San Francisco Writers Conference Recap

Celebrating a successful pitch session with Diana Alouise, a comedian and Beverly Hills hairstylist, who's written a memoir about life in Hollywood.

Right before the agent speed date with romance author Tina Drennan. We practiced our pitches, stayed positive, and we both did great!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whew! It has been a whirlwind weekend. After three full days of seminars, lectures, luncheons and an agent speed date, I’m back home at my laptop and eager to tell you about my experience at the conference.

This was my first time attending a writers conference, and I didn’t know what to expect. Here’s some advice: stay at the hotel. That’s right, even if you live in the next town. I thought sleeping at home in Oakland would help relax me,  but thanks to the Bay Bridge closure, all it did was stress me out. BART was crammed with people and on the day of my pitch, my train station was locked! I missed the agent breakfast. Luckily I drove to another station which was open, and caught the first train of the morning at 8:15am.

Want another reason to stay at the hotel? The lovely literary agents Katharine Sands and Verna Dreisbach were kind enough to host a pitchathon (critique session) that began at 9:00pm. The problem?  It went until midnight! I left at 10:45pm without getting a chance to pitch, because I needed sleep. Those are two very dedicated agents. They were on New York time!

It’s hard to pick a favorite seminar from the conference, because so many of them were helpful. But my top two were Publishing 2012: The View from the Flatiron Building with Jennifer Enderlin of St. Martin’s Press and Using Social Media to Maximize Your Publicity with Rusty Shelton of Shelton Interactive.

Jennifer explained what makes her buy a book. There are two main components: 1. She needs to feel something. 2. She wants to be surprised. She’s looking for smart writers and a book where she can’t predict what happens (because with 20 years in the business, she’s gotten pretty good at that!) Like a nerd, I approached her after the session and told her I’m a big Emily Giffin fan. Something Borrowed is one of the books Jennifer knew she had to have. And she got it!

In Rusty’s session on social media he explained the importance of creating relationships with key bloggers in your topic area. Start building your authority and expertise in a certain field, so people come to you for information.  Writers: don’t waste your time on Facebook. Get a Twitter handle with your name and start tweeting!

I can go more into depth with what I learned from the seminars in upcoming blog posts. Now I’ll continue with the highlights. My favorite speaker was Lolly Winston, author of Good Grief and Happiness Sold Separately. She was so funny! And like many of us, she held a series of jobs she hated before becoming an author. She urges us to turn rejection into redirection.

Finally, on to the agent speed date. It was more organized and relaxed than I expected. I wrote a new pitch the night before, and hoped it was a good one. I practiced that morning with fellow conference attendees, and got the reassurance I needed. The good news? I got several requests to submit my material! You can read my successful pitch here.

Even if I hadn’t gotten manuscript requests, the conference would have been totally worthwhile. I met amazing people. A fellow first time conference attendee, Greg Marcus tweeted, “I went looking for an agent and found a community.”

I couldn’t agree more! Thank you to everyone who made this conference the wonderful experience it was.

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by Meredith Jaeger on February 21, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in author platform, inspiration, literary agents, San Francisco Writer's Conference
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on February 21, 2012

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Stepping stones towards your future

Accomplishing major life goals takes time and dedication. Often determination is more important than talent. But in an age when we desire instant gratification, it feels difficult to put in the work. After all, we can download books, movies and songs in a few seconds, or have a cheeseburger and fries ordered in minutes. Thanks to the drive-through, we don’t even have to get out of our cars.

Unfortunately, dreams don’t come true overnight. They require forgoing some of the fun stuff in life. Maybe that means you can’t join friends bar hopping, because after a few too many gin and tonics both tonight’s and tomorrow’s writing session will be ruined. Or you want to veg out in front of the television, but you know that if you do, you’ll fall behind on your word count.

Sometimes the sacrifices are bigger. For the past two years, I’ve made my schedule a priority over my paycheck. I work 30 hours a week instead of 40, and have bypassed promotions in favor of less stress and more writing time. This is a personal choice. I see it as a step towards my big goal: being a published author.

It took me roughly seven months to write my first novel, and about six months to complete my second. The experiences were totally different. What began as a euphoric adventure became a self-imposed internship. I write because I love to, but writing is also work. When I get home from the office, I sit in front of the computer and type as much as I can. Some days I’m filled with inspiration, while on others words fail me. But I keep writing anyway.

I could have given up after my first novel didn’t land me an agent. I certainly felt depressed about it for a while. Or I could have rushed to self-publish, seeking the instant gratification of having my book online. I did neither.

