A few days ago, I asked people what they wanted me to ramble about, because my ramblings well was running dry.  Natascha asked:

Can you talk about your like/dislike of writer’s conferences or conventions? Do they do anything for you?

Well, the answer is…it depends on the conference/convention. I can’t say I actively dislike conventions/conferences (is there a difference…?), because I don’t.  I can say that those with a rowdy, party type atmosphere just don’t appeal to me as much.  I’m not shy, but I’d rather hang out with a couple of friends where we can actually talk than a huge bash where the music is so loud and the bodies are so packed, privacy and conversation are nonexistent.

I’ve been to Romantic Times twice and I enjoyed it, connected with readers, got to meet other writers that I’ve known only online.  I do get to spend some time with some close friends that I don’t see all that often, but there’s not a whole lot of downtime that you can really spend much time with them. It’s literally…hit the ground running and don’t let up until you’ve been home a day or three.  I’m lazy-that kind of pace kills me.  But I do enjoy RT.  I’ve never attended any of the workshops, just the bookseller and reader parties, but they do have writing workshops.  So if you like workshops, there’s a plus.  If you like just mingling, there’s plenty of time to mingle.  If you love meeting people, there’s plenty of that.  But it is a hectic pace.

I’ve never been to Nationals-my first trip to that one is coming up this summer.

I do attend some smaller reader/writer conventions, like Lori Foster and Dianne Castell’s Get Together and Lora Leigh’s RAW and I do have to say that I love these the most.  The smaller ones have a less chaotic pace.  You get a little more downtime, it’s a more casual atmosphere.  Lori and Dianne’s events do have agents and editors attending so you can spend some time in those workshops if you’re a writer.  The thing about the smaller ones is that you do get to spend more time just talking, it’s not go from this event to that to that to that…I don’t need a schedule when I’m at Lori/Dianne’s or Lora’s events.  I do need one at RT.  (granted, I hate schedules).

It’s just going to depend on what you’re looking for, why you’re going… if you’re a reader, you’re going to have time to talk to authors at most conventions.  If you’re a writer, are you looking for one that is based around workshops or interacting with readers?  You’ll have more workshops at the bigger ones, but possibly more reader interaction at the smaller ones.

So there’s my two cents on it.  Admittedly, I’m not much into conventions and stuff, so I may not be the best person to ask.