A one percent return? (part 1)

I’m working on a book chapter this week, with a word target of 10,000 words. That works out to be about 20 normal pages or 40 manuscript pages (give or take because… you know… formatting…). Not the biggest thing I’ve written, but not the smallest either.

In preparing to write the chapter, I’ve worked my way through 2,000 pages of reference material. One of my friends (and the accountant part of my brain) pointed out that I’m getting a one percent return. Well, actually it’s less than that and more at the same time.

It’s less because a one percent return would mean I just plonked out 20 pages worth of the 2,000 pages I read. That would be plagiarism and I’m not into that. Since I need to fit my own words in there, I read 2,000 pages to get maybe 10 pages worth of stuff.

But, it’s more because those 2,000 pages provide me with the material I need to write my own words and get them published. In the end, I’m only using a fraction of what I read, but I’m using it to create something new, something that supports my goals and objectives in a way regurgitating the previous material alone doesn’t.

A different kind of work…

Doing research is hard. In fact, in some ways, it’s harder than it used to be. Back in the old days (when I rode my mastodon to the university every day) I had to go to the library, collect a stack of bound journal volumes, and then go to a photocopier to make copies. After that, I had to read the articles I copied (not always easy) and extract the information before I could use it. And that’s not counting the work to find the articles.

Right now, in 2022, I haven’t had to photocopy an article in years. I don’t need hiking shoes and a luggage cart to find the information I need. I can find it electronically, but that’s where things get complicated and today’s work gets harder. There are a lot more sources out there. We don’t have to hand lug stuff, but we definitely have to achieve clarity about what we’re looking for and what sources to trust.

Defining what you’re looking for (even if you’re not sure what it is!)

As we start our search, we might not know what we’re actually looking for. If we knew, it would be much easier to find our information. But knowing what we’re looking for, the actual points and quotes we’re looking for comes at the end of the thought process, not the beginning.

So, we start by creating some broad and general definitions (“I would like to talk about what the word magnify means in a scriptural sense.”) and cast a wide net. We look over what we’ve got, and start deciding (“Three sources are all citing one original source. Since what I want is the bit that they’re citing, I’ll drop all three and go with the original if I can find it”).

Next, another iteration of refining, which allows us to further home in on what we’re looking for. We may also find that we need to “open another can of worms” by expanding our search into new areas. That’s ok we’re learning what it is we need to learn.

We’ll repeat the process with these new searches, but remember two things: 1) we need to keep our focus and remember what it is we’re working on and looking for (it’s easy to go down a rabbit hole) and 2) eventually we need to tie all the stuff we’re collecting and using into one coherent story (even if it’s non-fiction…)

It’s a complex process, and we haven’t even gotten to where we can use the stuff we’re finding. Miners and refiners of metal have to separate the ore from the host rock before they can refine the ore (and they usually have to refine the ore before they get a chunk of workable metal). We’re doing the same thing. We’ve collected some material and are separating it from the host rock (all the other information and “stuff” that’s out there.

In the next part of this series, we’ll move on to refining the ore, extracting the bits that matter from our research. And then (in part three) we’ll move on to actually “using the metal”, meshing the research with our own words to create something greater.

It’s a challenging process, dear reader, but it’s a key to good writing. Good luck in your writing (and research) dear reader. And, I’ll see you next post.

There’s still time… But not much!

If you’re reading this when the post went live, we’re about two weeks into the virtual conference/pre-conference for the 2022 LDSPMA conference. There’ve been some interesting sessions. I’ve learned a thing or two and took part in discussions on manuscript prep, book design, and how to handle “fast pitch” situations in selling the things we write.

There’s more to come in the next couple of weeks, including sessions on pitching fiction and nonfiction work, query letters, marketing and critiques. And after that comes the main (live) conference .

Yes, dear reader, some of the virtual sessions have already happened. But that doesn’t meantime’s run out. All of the virtual sessions have been recorded. If you register for the conference you gain access to the virtual session recordings, including the ones that’ve happened already, from the moment they’re posted (two business days after the session happens) until the end of the year.