Instead, I continued taking small steps forward. And you can too. Because your dream might be just around the corner, or over the hill, or ten paces in front of you.

Like Dory says in Finding Nemo, “Just keep swimming!”

 

 

 

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by Meredith Jaeger on February 14, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in inspiration, measuring success, setting goals, writing a novel
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on February 14, 2012

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Are you stuck on repeat?

Today, when I began my morning commute, I turned on my iPod just like I do every morning. Yesterday, I’d gone running and the last song I listened to was “Sexy Bitch.” (Electro music is my only workout motivation!) However, at eight-o’clock this morning, Akon’s horny crooning didn’t fit my mood and I tried to change songs. But my iPod was stuck. Jammed. Broken.

 

 

I listened to Sexy Bitch on the walk to the BART station. I listened to Sexy Bitch on the train. For twenty minutes, I angrily turned my iPod on and off, jamming the buttons, begging the menu screen to come back… it didn’t. But David Guetta’s thumping dance beat did, over and over and over again.

This got me thinking about how obnoxious it is to hear something stuck on repeat.

Sometimes it’s the complaints of strangers, overheard during San Francisco’s Financial District lunch rush. They hate their coworkers. They hate their boss. They’re not appreciated. Or maybe it’s a friend who isn’t happy with her life, but doesn’t know how to make a change. Her  inner critic  is coming up with a hundred reasons not to go after the life she really wants.

One thing is for certain: repeating negative thoughts and beliefs will get you nowhere.

Many people go through the motions in life like they don’t have any other choice. Thought patterns emerge:  ”I’m bored and unfulfilled at work, but if I don’t have a steady paycheck, I’ll go broke and become homeless. If I break away from tradition, no one will respect me. If I fail at what I try to achieve, I will never recover from the shame.”

This fear soundtrack is what keeps people from going after their dreams. Dreams are scary. There is no guarantee of success, or receiving external validation. Most people probably won’t understand your need to live outside the box. Which is why you have to be the one in charge. No one else is going to help. You have to get out of your own way.

Here are some tips to hit “stop” on the loop of negative thinking:

1. Eliminate toxic people from your life. You don’t need frenemies who bring bad energy to you. Surround yourself with people who support and nurture your creative side.

2. Be honest with yourself. Is the goal you’re going after making you happy? If your answer is yes, pursue it 100%. If your answer is “maybe” or “no,” then stop right there. You don’t need to do something just because you (or someone else) think you should. Do it because it makes you feel alive!

3. Take baby steps. Don’t expect change overnight. Do a little work on your passion project every day. There’s a group of people in New York called the Nightowls, chasing their dreams from 10pm-4am, many with day jobs. How’s that for dedication?!

4. Give yourself permission to choose your own life. It’s yours. Live it however the hell you want to. You only get one!

If you’re going to repeat something in your head, try to make it a positive thought. You are worthy. You can do whatever you set your mind to. You deserve to have a dream.

And dammit, you are a sexy bitch!

 

 

 

 

6 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on February 7, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in creativity, inspiration, measuring success, setting goals, the law of attraction
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on February 7, 2012

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The One Sentence Pitch

I’ve finally come up with a 3 paragraph pitch I’m satisfied with, which (hopefully) does a good job describing the characters and conflict in my novel. But now I face an even more daunting task: the dreaded 1 sentence pitch.

Condensing a 300 hundred page story to a blurb is hard enough. Now I have to squeeze everything into a sentence? That’s like trying to fit into a pair of my little sister’s jeans (she’s a runner). Try as I might to zip them, it ain’t gonna happen.

But I know this pitch will be essential at the San Francisco Writer’s Conference. With agents and editors walking around, I might run into one of them in line for the bathroom, or in the elevator (they don’t call it an elevator pitch for nothing!) If I don’t get dizzy, tongue tied or paralyzed with fear, I could have the chance to explain, briefly, what my book is about.

Nathan Bransford has a helpful blog post on the one sentence pitch here. He explains that the pitch must contain the opening conflict, the obstacle and the quest.  Nathan says, “A good pitch is a description of what actually happens. It’s a one sentence description of the plot, not the theme.” Yikes. So as tempting as it would be to write, “A twenty-something woman searches for love and happiness,” this is strictly verboten. Too generic, it could describe a hundred chick-lit novels.

