BLOGWORDS – 25 September 2017 – NEW WEEK NEW FACE – GUEST POST – LYNN BLACKBURN

NEW WEEK NEW FACE – GUEST POST – LYNN BLACKBURN

 

 

I love writing conferences. Big ones, small ones. Near ones, far ones. I love attending them as a conferee and I love being on faculty.

 

But as much as I love them, conferences wear me out—usually by mid-afternoon of the first full day, if not earlier. (I once had something very close to a panic attack while in line for registration).

 

Over the years I’ve come up with a few tips and tricks—some self-care for the conference attending writer—that help me get the most out of each new experience.

1. Recognize the need for self-care. Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish, arrogant, or anti-social. This is about survival. You’ve spent a lot of money and invested time and energy to attend this event and you owe it to yourself (and everyone who has sacrificed to help you be there) to make the most of it. You can’t do that if you’re walking around in a daze or avoiding conversations.

 

2. Prepare for the conference BEFORE you leave home. You’ll feel more confident and less stressed if you’ve spent some time looking at the schedule and familiarizing yourself with the layout of the facility.

3. Hydrate. Seriously. I mess this up every time. It isn’t until I realize my hands and feet are swelling and I feel parched that I remember how little water I’ve had. Conferences tend to be the kind of places where you consume a lot of caffeinated beverages and sodium laden foods. We underestimate how much we need to stay hydrated to be able to think clearly. Take a bottle of water with you everywhere you go!

 

4. Give yourself permission to skip a session. I know you don’t want to miss anything, but just because you signed up for a class doesn’t mean you have to go. Sometimes what you need most is a nap. Or time in a prayer room. You might need to spend catching up with a friend. The conference experience is about more than how many classes you attend so don’t stress about it.

 

5. Don’t fight your wiring, but don’t let it keep you from getting the most out of the conference. If you’re an extrovert and you loving being around so many like-minded writers, enjoy all the socializing. Just don’t forget to cement the things you’re learning in your mind. For some extroverts that might mean talking about what you just learned in a class with a fellow conferee. Or you could make a voice recording on your phone so you can get those thoughts out of your head so you won’t forget them. If you’re an introvert, take a break when you need to. Just don’t hide in your room so long that you fail to take advantage of the networking opportunities that exist between and after sessions.

6. Get your rest. My conference motto tends to be “I’ll sleep when I get home” and I still do that if the conference is short in duration. But I have learned the hard way that if I’m attending a conference that’s longer than two nights, I need to be sure I get at least one early bedtime or skip breakfast so I can sleep in—or both. This may not apply to you if you’re under 40. 🙂

 

Are you a regular writing conference attendee? Do you have any tips you could add to the list? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

 

Grace and peace,

Lynn

 

Lynn H. Blackburn believes in the power of stories, especially those that remind us that true love exists, a gift from the Truest Love. She’s passionate about CrossFit, coffee, and chocolate (don’t make her choose) and experimenting with recipes that feed both body and soul. She lives in South Carolina with her true love, Brian, and their three children. Her first book, Covert Justice, won the 2016 Selah Award for Mystery and Suspense and the 2016 Carol Award for Short Novel. Her second book, Hidden Legacy, released in June 2017 and her new Dive Team Investigations series kicks off in March of 2018 with Beneath the Surface. You can follow her real life happily ever after at www.LynnHBlackburn.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

 

 

 

 

 

#Blogwords, New Week New Fact, #NWNF, Guest Post, Lynn Blackburn, Writer’s Conference, Prepare, Hydrate, Rest, Self Care