by Megan Hart

Created on: December 20, 2009   Last Updated: December 21, 2009

There’s no doubt that professional education can be as important and beneficial to fiction writers as to anyone else; but, unlike many cut-and-dried business conferences, fiction-writing conference descriptions can be confusing and difficult to decide upon.

First, decide your purpose in attending a conference. Are you a new author looking for basic education in the building blocks of writing craft, or a multi-published novelist seeking to network with editors, agents and colleagues? There are conferences that offer a wide spectrum of experience as well as those that focus more closely on specifics, and it’s important to know why you’re going.

Second, decide your budget and time commitment. Conferences and workshops can range from simple, one day lectures to week-long events with many different “tracks” to even longer fellowships.  Once you’ve determined your purpose in attending a writing-related workshop, fit your budget to the one that best meets your needs. It might sound fabulous to attend that week-long conference in Hawaii, but if it’s geared toward published authors looking for networking opportunities and you’ve yet to publish anything, you might be wasting your money – even if you combine a luxurious holiday with the conference. There’s no savings if you’ve put your time and effort into an event that doesn’t suit your needs.

Third, prepare yourself appropriately. Remember that no matter what your professional level, it’s a good idea to present yourself in as polished and professional level as possible. If you’ll be meeting editors, agents, publishers and other authors, you want to be remembered as the author of that great book, not the person who showed up to all the panels dressed inappropriately. Even if you’re hanging out in the bar (a popular place at many writing conferences!), it’s never a good idea to overindulge in alcohol. Put your best face forward at all times. If you’re not sure what appropriate dress is, business casual is a good, neutral choice, along with something a bit dressier for nighttime social events that sometimes occur during conferences.

Tips for attending conferences and workshops

1. Bring business cards, but leave the manuscripts at home, unless the workshop provides critique sessions. Editors and agents, even if they’re interested in your book, rarely or never want to take it home with them. They prefer you to

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