It’s writers conference season! And um, guys. REALM MAKERS IS LESS THAN TWO MONTHS AWAY. *muffled shrieking*

If you don’t know, Realm Makers is a writers conference geared toward Christian speculative fiction writers and seriously the BEST place to be. I went last year for the first time (you can read my recap of it HERE) and it was, without a doubt, one of the greatest experiences of my life. 50/10 recommend.

I know a lot of you are going to RM this year (AND I CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU AND SEE SO MANY OF YOU AGAIN *SQUEALS*) or you may be planning for another writers conference. And, let’s be real, writers conferences can be OVERWHELMING. Like what do you do? What should you bring? How should you act? What’s going to happen????

Whooooa. Deep breath.

I know. Boy do I know! Not only was last year my first time to go to Realm Makers, but my first writers conference EVER. I was a ball of panic and stress. Just ask my friends and family. I had NO clue what I was doing or what I was supposed to do. And, so, I researched. A LOT. So. Much. Researching. From what to bring to a writers conference, to how to act, to what to expect. By the time I actually got there, I, shockingly, felt pretty prepared.

SO. Today I want to help relieve your stress! Not that I…really know what I’m doing. *cough, cough* I’m no writers conference expert. Lololol. I’ve still only really been to the one. But there’s not all that much I look back at during RM and think, “Man, I wish I had *insert important thing I forgot here*!” So maaaybe I can be of some help. (Let’s just ignore the fact that this year I’ve barely even started preparing for anything. Hahahahahaha halp.)

This post got, erm, a little longer than I meant it to. But I’ve sectioned it off in three different categories.

In this post you’ll find a guide for:

• What to prepare ahead of time
• What to pack
• And what to expect/do once you’re there

So if you’re looking for advice on any one of those things but don’t want to wade through this whole guide, you can just search for or scroll down to those sections.

REALM MAKERS
SURVIVAL GUIDE

What to Prepare Ahead of Time

BUSINESS CARDS

If I could give you just one piece of advice for a writers conference it is BRING BUSINESS CARDS.

A big reason for writers conferences is NETWORKING. Meeting other authors, making connections, putting yourself out there and letting all these amazing likeminded people know who you are and where to find you online. But, well, if you don’t have a business card to give them…how will they find you?

The thing about Realm Makers is you’re meeting like dozens of people in a whirlwind of 3 days. Once you get back home, chances of remembering everyone’s names are pretty low. (Or that may just be my bad memory…?) It would be devastating to meet this epic new friend only to realize…you have NO clue how to find them online. Or maybe you’re talking to someone and they ask how to find YOU, but you’re in a rush to get to a class and don’t have time to write down all your info.

WHOOSH!

Whip out your business card! It makes you look professional AND has everything people need to find you again.

What I suggest to add to your card:

• Your name (Duh, Christine.)
• Who you are/what you do (Mine says “Writer, Reader, Blogger” since…that’s what I do. If you’re an editor, you’re going to want to advertise that! Or maybe you design websites or book covers. Make sure your business card tells us!)
• Email address
• Blog/website URL
• ALL social media links (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, wherever you are are online and want to connect with fellow writers/readers.)
• A picture of you (OPTIONAL. A looot of people don’t add this. I personally wanted to because, like I said, you meet a lot of people at these things and when you come home and have 50 business card, you maaay not remember who was who #guilty)
• A design that portrays YOU (Networking is all about marketing yourself, so having a card that defines who YOU are will make you stand out.)

For an example, here’s mine from last year:

And the back:

Yep, I had the “Fairy Dust on My Pen” idea last year, long before I switched blogs and made it my tagline here.

And DON’T WORRY. Making these is a breeze. I used Vistaprint.com and tossed mine together in like…half an hour. And it was super cheap for a ton of them. (I actually got waaay more than I needed. Heh.) ALTHOUGH Vista Print did make my images not super high quality and I’m not sure why? Because the images I uploaded were high quality. But other people didn’t seem to have this problem so…I probably just did something wrong. Lol.

This year I actually opted to use Canva.com because I wanted to customize mine a bit more and Canva is FABULOUS for that (and it’s super cheap as well). Though I haven’t actually received my cards yes, so I can’t tell you what kind of quality they are. But if you’re curious, feel free to toss me an email and as soon as I get my cards I’ll let you know how they turned out!

