T is for Travel

Join me as I blog through the alphabet. We post every day in April except Sundays. There are many others participating in the 2014 A to Z Challenge too, which is the brainchild of Arlee Bird at Tossing it Out. I'd like to encourage you to visit their entertaining, informative blogs. I'm amazed at the many talented people who participate in the A to Z Challenge.

Today I've chosen the word TRAVEL, and that would be Travel by car. Trains might be fun too, but I want to travel in  conjunction with writer's conferences.

Hubby and I had planned to attend the Jambalaya Writers' Conference this year but we had a wedding to attend. We also wanted to go to Nashville this August, do a little exploring and attend the Killer Nashville conference. Daughter's wedding is that exact weekend. Something to look forward to in 2015, I guess.

There are a number of mystery conferences across the country. Key West is on our list of places to see. Here's an interesting writer's workshop, though I don't know many of these instructors. I think for me, the Mystery Writers Key West Fest sounds more fun.

There are some wonderful conferences all across the country: Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, New Orleans and Atlanta!

We haven't had a vacation in fourteen years, so Travel with a capital T is definitely on our list of things to do. And when we sit down to make our list of places we want to go, I'll research writers' conferences and plan our trip. Any suggestions?

What's the best conference you've ever attended? Do you vacation every year?

Decision Making: What Would You Do and Why

Okay, let’s suppose you have around $2500 to spend on your writing this year so money is not a problem. The problem is … exactly how you should spend that money. Read on:

You’ve sent her manuscript to an editor you found in a writer’s magazine. The editor looks at the first three chapters and tells you your manuscript is close enough to submit. Do you trust her and begin submitting? Why?

You pay a reputable editor to read the novel and give you her opinion. She tells you she feels the book is marketable and identifies a list of items that might need tweaking. She strongly suggests a line edit, which would cost $1500. Is this the right thing to do? Do you pay the $1500 for line editing? Tell me why.

You’re tempted to trek off to the Writers Digest Editors Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. You’ll have to submit 50 pages of your manuscript before the conference. You’ll attend a one day workshop on marketing and social networking and also learn what they like and dislike about the submissions. The next day you’ll get a thirty minute meeting with an editor to go over your manuscript. You might even come away with a good feel for where your manuscript is. Cost of conference, air and hotel will be around $1100 plus. Would you do this? Tell me why.

You have an opportunity to attend the pitch and shop conference in NYC at the end of September. This conference is by invitation only and is limited to 60 writers. Their main goal is to teach you how to pitch your novel to the right people. They’ll help with weak points in your work so you can improve it. After intense, rigorous training on pitching your novel, you get 15 minutes each with four well known editors who have the power to hook you up with publishers and agents. It is reported that 1 out of 3 attendees get a request for the full manuscript. It is by no means a guarantee to publication but is as close as you can get to the big fish at a conference. The networking, agents, editors and writers are top notch. The cost of this conference including air and hotel is in the 1500 to 1800 range. Would you take advantage of this? Tell me why.

Sometimes we writers get incredibly impatient. We don't know if we even have a marketable manuscript--not matter how many critique partners say we do. We second guess ourselves when it comes to investing in ourselves. Your answers will help friends of mine make decisions on just how to spend their hard-earned money. Be honest... be wise. Share your wisdom with us.