Tina Haapala, Excuse Editor

During my "buzz-session" at the OWFI conference, I talked about how important it was to not squander the time and money spent on conferences, classes, and coaching. The frugal part of me related it to a gym membership. When I am paying an annual or monthly fee, I want to get my money's worth! Say I pay $50 a month. If I go 3 times a week, it's like paying about $4 each time; but if I go 5 times each week, I get the same gym benefits for only $2.50 a visit! What a bargain! I get healthier and can be a cheapskate at the same time! Here are a few hints to help you get a healthy impact from your already spent conference dollars: Start immediately. I met one writer who actually skipped a few of the Saturday sessions because he was so inspired to write and attempt to fill a whole in his novel. That may be too soon for most of us, but the idea is sound: Get moving before the afterglow starts to fade. If one of your goals was to get back into the habit of writing, do...

Flying Words You made it! You may have had to wrap up your day job duties or make sure your current deadlines were met before traveling a few hours or longer, but you are finally at the writer's conference. More than likely, the money has already been spent (or is weighing down your credit card), so do what you need to do to make it worthwhile (and get that ROI, return on investment)! To Boldly Go... Don't shy away from unfamiliar subjects. Sure, there are the tried and true topics that you are positive you will get something out of. That's great, unless it is your 3 rd " Create your own e-book " session in as many years and you have yet to reformat a single word file into html or research an e-publisher.

Last time, I gave the example of spending $1000 on a writer's conference. In this and the next few posts, I will give you some ideas of getting your money's worth (or ROI, Return On Investment), above and beyond what you learn while you are shivering in those overly air-conditioned meeting rooms. You've planned your writing conference trip. You know the location, you've browsed the break-out sessions and weighed the pros and cons of choosing one over the other. OK. What else can you do, before the conference, that will maximize your investment, and provide the best returns for your writing? Put the "Social" in Social Media Facebook , Linked In , Twitter , Goodreads, your blog ... You may have virtual friends in one or all of these. Find out if any of your writing buddies are attending. Put the word out that you are heading to the conference when you sign up, a few weeks prior, and immediately before you go. Discuss the breakout sessions. If you are truly t...

Recently, I spent a few days at the OWFI writer's conference in Oklahoma City. As I was gathering my receipts and such, I thought about the best ways to make sure that money wasn't wasted. The next few posts will focus on The Writer's ROI (Return On Investment). Travel expenses, Conference Fees, Hotel Fees, Food and Drink. It all adds up. Go ahead, add it up.*  Let's say you spent $1000. Su re, you are treating your writer self, and you want to feel like you are "getting away from it all". For example, if I would have been more of an early bird this weekend, I would have loved to splurge and take advantage of the fresh-made omelet bar every morning (and maybe even a danish or two, or oooo--biscuits AND gravy). But I was there to learn about writing and marketing. I couldn't miss a session because I was waiting in line for someone to cook for me. A portion of my conference fees would be wasted! And yes, the breakfast is built in to the hotel room price, ...

Writing, as much as we love the creative part of it, becomes a business when we decide to become published authors. This becomes very clear when attending a writer's conference. The agent (or editor, or publisher) meeting is one of the staples of these conferences. If you decide to become a salesperson for your writing work (which is a necessity) by attending one of these meetings, here are a few things to keep in mind. Don't Let Your Elevator Speech Get Stuck Between Floors You have 10-15 minutes to pitch your work. This is not the time to be caught closed from your personality or claustrophobic because of the small spaces. Give yourself and the agent, editor, or publisher a smooth ride--describe your work in the most concise and interesting way possible.And by all means, be polite to the person sharing this elevator ride with you. They didn't have to stop on your floor at all. Go Yogi Breathe (in case you forget, it goes: Inhale, Exhale, Repeat) Focus on the mome...