In conclusion: BUSINESS CARDS ARE AWESOME! You should definitely bring some!

ONE-SHEETS

One-sheets is another fantastic tool to have, mainly if you’re pitching to an agent or editor.

If you’re not sure what a one-sheet is, I definitely recommend researching them (here’s a post on GoTeenWriters.com that has a description and examples to get you started), but they’re actually very simple.

A one-sheet is literally just one piece of paper with your story’s blurb, genre, wordcount, a brief author bio and how to contact you, and possibly a picture that represents your story.

These handy-dandy pieces of paper are great to slide over to the agent you’re pitching to right at the start, so they’ll have something to look at while you’re pitching your story, AND, if they choose, something to take home if they’re interested in your story and want to think on it and contact you later. SO YES. Great things to have on hand!

Here’s mine from last year:

I personally had mine printed on high quality, shimmery paper instead of stock printer paper to give it a nice representation. I went to a local place in town to have this done, so I sadly don’t have suggestions of where to do this. Maybe an Office Depot or somewhere? I’m sure you can ask around!

Although it’s REALLY not necessary. Agents and editors truly do not care what your one-sheet looks like. They’re interested in your STORY. So don’t stress the one-sheet much. If you’ve got a gripping story and great blurb to hook the agents with, that’s all you need!

Speaking of which…

YOUR PITCH

If you’re pitching to an agent or editor, you’re definitely going to want to prepare your pitch and know who you’re pitching to.

Researching the agent is super important! For example, last year I pitched to one who likes to have a book proposal to look through. So, when I sat down, handed him my one-sheet, and then he asked, “What else do you have for me?” I was able to whip out my proposal I made for him. You also want to make 100% sure this agent IS looking for the types of books you write. You don’t want to accidentally make an appointment with an agent who represents authors who only write children’s board books, and you’re an adult sci-fi thriller writer.  RESEARCH. IT SAVES LIVES. And, ya know, makes you look professional and prepared.

As far as pitching itself, this is another thing that is kind of vital to research. But I’ll give you a quick rundown.

First you’re going to want to prepare your “elevator pitch”. This is what you’ll start out with during your appointment (AND what you can use to tell anyone about your novel). It’s merely a few sentences giving us the hook of your novel.

For example: My novel is a young adult fantasy titled Burning Thorns. It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling in which the world of fae is a land forbidden, cursed in darkness by the Dragon’s shadow. But for 17-year-old Rose, it’s the only safe haven from a slave trader. To her surprise, the infamous “Dragon” is simply a man full of regrets, and the only way to stop the darkness is for her to be sacrificed.

I, uh, need to tweak that. A lot. But it gives you an example of what an elevator pitch is, more or less. It’s important to have this memorized.

After that, the agent will talk to you about your story and probably ask you question.

Some potential questions they may ask are:

-What is the setting?
-Who is the protagonist?
-What is their conflict?
-What do they have to do to overcome their conflict?
-What is the theme of this story?
-What makes this story unique?
-What are some comparative titles? (For example: Burning Thorns has a very similar style to Entwined by Heather Dixon, Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, and the Maleficent move.)
-What other stories do you have/are working on?

If you’ve researched the agent/editor, have an elevator pitch memorized, and have pre-thought-out the answers for these types of questions, you’ll be golden!

Note: You may also want to have the first few pages or first whole chapter of your story printed out. There’s a chance they’ll ask to read it. I didn’t have this happen to me, but I know someone who did. So having it on hand is a good thing!

A SCHEDULE

In the crazy whirlwind of being with friends, meeting new people, talking to authors, shopping in the bookstore, soaking up classes, and a million and one other things, sometimes it’s reeealllly hard to keep track of the time. And, well, if you have appointments with agents/editors and classes you really want to attend, losing track of time is not a good thing.

I highly recommend making a schedule for yourself. Whether you print it out on a sheet of paper, put it on your phone, or whatever—having something telling you the exact time of where you need to be can be a lifesaver.

I actually pored over my schedule last year, to the point that I had it memorized. I did have it all written down for myself to check, but I mostly I knew what was when at all times because I was totally obsessive about it. XD

Don’t worry though! You will receive a booklet with the full Realm Makers schedule and where everything is. But having your own handy-dandy schedule of which classes you want to attend and, most importantly, when your appointments are is super helpful!

