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Blogs by Margena Adams Holmes
No L.A. Writers Conference this year 4/10/2006 5:09:57 PM
Ever since last year's L.A. Writers Conference, I have been working hard on rewriting On the Line (which has already been published by iUniverse), and also Dark Harmony, with the idea that I would go to the 2006 L.A. conference with a good manuscript to present to the agents there, and maybe, just maybe get an agent to represent my book to traditional publishers. I learned so much at last year's conference, especially from author Leslie Schwartz. She was fantastic! I took two of her lectures, and those alone were worth the $300.
So today I decided to check on the dates, etc, for the L.A. Writers Conference. Turns out, because of scheduling conflicts, there will not be an L.A. conference this year! I just missed the one in February that was in San Diego. I really didn't want to go that far, anyway. So, the only one left to choose from is the Palm Springs one, which is scheduled for Sept. 29-Oct. 1. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but---mine and hubby's 20th anniversary is Sept. 20, and we are planning to go on a cruise or something during that time, which would mean that going to this conference will probably be impossible. Hubby thought well, he'd just come with me, and while I'm at the conference, he'd just play golf. At that time of year, however, it could still be pretty hot there, so that wouldn't work. Sure, there are even other conferences I could attend, but the Southern California Writers Conference was the best for me, as I didn't have to travel far, or even stay at the hotel. I could drive home each night.
I guess I am going to have to just bite the bullet, or keyboard in this case, and get on with getting the rewrites done and take my chances the old fashioned way, and send my manuscript out to the agents (I've done it before, just getting a bit of a pile of rejections slips and letters). I figure, though, that if I mention that I did go to the conference last year, they may just take a little time and maybe even read what I have. I plan to send it to agents that were there first, then spread out to others.
Anyway, that is my dilemma for the day. But knowing this, I think this will motivate me to get this done quickly and I won't just be biding my time waiting for the conference that won't happen.