That means you can watch (and rewatch) the sessions even if they happened before you registered.

If you write, and I know some of you out there do, a conference can be really helpful; not just with information, but through the contacts and friendships you can make. The LDSPMA conference has great stuff for music folks, artists, and filmmakers too. And, if you do it right, a conference can be a lot of fun.

Check out the website. And, I’ll see you next post.

Pushing farther, reaching higher…

In the beginning, there was the goal. And the goal was to write 1,000 words per day. And the goal was good.

But there came a time when the goal was too easy. NANOWRIMOs had been won. Blogs were under way. Stories and even books had been published. A goal of 1,000 words was easy. But the goal was 1,000 and so, after a thousand words, people quit.

And they, the overseers of goals and achievers in writing, wanted more. The goal was to be raised. The number of the goal would become 1,500, and 1,500 was the number of the goal!

But… All was not well. Those who did the work complained. Some days, 1500 wasn’t enough, there was more that could be done. Other days there wasn’t enough time, 1,500 words wasn’t realistic. And so, a decree went forth. The goal would be an average of 1,500 words per day. Everyone was tracking the numbers anyway, so an additional calculation didn’t seem problematic and the goal became more flexible as long as the average was kept.

But it was not enough. The work did not go forth…

The goal setters in their wisdom had allowed any words to count toward the goal! That meant the goal could be achieved without progress being made. And so, once again, the goal was changed…

Some people are passionate about word count goals. Some people hate them… Some people succeed with them, and some people use them to look very busy while producing nothing. The point of an effective writing goal is to move the work forward (I’ve got an example of how my most recent goal does that over on Words Mean Stuff ). Writing goals are valuable, but they don’t have to be word count goals.

In fact, a word count goal may only be successful if you have a clearly defined project to work on. Otherwise, you may work a lot to produce a little.

If you’re going to use writing goals, consider one of these alternate options:

  1. A planning goal. For example: “today I’m going to outline chapter 6,” or “this week I’ll do the writeups for my major characters.”
  2. A unitary goal. For example: “I’m going to write a short story this week,” “today I’m writing that query letter (or blog post),” “This week I’m editing chapter 4,” or “I need to get that abstract done! So that’s what I’m writing today.”
  3. A research goal. For example: “I’m going to get into the database and pull all articles on ASMR written in the last year,” “I’m going to get all the articles collected into one file and build a spread sheet so I know what I have,” or “I’m going to find five examples of castles that would be good settings for my story (that way I can design my own fictional castle next week…)”

Big goals like “I’m going to write a novel,” need to be broken down into manageable steps. Nonspecific goals like “I’m going to write today,” can be too easy, or totally impossible depending on how you phrase them.

A clear specific goal that helps you understand what you’re going to do, why you’re going to do it, and allows you to wrap your mind around how you’re going to do it is your best bet. That’s the one that’s going to get you through.

A “words per day” goal isn’t wrong, dear reader, but goals that actually help you write are the ones you want. Those are the ones to seek after.

Good luck with your goals, dear reader. And I’ll see you next post.

Beta readers

I’ve got projects approaching completion. Or at least I think they’re nearing completion.

Where they really are is ready for me to show them to someone. But does that mean I’m sending them off to a publisher? Nope, not if I’m smart.

Does that mean I’m showing them to an editor? Some stuff, yes. Some stuff, no. Either way, I’m taking one more step before I get the professionals involved…

It’s time to unleash the beta readers!

What (and who) they are

Beta readers are readers who are (hopefully) in your target audience; or at least audience adjacent. They’re a sample of your prospective readership who can give you feedback and reactions to your work.

Back at the university, getting other grad students or friendly faculty to read things over was a good idea for article submissions or conference proposals. As a writer of YA fiction, I have a couple of avid readers in the YA audience that I run things by before I do that “one last time,” editing that precedes sending things out to agents, editors, and other professional types. Usually there’s someone around who’s willing, credible, and trustworthy. You just have to look.