Here’s a little snippet of the schedule I made and printed out for myself (I put * next to anything super important):

A COSTUME

The previous items were all things that, I’m sure, could be applied to any writers conference. But this one is a Realm Makers exclusive thing (though I think other writers conferences have done costume nights, so be sure to look into that!).

The crown jewel of Realm Makers is the Friday night banquet where eeeeeveryone gets to cosplay as ANYTHING they want. AND IT’S SO MUCH FUN. Getting 300+ creative writers in costume together in one room is a magical experience, let me tell ya! This is where you can truly let your creativity shine, all while having a BLAST.

Now, if dressing up isn’t you’re thing, that’s okay. Cosplaying is nooooot required. It’s all just for fun. If you don’t want a costume, just wearing something nice totally works. Although I did see some people in jeans and t-shirts too. It’s all very casual. Do whatever will make you have an enjoyable night.

Also, if you’re shy about dressing up, never fear! Some people wore costumes the whole weekend, not just during the banquet. We’re all a bunch of spec-fic writing weirdoes, and you’re 100% encouraged to embrace that at RM!

So if dressing up is your thing, there are no rules! Dress up as your favorite fictional character, dress up as one of your own characters, do some weird compilation of something (for example: I did a steampunk Alice in Wonderland last year). Most people there will be in costume, so don’t be shy! HAVE FUN!

L to R: Audrey, me, Tracey, and Mary on costume night.

If you’re anything like me though, getting a costume together takes time. So you maaay want to start now. (We’re not going to talk about how I haven’t quite started on mine yet. Do as I say, not as I do.)

And there you go! The five big things to prepare for while we’re counting down the days to July 18th.

What to Pack

Now that we know what we need to prepare, it’s time to get packing! Having a well stocked bag can be the difference between stress and disaster to a fulfilling and enjoyable conference.

WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING:

• A Water Bottle You are going to be doing a lot of walking, a lot of sitting and listening, and a lot of talking. Water is ESSENTIAL. I bought a big ol’ water bottle from Walmart that keeps the water cold all day and it was a lifesaver. I just filled it up every morning before leaving my hotel room and was good to go. Seriously, HAVE WATER. I’d say this and business cards are the two things you’re going to want to keep on you at all times.

See my liquid of life there? I brought that thing everywhere.

• Snacks To couple with the water, having a granola bar or something on hand is never a bad thing. Especially if you have blood sugar issues like me and get really lightheaded and ill if you haven’t eaten for a long time. Conferences are EXHAUSTING. Taking a break to refuel yourself is important! (I, um, didn’t always do this but should have more. Again, do as I say, not as I do.) Also, no one will judge you if you need to munch on something during classes. I saw lots of people bring in coffee and food during them. It’s all very casual.

• Comfortable Shoes THIS IS HUGELY IMPORTANT. You are going to be on your feet a lot. The last thing you want is for the conference to be ruined by blistered feet. I’m not saying you have to wear tennis shoes (I’m not a tennis shoes person much myself, so I get it), but walking around in stiletto heels all day maaay not be the wisest decision. Wear shoes and clothes that make you feel good and comfortable.

• Book Spending Money At Realm Makers there’s a bookstore area that’s kind of “the hub” of the conference. It’s where people congregate when they’re not doing anything else. And, well, where you buy BOOKS. Which means you’re gonna want some money for books. (I came home with 19 new books if that tells you anything. In my defense, a few of those were free. But…yeah, most I bought. *cough*) Beforehand, I set aside a certain amount of book buying money for myself so I wouldn’t feel guilty about buying a lot but ALSO so I’d know how much I could spend. This conference is for Christian spec-fic writers. Ya know, MY FAVORITE GENRE. I wanted basically every. single. book. there. Buuuut since I set a budget for myself, I prioritized certain books I knew I wanted and was able to get a lot without selling my kidney to do so.

