Writing Conference Takeaways

Posted on by Jami Fairleigh

Last week, I drove to Bozeman Montana for my first in-person writing conference and I thought I’d share my conference takeaways. This was only my second in-person writing event, and the first was a writing retreat. Even though I wasn’t sure what to expect, the conference still exceeded my expectations!

Becca Syme and the team from the Better-Faster Academy put on the conference. Roughly 45 people attended the in-person event which ran from mid-day Wednesday through mid-day Saturday. Unlike many conferences, there was only one track, so all of us were in the room together for all the content. Side note: the team ran a virtual event simultaneously, but we had no access to it, and I don’t know how it went.

My Top Takeaways

  • Bozeman is as pretty as the TV shows and movies make it out to be.
Our location for the last day of the conference was up in the mountains.
  • I didn’t need to bring my business cards.
  • Sharing an Airbnb with another attendee was a terrific way to make sure I interacted with other conference-goers. And, Theodora Taylor is a great roommate.
Theodora even signed my copy of 7 Figure Fiction. 😎
  • Even in Bozeman, even in July, bring a lap blanket for comfort.
  • Jess Michaels is the perfect strengths coach for me.
  • The in-person attendees included writers at all levels.
  • Sunrise walks yield spectacular photographs.
Thursday morning walk.
Friday morning walk.
  • An excellent conference includes good content plus great people.
  • Whenever possible, leave the conference venue. You never know what you’ll find!
We checked out the Music on Main event in downtown Bozeman.
  • It takes a while to process conference content. I’ve found it helpful to refer back to the presentation slides!

Processing the Event

Even though I was nervous about attending, I’m glad I went. The classroom-style format worked for me, although I wasn’t comfortable speaking in the large-group setting. I enjoyed spending time with some attendees and clicked with several who write outside my genre.

Best of all, I deepened my understanding of my strengths. I’m more aware of how my strengths both help and hamper my writing. By working with Jess, I had a couple of epiphanies about my writing process, which renewed my energy for finishing the fourth book in the Elemental Artist series.

I wore a mask during the entire conference, and considering the number of attendees who are now reporting they are positive for COVID, I’m glad I did. I’m planning to attend the 20Books Vegas conference in November, so these takeaways will help me prepare for that event too!

What are your top conference takeaways?

Have an opinion? Tell me more!