What’s Next After a Writing Conference?

by Tammy Karasek @TickledPinkTam

Writers are halfway through the 2023 conference season. From east to west, online and in person, writers have met from a day to a week to sharpen their writing ability. They’ve gathered to learn new techniques or the next step in their career paths. They’ve met new friends, editors and agents on the journey to publication.

If you’ve attended a writing conference, you understand the brain overload by the end of it. You’ve taken notes and traded business cards. Faculty appointments made you nervous and now may require follow-up homework or further information requests.

Back home. Now what? 

Take a breath. Then begin the process to tackle that list of additional work to be done by you upon your arrival home. It may be overwhelming, so break it down with these simple steps.

Simple Steps to Stay on Track After a Writing Conference

1. Get your conference info organized. Empty your tote bag, laptop case or whatever you tucked all things conference into. Business cards into a pile to get to later. Notes on your desk to sort through and highlight the items you want to do with your current WIP (Work in Progress). Check your phone for any notes from appointments or photos of presentations you’ve taken. 

2. Create a list of your follow-up items in priority order. This will keep you on task and allow you to complete all projects from the conference.

Once you’ve organized yourself, you’re ready to work down your list. To have your list of projects in priority order, you will set yourself up for a successful follow-through. Items that need your attention fast, do soon after you’ve returned.

3. Send any information requested as quick as you can. You may have learned you need to include other information or have certain items sent with a requested proposal. Polish your submission, then follow through with that request. It’s reported, 80% of people who had requests for proposals or other information from an agent or editor never send it. Be the 20%—send it!

4. Did you tell someone you met you’d send something to them? Do that next.

5. Take the nice pile of business cards you traded and connect with those conferees through their websites, blogs, and social media accounts. Sign up for their newsletter if it is something you’d be interested in. 

6. Go through that stack of class notes or notes from your phone and highlight items you want to use soon to improve how you write. Something in your notes you didn’t quite catch or understand? Research the topic. If the faculty person offered you their email, reach out for further explanation.

7. If you enjoyed a class you took, why not email your faculty member and let them know? They would appreciate that.

I’ve included a few tips to do when you return from a writing conference. If you’ve attended one this year, what would you add to the list? I’m sure I’ve only hit on a few—share your helpful tips below in the comments.

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Tammy Karasek uses humor and wit to bring joy and hope to every aspect in life. Her past, filled with bullying and criticism from family, drives her passion to encourage and inspire others and give them The Reason to smile. She’s gone from down and defeated to living a “Tickled Pink” life as she believes there’s always a giggle wanting to come out! A writer of Romance—with a splash of sass. She’s also The Launch Team Geek helping authors launch their books and also a Virtual Assistant for several best-selling authors. She is now under contract for her book on Launch Teams due to release Fall 2023. Her work was also published in a Divine Moments Compilation Book—Cool-inary Moments. She’s also the Social Media Manager for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, Founding President and current Vice-President of ACFW Upstate SC, and Founding President of Word Weavers Upstate SC. She’s a writing team member for The Write Conversation Blog, Novel Academy, MBT Monday Devotions, The Write Editing and more. Connect with Tammy at HTTPS://WWW.TAMMYKARASEK.COM.