Writing Conference Afterglow

This is the fourth year I attended the Harriette Austin Writer's Conference held at UGA in Athens, Georgia. Every year the event seems to run smoother, or I'm finally picking up clues about how to get the best out of the experience.

Whenever I return from one of these things, I experience conference afterglow, that floating feeling one feels after a big event that is emotionally satisfying. My confidence as a writer is usually restored after talking to other writers; my need for social contact is satisfied for awhile, and the adreneline is still pumping after smelling the nearness of possible success as a published novelist. For a day or two, I smile alot, daydream even more, and find my mind wandering to the day when Oprah will be announcing the title of my novel as her book club selection.

I've mentioned the conference so often to people, that they have passed on that information to others who are interested, and finally a group of friends of friends showed up and I finally felt not so isolated while milling around from class to class.

An Observation:
A new writing friend this year pointed out something I had overlooked. The women were very supportive of one another, while the men seemed rather introspective. For example, at a lunch table, one would sit with 7 other folks. The accepted unspoken proticol required that you turn to each of the others at your table in turn and inquire as to their writing interests and successes.

While the men were quite willing to share their stories, they seldom if ever returned the favor of asking about yours! We decided that this was no deliberate slight, but just a difference between the hard-wiring of the sexes. In general, women seem to naturally be more nurturing. We have those particular genes. Men, on the other hand, are generally taught the rules of survival. Take care of yourself.

It got me to wondering about the breakdown of authors by gender. Who gets published more often? Men or women? That statistic may have been easy to come by once, but in our new techno-world, publishing has also been made more complex with the advent of self-publishing and e-books, to the point that accurate statistics may not be available. It seems like writing groups are predominatly women and book clubs, the same. But men seem to hold their own as authors. If anyone has information on this, please pass it along.

So, you may ask. Are writing conferences worth the money for a newbie trying to break into print? I think so. I've only attended this one at UGA, but I found that each year the presenters bring fresh material and answer questions I didn't know I had. They present an opportunity to meet agents and editors, which is one of the best things. As in other avenues, it always helps to have a referral when it comes time to stand out from the crowd and stay out of the slush pile.

One thing I'd say is, the closer you are to finding an agent or publisher, the more you will probably get out of a conference. They do not have hands-on workshops at this one, at which you can improve your skills, although there are some of those out there. This one is more focused on matching up writers with professionals who can help advance their career.

So, now I've written this blog, I've been able to expend some of that pent up writer's energy that's been bouncing around inside me all day. Remember, life is journey, and our words can act as breadcrumbs on the path for those behind us.