• Books to be Signed While we’re on the subject of books… Don’t forget to pack books to be signed! Poke around and figure out what all authors are coming and maybe make a list so you don’t forget any of their books. Saturday night is the official book signing night, buuut it’s totally fine to go up to authors beforehand and ask them to sign your book (you know, as long as they’re not busy, don’t be rude about it of course!) Last year, after a class Mary Weber did, I went up to her and had her sign two of her books for me and got to talk to her and have a picture made, all in a quiet environment. In this way, I avoided the THREE HOUR line she had during book signing night. So yeah, if you’re going to one of the author’s classes, you may want to bring along one of their books just in case. 🙂

Having Mary Weber sign her Sofi Snow duology for me. <3

• Note-taking Device If there’s ANYTHING you should carry around at all times, IT’S THIS. The main point of these conferences is to learn. And, trust me, you are going to be leaning SOOO MUCH. All in a short span of 3 days. So having something to take notes on is vital. What you bring is totally up to you. A laptop, notebook, tablet, whatever is easiest for you. I saw it all. But be sure you have something to take notes on during classes. I brought a notebook myself just because it was easier to carry around, and then later transferred all my notes to the computer. But you’re welcome to use whatever!

• A Good Carrying Bag Now that you have all this stuff, you, well, might need something to carry it in. Between one-sheets, business cards, books you bought, books you want signed, a water bottle, your laptop or notebook and pens, and everything in between, you’re going to be lugging around a lot. Having a good, comfortable bag to put it all in is important. I’m personally a fan of over-the-shoulder bags instead of backpacks, but you do whatever feels most comfortable. The last thing you want is a bag that’s uncomfortable and inconvenient.

Me with my bag from last year…and Nadine Brandes. *grins*

That’s it! Just a few simple items to make your conference experience all that much less stressful!

WHAT TO EXPECT/DO ONCE YOU’RE THERE

All right, now you know what to prepare ahead of time and what to pack, but there’s the one other little thing. What do you do once you’re there???

As we’ve discussed, conferences are overwhelming. Especially if this is your first one! Trust me, I understand. As excited as I was last year, I was also a wreck. But you know what? The second I got there and realized I was surrounded by hundreds of likeminded people, all the fears and stress swept away, and I had the time of my life. You are going to LOVE it. Trust me. But here’s a few tips to assure you get the most of your time there.

TAKE PICTURES

Everywhere! Everyday! Take ALL the pictures. Be that obnoxious friend who insists on friend selfies every ten minutes. Being with all your internet friends IN PERSON doesn’t happen every day after all. So go wild with pictures!

Despite taking a ton of pictures, I actually regret not taking more. I wasn’t that obnoxious friend constantly insisting on selfies and now I wish I had been. So GET READY GUYS. This time I’m determined to get pics of errrrrything.

THANKFULLY, a ton of us uploaded all our pics on Google Docs and shared them with one another. So I ended up with most of the pics I wanted in the end. Huzzah for picture sharing!

WITH THAT SAID. A looot of people like to remain anonymous on the interwebs. So do be sure to ask your friend if they’re okay with you posting a picture of them online. And maybe make a note on your phone or somewhere if they’re not. I did not do this and almost posted a pic of someone who wanted to remain anonymous in my RM recap blog post. So now I know! Do be considerate. *nods*

One of my faves. <3 

KEEP UP WITH YOUR SCHEDULE

We’re already sort of talked about this, but it’s worth repeating. While you’re there, make sure you know which classes are at what times. Maybe even set reminders on your phone.

The most important thing to remember is any appointments you made. You do NOT want to be late or forget an appointment. So be mindful of the time on the days you’re meeting with an agent or editor.

On the flipside of this…

KNOW YOU’RE IN CHARGE OF YOUR TIME

Other than appointments, nothing is required to attend. (And, even with appointments, I think you can cancel them while you’re there if you absolutely have to for whatever reason.) This isn’t school. They don’t take attendance during classes. Lol. If you’re not feeling up for a class, or just have something else you’d rather be doing, you can totally ditch it. You’re 100% in charge of your time there.

At Realm Makers the atmosphere was SO relaxed. I don’t know about other writers conferences (though I suspect they’re more or less the same). But at RM, everywhere you go you’ll see people perched in corners with their laptops, or people congregating in their hotel rooms to watch a movie, or enjoying the beautiful area outside the hotel room, or choosing to skip a class and roam the bookstore instead.

NOTHING is required of you, and if you need down time PLEASE TAKE IT. There is absolutely nothing wrong with slipping away to your hotel room to take a breather. In fact, it’s probably necessary. Don’t feel like you have to do it all and attend every single class and always be out and about. You do what YOUR body and mind needs.

It’s such a relaxed, warm, non-judgmental atmosphere. Never, ever, ever feel guilty about needing to take care of yourself.

