A Teen’s Take on Writers Conferences by Ashley Schaller

You saw a listing for a writing conference. It looks amazing. You’re excited, then doubts creep in. Am I ready? Will they take me seriously? Is it worth the money? Pitch appointments? I can’t do that!

As a teen writer, I often ask myself these questions when signing up for writing conferences. I’ve had some of these fears and I’m sure many of you have experienced them too. Maybe you’re going through them now. It’s okay. Recently, I went to the Ohio Christian Writers Conference (OCWC). It was wonderful. But, like many of you, I was nervous.

Let’s take a more in depth look at the questions above, and I’ll share the answers I experienced.

• Am I ready?

The great thing is you don’t have to be. Preparation is good, but not vital. At OCWC there were attendees who hadn’t begun writing yet. But you know what? They left inspired and ready to start.

• Will they even take me seriously?

Despite the fact that I am years younger than most of the attendees at OCWC, I was treated with just as much respect as everyone else. My writing was taken seriously. I was taken seriously. My fears were put at ease and I was able to socialize without fear of being underestimated.

• Is it worth the money?

You learn so much, and make so many connections (I wouldn’t be writing this article if not for one of those connections), both with faculty and other writers. OCWC bent over backwards to make their conference affordable. And while it’s ultimately up to you to decide if the conference is worth your time/money, I feel like I got every penny’s worth out of OCWC.

• Pitch Appointments

These very words inspire anxiety. But, take a deep breath. It’s okay. Conferences like OCWC offer appointments where you sit down across from a professional and talk. A lot of attendees use this opportunity to pitch their books, but if you’re too nervous or don’t feel like your story is ready for that step, you don’t have to. Take this time to ask questions. You can ask about writing, blogging, marketing, or the business side of the industry. Anything writing related. Don’t stress. The faculty are there to help you and answer your questions. At OCWC, I’m not going to lie, I was nervous. But, both of the ladies that I had appointments with were extremely nice. One prayed with me before my session and hugged me afterwards. (She’s the reason I’m writing this).

Here are a few other benefits of conferences:

• You learn a lot.

It can be overwhelming, but set aside time after the conference to digest what you’ve learned.

Every conference I’ve attended has books for sale. And, usually, the authors of these books are walking around the same building you are, often teaching classes and meeting with conference goers. It’s totally okay to ask them to sign your book.

• You never know what connections you’ll make.

This is true with both the faculty and attendees. You never know what friends you’ll make, and who knows, maybe you’ll walk away from the conference with requests for your manuscript.

So, pray about that conference. See if it’s something God’s calling you to do. If the answer is yes, go. Enjoy your experience. Make connections. Learn. And have fun. God has a plan for you and if He’s called you to this conference, it won’t be a waste of time.

Ashley Schaller enjoys reading about reckless, headstrong heroes, prefers tea over coffee, and loves dollhouse miniatures. When not writing, she can often be found curled up with a book.