The online diary of a dreamer creating Contemporary Romantic Fiction - because Every Woman needs Love and Laughter in her Life.

Saturday 30 June 2007

RNA Conference Prep

Time to think about the RNA conference - next weekend!! Help!
Are there useful articles out there about how to get the best from Conferences? Silly question - I was exhausted by the second search.
Most relate to the RWA conference in the US where there seems to be a lot of time spent pitching to agents and editors. Having looked at articles like this:

http://www.gabrielleluthy.com/art_conferences.htm

there appears to huge pressure on delegates to perform. How stressful is that?
Having been to one RNA conference in Penrith last year, I can honestly say that I felt the format of the UK conference was much more balanced. Yes there were tons of networking opportunties and I met loads of well known published and unpublished authors with fantastic tips, but it never came across as a high pressure selling business meeting. And all of the workshops were useful for lateral thinking or directly relevant to my work.
Or perhaps I have the wrong impression about the RWA conference, not having been there myself? Quite possible. The internet must be selective by definition.

3 comments:

Kate Hardy said...

I'm probably biased as I've never been to an RWA conference - but the sheer SCALE of it scares me silly.

I have been to a couple of the RNA ones and I enjoyed them (despite doing a Sunday morning talk at one!) because it didn't feel pressured. There were lots of choices so I could pick out what was relevant to me.

Best advice I can give is get LOTS of sleep beforehand, because when you're with a bunch of authors you end up talking until stupid o'clock. And maybe try and grab half an hour here and there as quiet time so you can absorb the stuff you've just learned.

Have a good time :o) Wish I was going to be there, but not with my deadline schedule this year!

Ray-Anne said...

Hi Kate. Thanks for the advice. Sorry that you cannot be at the Conference, but good luck with your deadlines, and many thanks for popping in to say hello. Regards, Ray-Anne

Nell Dixon said...

Hope to see you at the conference. It'll be heaps of fun!