8 Reasons To Attend Writers Festivals

Promotion from Previous Melbourne Writers Festival

Writers Festivals - what's the appeal? Hate crowds and not much of a mingler, plus, time is such a valuable commodity in our society, I'm very frugal with mine. This is why my form of socialising and undertaking courses is usually done online. But...

Writers Festivals. I want to attend. I've never been and it seems a mysteriously creative and joyful event. There are workshops, seminars and festivities (otherwise it wouldn't be called a festival - right?). As mentioned in, A Writer's To Do List, I've decided to go to the Brisbane Writers Festival. It's going to be a bit costy with the workshops and travel expenses, but I think the festival will get me writing more productively.

Festivals provide:

1. Deadlines - The date of the festival is set, so, I'll want to have my WIP edits done and as much written for my next MS as possible. I always work better with deadlines (as you can see from No Time To Finish That Novel?)
2. Enthusiasm - This is so exciting for me (my first festival)..
3. Professionalism - I'll feel like a real writer (maybe I'll get a name tag!), I like tricks that make me feel like a writer - see my post Getting in the Mood.
4. Contacts - Festivals provide a great opportunity to network with authors, agents and publishers.
5. Industry Knowledge - I'll learn how the querying process and publishing business works. I'm almost up to the query process, and found some great links: Q is for Query
6. Role Models - Speakers provide examples of how they overcame the common obstacles to become published. I often look to established authors for great examples, see Effective Websites for Authors
7. Marketing Advice - Writers need to do more than just write their books now, so I'll learn a lot of tips on how to market myself as an author and my work. For more on marketing see earlier posts: Give Readers Something More and Niche Markets = Loyal Readers.
8. Socialising - I'm sure to meet other writers and bloggers and form life-long friendships.

Have you attended a writers festival, and if so, what did you get out of it? Have a link to a festival you want to share? Mine is The Brisbane Writers Festival.