And then I found the site that came to my rescue. You know what it is? IMDB! In addition to providing sexy pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal the internet movie database has one sentence descriptions of every movie listed. Take for example, One For the Money, based on the book by Janet Evanovich. IMDB says: “Unemployed and newly-divorced Stephanie Plum lands a job at her cousin’s bail-bond business, where her first assignment puts her on the trail of a wanted local cop from her romantic past.”

Boom! That’s a good pitch. I haven’t even read the book and it sounds interesting. We learn Stephanie is divorced and jobless (obstacle) she’s on her first assignment (quest) and she needs to catch a cop from her romantic past (conflict).

I’m not ready to share my own pitch yet, but at least I feel like I’m on the right path. So instead I’ll leave you with this! :)

Meredith wants to buy a burrito, but she’s afraid by the time she gets back she’ll have missed The Bachelor, so she sits at her computer hungry.  Thoughts? (Don’t judge me for my ways!)

8 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on January 31, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in One Sentence Pitch, San Francisco Writer's Conference, women's fiction, writing a novel
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on January 31, 2012

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It’s my blogiversary! (And here’s how you can help)

Okay, so it’s not really my blogiversary. The official date of my first post was January 28th, 2011. But I want to be consistent with posting on Mondays, which is why I’m celebrating early.

It has been quite a year. Looking back at this post I have to smile at the optimism I displayed, even though I was a little clueless. After winning Pitchapalooza, nothing came of it. There was no arranged connection with an agent, or footstep in the door. I was discouraged (and pissed off) but learned to be resilient.

I continued revising my novel. I sent out (many) batches of query letters, danced around my kitchen when fulls were requested and cried when they were rejected later. I started reading craft books on writing and blogs dissecting the publishing industry. I learned about Twitter, and that it’s not just a fan worship site for Justin Bieber. I met friends on Twitter. I met critique partners on Twitter. I found #chicklitchat on Twitter, a whole tribe of people who read what I read. I joined Goodreads. I went to meet Nathan Bransford at a book signing, and to free seminars as part of San Francisco’s Litquake festival.

And then, just when I thought I was doing everything right, I got a rejection that really stung. A super-cool agent had my full, but she passed. It was the final “No Thanks” that sent my manuscript to its coffin (a folder on my desktop). Did I cry? You bet. I wondered why I’d wasted so much time on rewrites.

My critique partner was there to give me some tough love. She told me not to stop writing, that the only way to get over the loss of “my baby” was to start something new. It wasn’t easy. I still think about my first novel, and how much I love the story. But I moved on. And now I (almost!) have a second novel to show for it.

Next month, I’m taking the biggest step in my journey yet. I’ll be pitching my novel to agents at the San Francisco Writer’s Conference. The lovely folks at Query Tracker helped me get my pitch in top shape. But I need to show these agents I’m ready to market myself. Which is where you come in. If you like my blog,  please consider subscribing. A platform is essential in publishing, and right now I have 27 (fabulous) followers, but I need more. I promise I won’t bombard you with emails.

If you are a friend on Facebook, Twitter, or a secret lurker, please help me reach my next goal. So many of us are chasing this dream of publication together, and we need each other for support. I don’t know what developments will happen this year, but I can’t wait to post on January 23rd, 2013 and tell you about it. Because even if I’ve chosen the indie route, at least I won’t have stopped writing.

6 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on January 24, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in author platform, Book reading, critique group, inspiration, literary agents, San Francisco Writer's Conference, setting goals, twitter, women's fiction, writing a novel
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on January 24, 2012

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Be your own boss

For everyone stuck in a traditional 9-5 job, there’s something magical about a three day weekend. That extra day off from work allows a glimpse into a  lifestyle where you call the shots. Writing can be given priority over checking emails. Or cleaning the apartment might get done before updating the blog. The bottom line is, the day is yours.

Shouldn’t every day feel like this? It’s easy to get caught up in the rat race and to forget you only have one life to live. I’ve attempted to find balance by working part-time. But even at 30 hours a week, sometimes I find myself exhausted. I keep thinking about how my energy would be better spent writing, blogging or painting, doing the things that feed my soul.

In today’s post I’m featuring fearless females  in whose footsteps I’d like to follow. (How’s that for alliteration?) These ladies have made the leap to entrepreneurship and aren’t looking back. Last week I featured Kristin Offiler, a freelance writer going it solo. But there are other ways to generate income besides writing.