In fairness, you should probably be willing to return the favor for beta readers, especially in a professional setting.

You should also understand what beta readers aren’t.

What they aren’t

Beta readers aren’t professional editors. Some of mine are fantastic, but they’re not paid editors. If you want editing support, call in an editor, not a beta reader.

Beta readers also shouldn’t be fanboys (or fangirls, or fanwhateverdescriptionisinthisweek). You want people who will give you genuine feedback about the story and their interaction with it. If your readers are just cheerleading, they’re not helping you.

Usually (in my world) beta readers aren’t paid, not in money at least. You might exchange something, beta reading for beta reading, beta reading for help of some other kind, et cetera. But you’re not looking at a paid service (If I’m paying for someone to go over my stuff, it’s an editor or some other pro…).

(Two reasons) why they’re important

So, beta readers are just randos you let look at your stuff?

No. That’s not it at all. As I’ve said, beta readers are generally people in your intended audience. They’re going to give you feedback about the work and their experience reading it. They’re not professional editors or designers (generally they’re not even sales people), but they represent the people you’re trying to get to read your stuff.

That means what you should get back from your beta readers is a sample of how your intended audience reacts to your material and what they think about it. These are the people you want to read your stuff, so maybe you should pay attention to what they’re saying.

Beyond feedback, there’s at least one other major reason to work with beta readers. It’s natural to have anxiety over the things we write, but too much anxiety can be crippling. Working with beta readers can help build confidence in what we’re working on while helping us find the stuff we should worry about and need to fix.

It also helps protect us from those nasty surprises that turn up if we just send stuff off to publishers without thinking. Beta readers are that second (and possibly third, fourth, fifth…) set of eyes that help us make sure that we’re on the right track and ready to move forward with our writing. They’re a valuable help and worth working with.

Well, dear reader, I have stuff to get to my beta readers. If you write, write your best. And, I’ll see you next post.

wms

Challenge accepted. And offered!

I’ve set a challenge for myself. Starting this month, I’m going to put out a story a week in addition to my other work.

Back in the old days, in 2015, when I started this, I set a goal to write 1,000 words per day. Well, after seven years, seven NANOWRIMO wins, a few books published, and two blogs, I can say 1000 words is no trouble what so ever (for me at least).

Last year I shifted my goal to averaging 1500 words per day. The change encouraged me to write more and accounted for days when life was happening. Unfortunately, I kept the premise that any words written counted toward the goal. The goal was pushing me to write, but not necessarily to finish anything…

So, the new, new goal is to average 1500 words per day that contribute to significant writing projects, and to publish a story per week in addition to my other writing.

One result of this push is that you’ll be seeing more stories here (in addition to ones I’m submitting elsewhere).

Pushing ourselves helps, dear reader. We don’t want to over-extend. But we don’t want to under extend either. Using wisdom and pushing ourselves just enough in the right way helps us through.

I’ve accepted my challenge, dear reader. And now I extend one to you. Push yourself constructively and then follow through. Good luck dear reader, and I’ll see you next post.

Life as a new kid (writer edition…)

I looked at the post I just wrote for Words Mean Stuff and said, “you know, this kind of applies to breaking into writing too…” So, here’s a challenge dear reader. Look at this post. Read it. And think about how it applies to us in the writing world. I can think of at least three or four ways, but I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a comment if you like.

Life as a new kid

In my part of the world, the new school year is less than 72 hours away. So, I’ve been thinking about the new-move-ins and my experience as the new guy…

Breaking in is hard

It’s hard. It is. Even moving into a new neighborhood in the same town can be a challenge. Things will be different. You might not get all the signals, or all the jokes. The relationship maps, group maps, and general way things work are different.

You’re going to have to learn a new way of doing things. You may need to shift your thinking.

