Writing Conference Tips for Students and Introverts

Hate crowds? Love alone time? Shudder violently at the mere thought of ‘networking?’ You, too, can succeed at a writing conference! Here’s how.

Writing conference tips for students and accomplished writers can be more important than knowing what hotel to book. Consider Oregon author and essayist Tom Titus.

Titus knows that getting out into the world and interacting with people is beneficial to his writing career. But as an introvert, he finds it’s the last thing he wants to do.

“It requires a lot of energy to be an introvert in an extroverted world,” Titus explains, describing the daunting crush of 15,000 people in hallways and in workshops during the AWP Conference in Portland last spring.

But what if the over-stimulation of a writing conference makes you want to – as Titus quips – “hide under your hotel room bed curled into a fetal position and sucking your thumb?” He and other authors have developed techniques to help even the most introverted author navigate chaotic professional gatherings with success. Some deflect their anxiety by finding a conference buddy or volunteering at the event. Others painstakingly pre-plan their schedule, building in numerous breaks for alone time.

#1: Practice Talking to Strangers

The first and perhaps most important of the writing conference tips involves rehearsal.

Chicago writer and accessibility specialist Courtney Craven attends numerous gaming events, but they but found themselves overwhelmed at their first writing conference. “The imposter feeling that I think a lot of introverts deal with was a big issue for me,” they say. “Put me at a gaming conference, and I can go on for days, and all signs of introversion vanish. But in writing, there’s still that big ‘you don’t belong!’ wall I see because I’m still a student, I’m not published, and it’s hard for me to envision myself as belonging among people who have been successful as writers.”

Writing Conference Tips for Students & Introverts #2: Listen to Your Body

New Jersey author Steph Auteri describes herself as a “socially anxious introvert who likes to go to one writing conference a year.”

She had a wonderful time at her first conference, sponsored by the American Society of Journalists and Authors and held in New York City, in part because she’d been invited to speak as a panelist. Having a specific job to do – whether it’s appearing on a panel or working a table or volunteering in a workshop – is a lifesaver for many introverted writers.

When it comes to effective writing conference tips for students and introverts, Auteri found that when she attended the same event the next year as a participant without a specific task and surrounded by throngs of people, she had a very different experience.

“I felt myself wandering the halls with this bone-deep exhaustion and overwhelm, and I was thinking, ‘You paid all this money to be here; you can’t just leave this conference,’” she explains. But in the end, she left early and took the bus back home to New Jersey.

It’s important to have an exit strategy for meals, workshops, panels, or any other event that feels energy-draining rather than essential.

Conference meals can be particularly grueling for introverts, she notes. Often, writers find themselves sharing a table with 11 other people in a banquet hall setting two and three times a day. “If, at that point, I’m just staring at my food, I don’t initiate conversation,” she says. “I just let myself eat and be separate in the midst of the chaos without feeling like a total weirdo.”

She also reminds herself that she can simply leave the meal. “I tell myself, ‘You can go hide somewhere, and get back to the conference when you have the energy,’” she says.

Titus tells writers it’s important to have an exit strategy for meals, workshops, panels, or any other event that feels energy-draining rather than essential. He chooses a seat that allows him to leave a location without climbing over people and reminds himself that people aren’t judging him for walking out. “Part of that is learning that if you think people are thinking about you, it’s probably not true. They don’t really care about you; they’re not thinking about you at all,” he says.

Titus has learned to work with the tension of being an introvert at a writing conference. He understands that the anxiety fueling that tension also provides a certain amount of energy that he can use to turn on what he calls his “extrovert façade.” At AWP last spring, he found himself able to tap into that energy despite the crowds and make authentic connections with the people around him.

More Writing Conference Tips

“The best way for me to network at conferences is to be a speaker. Speaking is such an abstract experience that it’s devoid of much of the anxiety-producing social baggage of meeting people and having to engage one-on-one. I

“Meetup groups [found on meetup.com] are usually smaller in size and less stressful for introverts. I go to the local writers Meetup group near me on a regular basis. This has enabled me to make friends with whom I can then attend the larger writer conferences.

“Introverts are general avoiders of small talk and, as a result, [we] want to get to the juicy topics as quickly as possible. We crave genuine and authentic connection with people, so the quick and surface-level nature of conversations at conferences can be overwhelming. To avoid this, connecting with peers you’re interested in meeting ahead of time via social media or email could be a good solution. 

“No matter which you are (extrovert or introvert), start looking for those ‘angels’ who have something to teach you, without thinking about what they can do for you. That makes them the focus, and who doesn’t want to talk about themselves? This takes the pressure off the introvert, who now becomes the ‘interviewer.’”

Source:  Melissa Hart for the Writer©