Alexis Grant describes herself as a “slasher”, a “journalist/social media strategist/entrepreneur.” Alexis has not only has written a travel memoir, but she helps individuals and small businesses understand social media and blogging. She has  e-guides to coach others with building a social media business, or taking a career break to travel. When I was new to Twitter, and unsure how to approach literary agents online, Alexis was the first person I emailed, because I knew she’d help me figure it out!

Rebecca Tracey is a life coach and creator of The Uncaged Life, a blog about breaking out of the traditional box, which some of us feel forced into. She says it best: “I help freedom-seeking fanatics bust out of their self-imposed cages (which are usually cubicle-shaped) and create lives + careers that cheerfully defy conventional logic.” She’s spreading the love by encouraging others to follow their dreams, and in doing so, following her own.

Adriana Willsie is an artist, who specializes in pet portraits. I think her artwork is gorgeous, and feel ashamed that I haven’t picked up my own paint brushes in over a year. But she’s inspired me to create a new tab on my blog, to share my artwork with you. Adriana says, “I paint the people we love, the places that form us, and the pets that brighten our lives. I love watching my artwork go out into the world as mother’s day packages, birthday presents, wedding gifts, and thinking-of-you treats. “

So what do these three women have in common? They’ve all followed the traditional path before, with degrees from respected universities and jobs that weren’t creative. But they had the guts to break away from that life, and to charge full speed ahead towards a personal goal. Sure it’s scary, but so worth the risk.

I haven’t made the leap yet, but these women give me the nudge of encouragement I need. I will not stop writing. I will not stop dreaming. Like the Henry David Thoreau quote I wrote in giant letters on my bedroom wall in high school, “This world is but canvas to our imaginations.”

 

8 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on January 17, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in creativity, inspiration, measuring success, setting goals, social networking
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on January 17, 2012

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Guest Post by Kristin Offiler: The Freelance Writing Life

First off, thank you to Meredith for having me on the blog today! I’m excited to connect with her readers and hear what you guys have to say on the subject of freelancing.

My name is Kristin and I’m a freelance writer. I started freelancing as a way to distract myself from a really miserable office job. While I was in graduate school working towards my MFA, I worked part time at a doctor’s office. I was the only employee besides the doctor, which meant I shouldered the work of multiple people—on a part-time basis. Add to that the fact that my job wasn’t even remotely related to what I wanted to do with my life, and the result was a depressing case of frustration and desperation.

I was eager to find a way out of the office, or at least a way to feel like a working writer while I toughed it out for the regular paycheck my job provided. So, I pitched the idea of a book review column to the local paper and they hired me on as a freelancer, and after a couple of months started assigning me feature articles, too.

I quickly realized that if I could keep a steady momentum with the newspaper pieces I was writing, I could easily make and even exceed the money I was making at my part-time job.

So I quit my office job, sort of blindly, just six months before my wedding and in the middle of our search for a house.

In retrospect, it was probably not the smartest thing to do, leaving a steady paycheck like that, but I wouldn’t change a thing now.

Slowly but surely I started building up a social media presence and scoured countless blogs and books for every tip on becoming a successful freelance writer. I took a few e-courses. I built a website. I started blogging. And eventually, work came in on a more regular basis.

Right now, I make money blogging, copywriting for a local web design firm, writing articles, and crafting resumes. I’m in the process of creating my first e-course and working on my first novel, as well.

How do you know if the freelance life is for you? I won’t lie, it’s not easy. I work from home, so some days my biggest challenge is getting out of my own way so I can sit down to work. Motivation wanes. Being alone with a dog all day can sometimes get lonely. And there’s nothing regular or steady about my income right now, which makes me that much more grateful for my husband’s job and his regular paycheck.

But I believe there’s something inside freelance writers (and all independent business owners, really) that won’t let them brush off self-employment without at least trying it. I’m not terribly  business-minded like my two brothers (one of which is an future-accountant and tax professional, thank God), but I’ve learned that if there’s something I want to do and I don’t know how to do it, I just have to figure it out. I had no idea how to make money as a freelancer at first—who does, really? But I sought out advice from professionals, I subscribed to blogs and newsletters of writers I admired, and I started making connections in the field. It’s amazing what begins to happen when you take the first few steps towards a desire; doors begin to open, referrals are made, your name comes up in conversation, and before you know it, you’ve got assignments and clients.

The thing with freelancing, though, is it’s usually one big feast or famine cycle until you get into a rhythm and outsmart the cycle. You learn stay a step ahead of the proverbial famine, or at least try to. It can feel like an endless hustle, the reward outweighs the frustration. If it didn’t, I’d be working in an office, hopefully doing something at least slightly related to writing.