Be willing to adapt

I’ve moved over the years, and watched other people move. The ones that have the hardest time are the ones that won’t adapt; the ones that want to make the new place just like the old place, even though the realities of the place are different. And sometimes even though they are fleeing the old place because of the way things were working.

If you’re new, take a little time to find out how things work, and why they work the way they do. A time to make changes may come, but understand what’s going on and why before you mess with things too much (there’s a reason there surfing isn’t a big sport in Idaho…).

We’re better off changing the way we do things than trying to change everyone else. We’re more able to make those choices and changes. We control ourselves, not the people around us. And we can decide which changes fit with who we really are.

Changing our ways and adapting can be hard. Successfully and productively changing others is even harder if we’re unwilling to do our own work.

But stay who you are…

But you don’t have to change everything. Who you are, who you really are, the powerful child of God with your own thoughts and opinions, shouldn’t be suppressed.

Yes, learn new things and learn how to operate in your new place. But don’t change who you are just because people tell you to. Never change who you are just because people tell you to. Genuine change has to come from within (the corollary is, don’t expect other people to change just because you tell them to…).

Adapt to your surroundings? Yes. Change who you are because the kid down the street says so? No. We are becoming better than we’ve been before, not serving the whims of others.

Never resist change stupidly. But don’t give up who you are (who you really are). Make purposeful choices in how and why you change, but never give up who you really are.

That’s it for this one, dear reader. I’ll see you next post.

Perspective: in real life and in story

How we look at things is important. As storytellers (and there’s room for storytelling even in non-fiction…) the perspective we speak/write from impacts the story we tell. It affects the information available to the narrator, the reader’s ability to associate with the characters in our story, and the nuts and bolts of how we structure and write our story. As writers, or just people trying to get along in a world full of people who ain’t us, understanding the perspectives of people around us is valuable in marketing, persuasion, and making things happen.

Perspective in story (the kind that helps us tell the story)

There’s lots of discussion about perspective (aka point of view) in story. Holy wars have been (and are being) fought over whether first or third person is best (and that’s ignoring the second person rebels!).

There are those who will tell you the hero/heroine must be the one to tell the story, and other people who’ll insist writing from the perspective of a side character gets the job done.

Things get really scary when polyphonic stories come up. Suddenly there’s more than one perspective operating in the same story!

I tend toward the polyphonic style myself. But I won’t tell you that’s the ‘one correct way’ to tell your story. Nope, I don’t think it’s true. I definitely don’t think it’s the best advice. The best advice (as I see it) is to experiment and find the best point of view for your story and use that.

Of course, taking my advice requires thinking about things from more than one point of view. You know what… that’s an excellent skill to use in real life too.

Perspective in life (the kind that helps get the story read)

In real life, everyone has their own perspective. Even identical twins don’t see things perfectly the same. Understanding that other people have their own perspectives, and maybe even understanding those perspectives (as best we can), makes a real difference in getting things done.

Sure, some people try the Karen path (even people not named Karen…); they demand to talk to your manager; they expect us to make exceptions for them; they try to make their way through hardheadedness and screaming. But it’s not an effective path. Refusing to see other perspectives isn’t all that successful on a long-term basis.

This is not saying that you have to give in to those other perspectives. If your reason’s good enough and right enough, and the aim is worthy enough, stay the course and move ahead. But if you take the time to look at the other person’s perspective, at least you understand why the @$@#@!!! others are insisting on the things they are.

There is great power in understanding other people’s perspectives. If you understand other people’s perspectives (and your own goals), you can do a little thinking beforehand. You can package and present things in ways that look and feel better to the other person. That makes getting what you want easier.

Beyond the pre-packaging, you might find commonalities between what you want and what the other person wants. You can use those commonalities to build a shared foundation. And then, you can use your understanding of what the other person wants to negotiate a solution that works for everyone involved…

Perspective is useful. Understanding different perspectives allows you to see new angles and new things. It doesn’t mean you have to change your perspective, but it gives you more information and allows you to make better decisions in story and in life.

