Are you interested in attending writers’ conferences and entering writing contests? Do you sometimes miss deadlines because you didn’t know about the event or activity in time? Here’s a tip that might help. Don’t just lament the fact that you missed the opportunity. Make note of the conferences and contests you discover in your favorite newsletters and forums for future reference.
In other words, you might read about a conference being held near you—one that you didn’t know anything about. But it is occurring next month and you can’t make it on such short notice. Print out the announcement or jot down the contact information and file it in your “Pending Conferences” file for possible attendance next year. If you read about a contest that interests you, but the deadline is too close for you to manage, copy the story or ad and file it away so that you are prepared to enter the contest next year.
Note the deadline and write it on your next year’s calendar so that you won’t miss the opportunity again.
I speak at writers’ conferences throughout the US. A couple of times during the year, I will search the various online conference directories for opportunities, note the submission period on my calendar and file the coordinating information to access when it is appropriate. But all conferences are not listed in these directories, so I keep an eye on the events sections in the newsletters and magazines I receive. And I note those conferences I’d like to attend.
Online conference directories:
http://www.allconferences.com
http://www.bvents.com
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