A Sneak Peek at Writer's Conferences by Katie Hines

This past weekend I participated in an area writer's conference. There weren't a lot of attendees (maybe 60?), but I was excited because Jane Friedman, an editor from Writer's Digest, was going to be speaking and teaching several classes.

Then came the word: Jane was stuck at the airport and couldn't come after all. For any of the sessions.

I couldn't believe it! The one person I had really wanted to hear speak. Instead, the conference people scrambled and found others to fill her teaching spots. Doesn't pride come before a fall? Well, I found myself being prideful, thinking I couldn't learn anything from the other speakers, why I could probably--should probably--be a speaker myself!

How ridiculous were those ruminations?

These were folks with numerous publication credits under their belts, and I had to audacity to think I couldn't learn from them? Shame on me.

Turned out, the conference was dynamite, and I learned a ton. What a difference the right mindset makes. So don't fall into the trap that I did just because your favorite speaker isn't going to attend the conference you want to go to. There's ALWAYS a ton to learn, and I had the opportunity to learn a lot--once I changed my mindset.

Don't fall into the same trap I almost did! Go, learn, and improve your writing.

Katie's book, "Guardian," can be ordered through her publisher at http://4rvpublishingllc.com