That’s it for this one, dear reader. What’s your perspective on perspective? Leave a comment. And, I’ll see you next post.

Not all readers are the same!

I’ve been reading a book about writing short stories; one of those books with lots of articles and contributions by different authors and publishing people who’ve ‘really been there’ and know what they’re talking about. It’s fascinating how much conflicting advice exists in the same text. Why does that happen? Shouldn’t the people who’ve ‘been there’ agree on what’s there?

No, they shouldn’t. Not necessarily. Each professional is talking about personal experience and their own personal specialty. They don’t all agree because their there isn’t the same there… The advice is different because the focus and audience are different.

Different people, different expectations

It used to be that there were only a few real publishing companies, and relatively few books were published (even in fiction). Tastes would change but the process remained the same, “like what’s being served up or go make something better yourself!” (Which the publishers might not publish because it was too different…)

In the modern market, there are more publishing options, many more books being produced, and better ways to track the preferences of your audience. More than ever before, personal taste and niche audiences matter. That means we can’t make sweeping generalizations about genres and audiences the way we used to.

Yes, there is still a fantasy audience out there that want’s the “paint me a picture” approach (a couple of them if what I’m reading about mid-grade audiences is to be believed), but that’s not what everybody’s after.

Sure, there are folks out there looking for buzz cuts, whizz jets, and bodice ripping action. But they don’t speak for everybody.

And, there are audiences that are all about the feelings (YA anyone? How about romance…). But that’s not everybody, and it’s definitely the wrong way to go if you’re writing an accounting book or an engineering textbook.

Audience is important. The intended purpose and audience of your work need to be in your mind from the beginning. And that attention continues until you’ve delivered the work into the audience’s hands. That means you need to understand your audience. And I mean your audience, the group of people you’re trying to reach. It doesn’t matter what the systems analytics and information security audiences think about your work if you’re writing YA fantasy.

Within the fantasy audience, you’d better have a handle on whether you mean high fantasy, low fantasy, fantastic realism, mid-grade fantasy, fantasy horror, or… And the same thing goes for other genres too.

If you’re writing a language textbook, you need to know whether it’s an introductory, mid-level, advanced, or special topics book. And this goes for any other nonfiction too.

It helps to understand our specific audience as early in the process as possible. It really does.

But what if we have multiple audiences?

Different audiences for the same book

It happens. Some books cross boundaries and attract more than one audience. The Harry Potter books did it. It happens, and it’s hard to predict who’s going to be next. But here’s the catch. The ones that succeed start with a particular audience in mind and other audiences are drawn in along the way.

Here’s the double catch… If you plan to publish via a conventional or hybrid publisher, even if you’re focusing on one particular audience, you have two audiences to worry about.

If you’re publishing mid-grade or YA stuff, you have at least two audiences to worry about. I can count at least four. Even though I just told you, you need to focus on one audience.

Think about it. For a mid-grade book, you have your primary audience (who are somewhere between 8 and 12 to 14), you have your publisher (if you’re going through a publisher), you have the parents or guardians of your primary audience (you know, the people who are actually going to buy the book), and you have librarians (the other people who are going to buy the book and provide it to your main audience). You may also have school teachers and administrators to deal with…

Even with books for adults, you often have at least two audiences, the people who will read the book, and the people involved in selecting the book (for publication and/or use). Fortunately, those secondary audiences may have a feel for what the primary audience wants. Unfortunately, they have their own opinions, and are wrong from time to time…

There’s much more to say. How do we navigate all these audiences? What are they looking for?

Those are valid questions. But, answering them is a book, not a blog post.

For now, dear reader, consider who your primary audience is. Consider who your other audiences are, but really work on that main one. They’re the biggest concern.

We’ll come back to all of this later, dear reader. I’ll see you next post.

Volunteer?

