Networking

Call me insane - more money than sense - but I've just booked to attend the Festival of Writing at York University in April.

I've attended similar events...hell I've even organised them! But I'm still not convinced by them.

I'm going for the full package - 1 x four hour "mini-course", 6 x one hour workshops...and 2 chances to pitch to an agent/editor...I'd better get writing then!

But on the whole, are these things a good idea?

FantasyCon, the event that I've organised, focuses on fantasy & horror fiction. Those who attend include readers, writers, artists, editors and agents. If theses events suffer from anything it's that they attempt to be all things to all people.

The event at York shouldn't have that problem. Published authors, editors and agents will attend but their focus will be on unpublished authors. While there, they will know that they are surrounded by wannabes. Does that make networking any easier?

I remember an anthology editor once saying that he is happy to attend events like these, and he's happy to chat to people off the record. But he's not a fan of being "pitched to over a pint".

I don't find it easy to schmooze complete strangers. I find it particularly difficult to schmooze them when they are perfectly aware that I'm only talking to them because of the favours they could do me.

The last of these events I attended was the "creative Thursday" of the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival. It consisted of a series of "talks" that sometimes did what they said on the tin, and were sometimes about completely different subjects. They also experimented with The Dragon's Pen - where aspiring writers pitch their novels to a panel of agents/editors. It was okay but I didn't feel it was the best use of my time/money.

So why am I signing up for another, more expensive one? Good question! My only answer is that I am determined that this is going to be my year and, I'm hoping, that by taking these steps the Universe will meet me half way.