By the way, I don’t spend every minute of the day writing. I take my dog for walks, sometimes do laundry and empty the dishwasher, run to the library (this is a weekly occurrence for me), and if the stars align, meet friends for coffee or lunch. I go to meetings with the web designers I write for, outline new business ideas, and sometimes, I just veg out and knit in front of the television. It’s true, but some days my knitting needles, a cozy blanket, and daytime television lull me into the mindless trance I need when I’ve been staring at the computer for too long.

If freelancing sounds like something you’d like to do, first off, don’t quit your day job yet. Start by writing on the side. Figure out what kind of writing really lights you up—is it magazine writing? Copy writing? Blogging? Write part time to test out the freelance life. And if you’ve never checked the web for awesome writers to connect with, do that first and foremost! Connect on Twitter, through blogs, subscribe to newsletters, comment on posts. Read what other successful writers are doing, creating, and saying. Learn as much as you can from them. Connections are invaluable, and you’ll likely meet some lovely friends along the way!

Kristin Offiler is a freelance writer in Rhode Island. She wrote a guest blog series in 2011 for LendingTree.com, is a CelebLove blogger for YourTango.com, crafts winning resumes for job-seekers, and is a copywriter, too. She’s currently working on her first novel and is also working on getting her short stories published. You can find her at KristinOffiler.com and on her blog at KristinOffiler.wordpress.com.

3 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on January 10, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Freelance writing, inspiration, setting goals
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on January 10, 2012

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Writing goals and New Year’s resolutions

Have you ever found an old notebook or diary and smiled at the words scribbled inside? Or cringed in embarrassment? Whether you believe in New Year’s resolutions or not, the end of December is a time for personal reflection. It’s natural for us to look back on past mistakes and successes, trying to judge what progress (if any) was made.

I have several writing journals lying around my apartment, all from Daiso Japan (with awesome phrases like, “Fruit train.  It is a train that carries your dream.”) Yesterday I opened one,  and saw notes for my last novel, The Trouble with Twenty Two. I can feel the hope and determination in my messy handwriting. In the spirit of Oprah and The Secret, I had one entire page written as a letter to myself, affirming that I already had an agent and life was better than ever. It’s header was, “Rejection is temporary, publication is forever!” Circled below it,  I’d written, “Get an agent by December 2010!”

It is December 2011 and that hasn’t happened. In fact, my list of New Year’s resolutions for 2012 is frighteningly similar if not identical to 2011′s resolutions. Here they are again:

1. Get an agent

2. Lose weight/exercise more

3. Discover the secret to becoming self-employed (Still make money, yet spend the day at home in my pajamas writing fiction. Thoughts anyone?)

4. Practice gratitude

Does this mean I haven’t accomplished anything? I may not have lost any weight (But who wants to do that anyway? In n’ Out is delicious) but I have grown as a writer.  I’m not making futile attempts at  querying my first novel anymore. Instead, I’m nearly done with my second. And I get to add some new goals:

5. Finish second novel by February for the San Francisco Writer’s Conference

6. Grow my platform  with social networking

7. Book a venue for my wedding and start planning (So far writing has been the only thing on my mind.)

I saw a great post on Freshly Pressed today titled Five Ways to Find Your Future. The author writes, “While creating your new future you’ll be tempted to blame others for your disappointing present. That thinking destroys your future. Stop blaming others for the choices you’ve made. Your future begins when you own it.”

I think that’s what’s so exciting about being on the cusp of a new year. It’s a chance to look towards the future and to think about how to create the change we want. Embrace the person you are now, flaws and all, but think about who you can become. Let this vision of your new self guide you onward.

8 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on December 30, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in author platform, inspiration, literary agents, measuring success, San Francisco Writer's Conference, setting goals, writing a novel
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on December 30, 2011

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Silencing your inner critic

With the holidays upon us, it’s easy to make excuses not to write. There’s shopping to be done  for Christmas and Hanukkah presents, trees to be decorated, cards to be mailed and office chocolates to be eaten. But wrapping presents at the last minute isn’t the real reason I’m not working on my novel right now. Instead it’s a nagging voice I know all too well. My inner critic.

This voice inside my head is trying to stop me from creating. I’m nearly three-quarters into my novel, but all of a sudden the critic has started whispering in my ear. She says things like, “Everything you write is crap. Who wants to read this anyway?”