Someone asked an interesting question this month. “We’re a culture that supports volunteering, but what do we get out of it?” For some of us, the answer was obvious. For others, not so much. So, I thought we’d look at it today.

It takes giving

When we volunteer, we’re giving. It might be information. It might be muscle power. It usually involves time and giving up something else we could be doing.

We are freely giving. We’re not talking about people taking from us, or being paid a wage for our work. We’re helping, and other people and organizations are benefiting. Sometimes it feels good.

But there’s also drudgery and grunt work involved… Why do we do that to ourselves?

But we also receive

We do it because we get something out of giving. We might not get a salary or hourly wage, but when we volunteer, we get something out of it. Or at least we should…

What we get can be highly personal, and to see it, you need to think wider than money or ‘swag’.

Some give (volunteer) to give back. They’ve received a benefit and now they’re paying back.

Others ‘pay it forward’, giving with the confidence that they will receive help when they need it.

But those aren’t the only things we gain either…

Volunteering is an opportunity to get experience. It’s an opportunity to learn. We expose ourselves to experiences and people more knowledgeable than ourselves. We see, hear, and discover things we wouldn’t have otherwise. We might not know a lot about what we’ll be doing, but there’s an opportunity to learn the language of what we’re doing. We get a comparatively low-cost touch on things that otherwise require a lot more time, effort, and possibly money to get involved with.

Volunteering is an opportunity to meet people. Since I’ve started volunteering with my writers’ conference, (link) I’ve met publishers, editors, marketers, musicians, graphic artists, and influencers that I might not have met otherwise. Volunteering with my church, I’ve met lawyers, college professors, general contractors, mechanics…

Sometimes knowing the right people really matters. And if you met those people through a volunteer activity, you’ve got more than a name, you’ve got a connection. You might not have been paid for your labor, but you got a benefit out of doing it.

Volunteering is an opportunity to find other opportunities. Opportunities pop up when something changes around us. Well, if we’re out doing things, creating change, and being a positive force in the universe, those opportunities are more likely to pop up than if we’re sitting around the house.

It’s a transactional thing…

Yes, volunteering takes work. We’re giving up something. But we’re also receiving something. Often what we receive depends on the quality of our efforts, the thought we’ve put into what we’re doing, and the choices we make, and being aware of what’s going on around us.

A week ago, I was thinking “I’d like to meet Orson Scott Card at a conference.” Because I volunteer and accepted a meeting invite, I know I’m two people away from being in direct contact with him.

My wife is about an eighth note away from publishing a song because of things she learned while volunteering.

It’s not a selfish thing. You can’t sit around asking what’s in it for me. But you can certainly know the possibilities and opportunities that come your way. And volunteering can help you in ways you might not expect.

Well, dear reader, that’s it for this one. I need to do the stuff I said I would in that meeting. Opportunities will come. Be wise about them. Take the good ones. And, I’ll see you next post.

More than fireworks!

Next Monday is the 4th of July. Some will call it a day of shame. Some will call it the birthday of our country. No matter what side you stand on, the 4th of July marks a historic change in the world. And it’s definitely more than an excuse to set off fireworks.

A revolution

In 1776, the United States of America hadn’t happened yet. We were a collection of English colonies under an English king and English law. On July 4th 1776, leaders from those colonies did something audacious, something truly stunning and brave. At risk to life, limb, and freedom, they brought forth the Declaration of Independence. They proclaimed that we as a people have inherent rights and freedoms which were being trampled by an oppressive government.

The risk was substantial. The war was bloody. We almost didn’t make it. But we did. The land we now call the United States of America became its own nation.

But that wasn’t an “and they lived happily ever after,” moment.

A responsibility

The thing is, we as a people had chosen, and mostly still choose, not to be governed by some far away king (or queen, or… Sorry, I’m not sure what the trans-gender equivalent to a king or queen is (If somebody figures that one out, please leave a comment… Inquiring minds want to know)).

