Last weekend was She Speaks, a conference for Christian women writers and speakers. I was so close to registering before I knew it just wasn't going to happen this year. This weekend is the SCBWI Children's Writers' and Illustrators' conference. I was on Twitter a lot, retweeting the stuff that inspired me, and just soaking in the little nuggets of the conference squeezed into a 140 character or less tweet.
And then it hit me. I can be learning and growing right here in the comfort of my own home and my local Starbucks!
1) Networking. It seems a lot of people go to conferences to meet like minded people, maybe get to know the experts of the field in hopes they can help you succeed. Since I couldn't meet them in person, I decided to do some online networking. I started following on Twitter five new people I've admired for a while now, and started following two new blogs. Plus I visited and commented on a few blogs I just haven't had time to check out in a while, but which I love.
2) Learning About the Craft. There's always a plethora of sessions you can attend at a conference to learn more, and so I decided to read some blog posts I've been meaning to for a long time anyway about writing, blogging, social media, etc. I listened to Michael Hyatt's podcast Platform, which was pretty awesome, and made me feel kinda like I was at a conference. Except I could pause to get some ice cream halfway through. ;)
3) Working Time. Some conferences leave time for working on your project. Others do not, but you're so inspired you make the time. Well, I made the time to brainstorm blog post ideas, which I've been meaning to do for a loooong time now.
I think it'd also be cool to get together with some of your writerly friends and create a conference together. Each of you share a lesson you've learned about the craft, blogs you love, social media tips, etc. And leave time for writing, brainstorming, critiquing together etc.
Anyone else ever created their own conference, or want to?
