Friday, July 31, 2015

Thoughts from a First Timer at RWA Nationals

Last week, I attended the national conference at RWS.
I was So happy to attend (And to check it off my bucket list).

I come from a different background - I have the blogger hat, the professional reviewer hat (VOYA), and the former YA Librarian hat (10 years). So I feel like I had a different experience than other newbie RAW attendees.
While I'm not new to writing, I am new to writing organizations/conferences.

New to Me:
  • So much support from strangers
  • Newbie ribbon
  • Everyone wants you to succeed
  • Not YA focused* 
  • Packed schedule (not much time for coffee breaks)
  • Volunteers ran things
  • More writers than I anticipated
* I write YA. In library conferences, they have tracks set up by age groups: Kids, YA, Adult. The set-up here was very different. 

Not New:
  • Everyone was happy to talk about books/authors
The Workshops:
  • SO many wonderful workshops
  • I took pages and pages and pages of notes
  • Inspiring
  • Several favorite authors presenting - learning from the best
  • Love sharing knowledge - from workshops to chatting in the halls
  • Fascinating and funny presenters
  • Lots of tips and tricks to test out
  • Knowing more rules (And when to break them)
  • Great for the soul - everyone is amazingly nice
  • Knowledge that no two paths are the same (what works for one person won't work for someone else)
What was Fantastic:
  • Workshops
  • Meeting so many authors I admire
  • Hearing the struggles and successes of authors
What was Hard for me:
  • I grabbed way too many books (mostly good, but carrying them was hard and now I need to find space for them in my house)
  • I had a hard time putting myself out there
  • Exploring the area
  • Having a food adventure
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go write.
 I have so many new tips and tricks to add to my WIPs!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

One of these days, I really want to attend! It looked like an amazing event. Loved your post. Thanks for sharing! xx,Liza