It doesn’t seem logical. I’m almost there,  past the halfway mark. But having reached the “crisis” stage, I feel like I can’t move forward. What if the high energy crisis scene is ridiculous,  melodramatic or poorly written? What if the climax is even worse? My inner critic has convinced me when I sit down to pitch my novel at the San Francisco Writer’s Conference, agents are going to laugh.

I’m still reading The Plot Whisperer by Martha Alderson, using it as a tool on my writing journey. Martha writes, “Writers typically reach a crisis point about three-quarters of the way through writing a novel, memoir or screenplay…you feel ready to cry and throw up your hands. Deep creases on either side of your mouth sag all the way down to your chin.”

Normally these excerpts from the book comparing the writer’s life to the protagonist’s life cause me to roll my eyes, because I think it’s a bunch of baloney. But Martha may be onto something. In the past two days, I’ve gotten the stomach flu (resulting in 5 hours of non-stop vomiting) and received a medical bill higher than my monthly salary, not covered by my insurance. Blue Shield is definitely the Grinch who stole Christmas.

It feels easy to go into a tailspin, plummeting towards depression. But Martha has a few words of encouragement. She writes, “A story is about the protagonist reclaiming her own personal power. The same thing applies to you on your writer’s journey…Know your part in the breakdown and you will see it in your story, too. Take back your power.”

My inner critic tells me I don’t blog often enough, my story isn’t good enough and I should have read the fine print of my insurance plan. I’m trying to shut that voice out. Right now I need support more than ever. I’m lucky to have loving friends and family, a cat who snuggles with me when I’m sick, and a goal worth pursuing.

Granted, accomplishing this goal won’t be easy-but life never is. Rather than becoming a victim and giving up, I will continue moving forward. And the only way to do that is to tell my inner critic to  be quiet. I know this won’t happen right away. But I’m hoping with some practice, that nagging voice will be barely audible.

Let’s hope this weekend I can drown it out with some Christmas carols. Happy Holidays!

 

10 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on December 24, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in San Francisco Writer's Conference, Uncategorized, writing a novel
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on December 24, 2011

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Invest in yourself

I’m not the type of person to pamper myself. I never get manicures (though I’d like to) and my hair is showing a few inches of brown roots because I feel terrible about how much highlights cost. I don’t own a smart phone, an iPad, or anything techie. I  buy many of my clothes at second-hand shops, and my shoes come from either Ross (dress for less!) or Payless.

You get the point. I like to think I’m frugal. Spending money makes me uncomfortable. But there’s been something on my mind for the past few years.  The San Francisco Writer’s Conference. I couldn’t stop wondering… is it worth the investment?

Back when I completed an early draft of my first novel in 2009, my critique partner told me she was attending the conference. Starry eyed and clueless, I imagined a room full of agents eager to sign me. But I couldn’t justify spending so much on registration. Flash forward a year later- I’d been given a dose of reality. Fighting my way out of the slush pile was brutal, especially when agents on Twitter announced they sign most clients through conferences. Another year came and went. No conference. No Agent.

This year is different.  I’m familiar with the importance of social networking for authors and I’ve read books on the craft of writing. I Google my name to make sure my blog and Twitter page pop up: the things agents want to see. I no longer believe my first novel is “The One.”  But my second novel might be.

So I asked my mom for the biggest Christmas present I could think of. To attend the San Francisco Writer’s Conference. And because she’s awesome, loving and supportive- she said yes.

Now I have a strong incentive to finish book two. I’m being held accountable for my actions. And February 16th-19th, 2012, I’m going to meet other writers, like me, fighting for the same dream. I’m pitching my novel at the infamous ‘Speed Dating for Agents’. I’ll only have 3 minutes in a crowded room to make my voice heard.  Am I nervous? Yes. Do I want this? Hell yes!

In the past, due to my lack of credentials, I didn’t feel I deserved to invest in my writing life. That was my negativity talking. I don’t want to listen to it anymore. In fact, I’m ordering business cards for the conference. And for the first time in eight years,  they’re not going to say “administrator.”

My message to you is- give yourself a chance! Do whatever scary thing will bring you closer to your goal. Sign up for those surfing lessons, start your own business, launch that website you’ve been dreaming of. Invest in yourself. You are worth it.

And maybe by the time the conference rolls around, I’ll have finally  retouched my highlights. :)

4 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on December 8, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in author platform, inspiration, literary agents, San Francisco Writer's Conference, setting goals, twitter, writing a novel
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on December 8, 2011

http://thetroublewithtwentytwo.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/invest-in-yourself/

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