 10-year-old-boy sense of humor (hee hee, did I tell you Sarah Callender’s blog is called Inside-Out Underpants?) And you’d never know that I put quite a bit of thought and intention into how I interact and what I’m trying to achieve with my message in terms of the big picture. All it says is that I live in Seattle. Yawn. I vow to make my platform come ALIVE!
There was some personal success at PNWA, too (I was over the flipping moon, people.) As one of the first 200 people who registered for the conference, I had access to two Power Pitch blocks, and I must say, once I got the first pitch out without totally screwing it up, it was really fun. The agents and editors were great, considering the fact that they get about one half of one second to themselves in between pitches, and I now have a list (that I am very excited about) of people to whom I will be sending my materials when the package is ready.
Finally, I made some swell new writer friends. We shared our pitching excitement, ate cheesecake together (actually, I ate quite a lot of one of my new friend’s uneaten cheesecake) and just reveled in the camaraderie in general, and it was one of the best things about the conference. That’s one thing about being a writer: we’re a tribe, and spending four days elbow to elbow with other writers is a lot like coming home.
Wow, sounds like you had a rockin’ good time. Good for YOU, girlfriend!! What wonderful tips here; very useful for all of us for sure! Many thanks, Laura! Love Sarah’s blog name…LMAO!
I sure did, Jo. And now I’m so excited I can’t sleep (it’s 4:20 am in Seattle). Thanks for sharing my excitement with me!
Thanks for some great insight and valuable information for those who could not attend the conference. We’re fortunate to have you as our on-site reporter. If a writer doesn’t use these tips, then he or she is in trouble.
Now I need to sit down this afternoon and make a strategy, too!
Laura, great tips, I am personally thrilled to see how you implement all of these ideas. I know it will be awesome!!!! I am going to think about that newsletter thing. This made me go HMMM and give me lots of questions!!!!
Thanks, Jodi. Yes, the newsletter part was a head’s up for me, too. The presenter said that even twice a year is good, because it’s a different way of connecting with people. She recommended Constant Contact or Mail Chimp and said to focus 75% of the content on the reader, not more than 25% on promotion.
Gotta love Donald Maass even though he’s rejected me more times than Adam Sandler by Drew Barrimore in “50 First Dates”. He makes me a better (albeit poorer) writer.
Ha! Thanks for the laugh at your expense, Rick. I’m sure you’re not alone.
He’s not. He rejected my book too.
Hmmm, maybe it’s a good thing he doesn’t represent memoirists… saves me a rejection!
Hi, I found your blog from the #MyWANA tag on twitter. Great points, thanks for sharing. I read one of Donald Maass’ books, I think it included that snippet about writing what you fear to express and use it. I’ve been pondering that one for awhile. Some of my favorite most impactful books have moments like that, where the character reaches out beyond the plot to express some kind of idea.
Hi Stephanie, glad you found me! I love your website bio — as per point #10 on my list, you’ve nailed it! And yeah, Donald Maass is the kind of guy that pushes a writer a little bit, and I like that.
Thanks for sharing. I’m going to save these tips ’cause they’re great! Sounds like it was fabulous and very successful for you- so glad!
Oh, it was great, Mary! I couldn’t be happier with the whole experience. Hope you can make use of some of the tips in your writing.
SO pleased for your conference success! I can’t wait until you start your newsletter so you can tell us all how to create & send great content on a consistent basis … no pressure! Mwah! Love you, Laura.
Haaahaha! You’re funny. And thank you, sweets. Love back to you. xo
Congrats on the requests!!!! 🙂 And thank you for sharing these awesomesauce tips with us!
Thanks so much, Adriana! And continued happy writing to you! Glad you stopped by.
Next best thing to being there, I’d say. Thanks, Laura.
I just wish I could have divided myself by eight and attended all the other sessions that were going on. They had a fabulous schedule with top-notch presenters.
Thanks for sharing – sounds like you had a really great time! And hope your pitches will bring you the desired results!
Of all the tips, the one I like best is the one about reading obituaries! I have to agree with Grisham, obituaries can be full of fascinating information and the starting point of numerous novels (or developments within novels). Of all unlikely places to look for obituaries, I’d recommend the Economist for fantastic pieces and some of them exceedingly well written…
Oh yeah, The Economist would be a *great* source. Thanks for your well wishes, Claude.
Thank you for this wonderful list. Sounds like a marvelous time!
Tip #4 really spoke to me. I always prefer pieces that include my passion-of-the-day, but had no way to put it into words as eloquently as you have. Thank you.
Hey Liberty, thanks for stopping by. Just visited your blog and Twitter and saw that you’re in my ‘hood (+/- 50 miles). And the thanks has to go to Don Maass for that tip — I’m inclined to read a few of his books now for some more of that goodness.
Fabulous! Thank you for taking the time and effort to post. I’ve been to a couple conferences, and the are so inspiring. It’s always great to meet fellow writers at conferences, too!
Thanks for following – I’m a new follower/fan of yours now.
Here’s to dreaming big, and working hard.
@thatgalkiki
Man, you’re fast! I’m glad you clicked through and left such a sweet comment. Thanks, and yes, big dreams! I’ll be stopping by your blog next.
Laura, that’s fantastic news – well done you! Thanks for a really useful and entertaining post, and super good luck with your contacts – you go girl! 🙂
Hey, Chris, thank you! The stack of business cards in my drawer are a persuasive reminder of my goal, and the fact I actually am moving forward!
Laura, thanks so much for sharing all this great information. I have to say that the one about backstory, really landed on me as I think that may be a problem in this novel that I’m planning….hmmm….
Wonderful to have made some helpful connections, not only the professional ones (which sound amazing) but also, as you mention, the peer connections of mutual support. We can all use that!
Wishing you all the best for more good things to come from the network you are building and sending you just general Hugs because I feel like it!!
Yay, happily receiving the hugs, thank you! Yeah, backstory can creep in. I’ve axed/rewritten a couple of my opening chapters because they were reading too much like essays. Sometimes you feel like you want to get it out there because you don’t know for sure where you’d weave it in later, but I guess that’s part of trusting in the process and waiting until the right moment presents itself further in.
Very succinct and specific information, easy to grasp, take, and do. Thanks!
You’re very welcome! Thanks for your comment, Susan.
Wow, those are great tips! Thanks for sharing them!
You’re welcome, Nichole. Thanks for reading, and glad you found them helpful!
Some great tips for a new writer like me. I appreciate your sharing.
Glad you found them helpful, Liz. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Laura, Your conference experience sounds grand. I actually did the Donald Maass thing and it was mind blowing! About your blog being boring…I didn’t think it was before but it’s always good to change things up a little bit.
Oooh, where did you see Donald Maass? You mentioned your son lives in Seattle, so was it here? And thanks, I’m glad you don’t think my blog is boring! My main concern was my bio, but I’ve updated it this week so it’s not all cookie-cutter, boilerplate blah blah blah.
It sounds like a great conference and I’m glad you shared these insights with us. (I’m also glad to have found your blog via Twitter – yay!)
Hi Heather, so glad you found it! Hope you enjoy it and find it useful. I saw on Twitter that you’re in North Carolina — the Carolinas are at the top of my list for places I’m dying to road trip through in the U.S.