If we choose not to be governed by others, that means we have to learn and govern ourselves. Sorry folks, we can’t all runaround doing whatever we want; eventually, that leads to people imposing their desires on others (it doesn’t matter what your politics are, it happens).

We have to learn to think and make choices. We have to understand the world and make excellent decisions. We have to be more than a bunch of whiny little two-year-olds screaming “Mine!” and grabbing at toys.

A world of opportunities

But see, that’s the good part. If we put forth the effort. If we learn to govern ourselves and work with others in constructive ways, the possibilities multiply. Instead of one ruler saying who does what and picking solutions. Every one, billions of people, are free to find solutions, solve problems, achieve great things, and become more than what we’ve been before.

When we govern ourselves responsibly, we can achieve our dreams. It takes effort. It means putting on our big person underwear and checking in for the day. But it’s possible.

That’s what the 4th of July means, dear reader, the beginning of opportunities. It’s scary out there, and getting scarier. But the freedom and opportunities are still out there. For many of us, there’s more freedom and opportunity than ever before.

Don’t let bad choices take your dreams and opportunities, dear reader. Do the thinking. Learn, and do the work. If we do, all good things are possible.

That’s it for this one, dear reader. Some of my work’s calling. See you next post.

Conference attendance virtual vs. in person

The last few years have been exceptional (you choose the ‘good’ or ‘bad’ tags for yourself…). The world’s changed a bit. One of those changes has been an increase in the acceptance of virtual conference. And yet, there’s value in being there too.

Virtual advantages

Virtual conferences are cheaper. You may get a direct discount on conference fees. You also don’t have hotels, gas/travel expenses, or meals to worry about (beyond your normal levels at least).

Virtual conferences don’t suck up as much time. For LDSPMA, (LINK) I’m going to spend half a day before the conference driving down and half a day after driving back. If I’d chosen virtual, I wouldn’t have to do that.

If you’ve got family and or social obligations, attending the conference virtually can reduce impact on those areas of your life.

They’re all valid arguments. They are. And for some people, the virtual option is the right fit. But it’s not the only option.

In person opportunities

At the last LDSPMA conference, there was a snack session with fresh raspberries and fancy chocolate. We also had catered lunches. At a virtual conference, you do that work yourself. There are advantages to being there live.

Sometimes people get lost in attending sessions. That’s one thing that virtual attendee ship is (relatively) good at. But when you’re attending at your desk or kitchen table, there can be a lot of distractions. You may focus better in the actual room, with the actual people. And there’s more to conference life than sessions.

One oddity of live conferences (two, if you count what they give you) is that people want to give you stuff. Conference Bags (usually with logos), pens, pencils, books, coupons, flyers with special deals for attendees, and who knows what else. People at conferences are marketing their products and services and they’re giving stuff away to do it (and that’s ignoring the drinks and snacks…).

Conferences give you an opportunity to get involved and meet people. Yeah, you might notice a witty comment in a virtual session, but at a live conference, you actually get to meet people. Some of those people can make things happen (I watched a movie deal go down at lunch at last year’s LDSPMA… And it wasn’t the only one).

Yes, you could find a name or even send someone a chat in a virtual session. But live conferences improve your opportunities for networking. They give you access to that ‘in the moment’ experience that can lead to the person you need.

The value of ‘being there’

Ultimately, it comes down to where you need to be. There’s a lot you can get from a virtual conference. There are real advantages to live conferences. The question comes down to what’s right for you and your circumstances.

If you can’t get away; if the kids, the job, and the life stuff won’t let you go, take the virtual conference and work toward the live one in the future.

If you need to get away for a while. Or if you’re looking for that one precious contact. Well, the live conference may be for you. You’ll get to immerse yourself in the conference world, get away from the day do day, and find the people and opportunities you wouldn’t have otherwise.

Honestly, the final decision of what’s best is up to you. The choices are cheap and easy or a richer experience.

Consider your options, dear reader, then make the best choice for you. Either way, I’ll see you next post.