TALK TO PEOPLE

Remember how I said these things are for networking? Yes. Let’s talk about that!

Realm Makers is a magical place. After all, you’re in the same building with 300+ likeminded individuals. When else does that happen?

So don’t be shy! Talk. Ask the person who sat next to you in class if they want to have lunch with you and your friends afterwards. Ask people what they’re writing. See if they want to practice their pitch on you and vice versa.

Like I said, these people are here for the exact same reason you are: they love stories. In day-to-day life, sometimes it’s hard to talk to people when you’re a writer, especially a writer of weird fiction. Usually when I tell people I like to write, their response is, “Oh, so you want to be a journalist?” or “Do you write poetry?” or “You write stories like *insert title of a Great American Novel* here?” And then I have to awkwardly be like, “Uuuhhh. No. I actually write weird young adult speculative fiction novels.” And over half the time no one has even heard of the term speculative fiction??? Talking about my writing to people is just AWKWARD. But, well, writing is my LIFE. So, usually, I don’t have much to say about myself to strangers because I never feel like they really “get” me.

But at Realm Makers, every. single. person understood me. We were all weird spec-fic writers. We got the struggles of being a writer. And the joy.

So be engaging! This is the one place where it’s not weird at all to walk up to a person and start a random conversation. That’s kind of the point.

And…okay. That might not sound comforting at all to some of you introverts. In fact, despite being an extrovert myself, I did not engage in nearly as many conversations as I wish I had. That’s actually my biggest regret: Not talking to more strangers. But the few I did speak with were such a blessing to me. I honestly can’t remember ever being in a more fun, welcoming atmosphere than at RM.

To kind of piggyback on that, let’s go to my last point…

REMEMBER YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE FUN AND BE BLESSED

You just are. Because this isn’t any normal social gathering.

After arriving the first day and wandering down to the bookstore, I ended up getting into a conversation with the author of the first book I wanted to buy. We talked about how I was going to be pitching for the first time, and she asked if she could pray for me. So, right then and there, we closed our eyes and she prayed the sweetest prayer over me. I hadn’t been at the conference for a full half hour yet before one of the first people I talked to already blessed me more than I could ever imagine. It was at that moment that I knew I was where I was supposed to be. I belonged.

Throughout my life, I really haven’t been in many social events where I felt like I really, truly belonged. Not like this. This was something completely different. Something beautiful and wonderful, that stirred my soul and filled my heart.

So don’t stress about having to talk to people. Don’t fear about not belonging or being seen as the weirdo. You will be surrounded by the best weirdoes in the world. RM is the place to embrace your weirdness! To embrace your creativity and your dreams.

Out of 300+ people, I didn’t meet one who wasn’t friendly. Not a single one, guys! It’s like a giant family reunion, but with family you actually like. *grins*

Will things go wrong? Goodness yes! During something like this, where stress is high and sleep is little, things are going to go wrong. It’s just the nature of it. Despite it being the best weekend of my life, I had a couple of moments where I was nearly in tears (not because of anything anyone did, mainly because I was tired, emotional, and dealing with some health issues), but you know what? Sometimes I completely forget about those hard moments. Because the good moments overshadow the bad ones fifty times over.

Whatever stress you’re feeling right now, just remember: You will be blessed.

AND this is a great place to be a blessing to others. Be kind, be helpful, be a light to others, and just have the time of your life!

It’s going to be amazing, guys!

Whew. That was a lot. This was actually kind of 3 posts in one. I knew I wanted to do a RM help post, but I couldn’t decide what kind. At first I was thinking a post of things to prepare for, then I thought it’d be helpful to do one on things to pack, and then I was thinking what about things to expect while you’re there. Annnd so this post with all THREE of those categories came into being. Whoops. Hopefully some of it was helpful though?

Because, GUYS. REALM MAKERS IS ALMOST HERE!!!

LET’S TALK!

Most important question here: WHO’S GOING TO REALM MAKERS??? (I’m trying to make a list of everyone I know who’s coming because I don’t want to miss out on meeting you! :D) Have you ever been to a writers conference before? And do you have any questions about RM I didn’t address? I’d LOVE to answer them. Anything I can do to relieve your stress! Don’t hesitate to ask in the comments or toss me an email! AND if you have more advice to share, PLEASE DO! I’m still such a newb and welcome alll the advice I can get.