sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author

Get the Conference Buzz

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In my last post I suggested that if you’re a writer you should seize any opportunity to attend a writer’s conference. For me, the opportunities are few and far between. I live in rural Western Australia where writers’ conferences are unheard of. Even in Perth, conferences for children’s authors are almost unheard of, and for other writing genres also quite rare. This is why the wonderful SCBWI conference was such a treat. How wonderful to have such a gathering only two and a half hours from home!

Still, the opportunities are not always so close to home and I have previously travelled to Sydney, Hobart and Adelaide for conferences, usually at my own expense. I do this not because I’m wealthy (the phrase ‘rich author’ is almost oxymoronic) but because I consider myself a professional and see professional development as an important part of my writing career. I have scrimped and saved to get to some of these events but have never regretted the expense when I’ve got to the conference – or afterwards.

The point of this ramble is this: if you are truly serious about being a professional writer, seek out professional development opportunities and seize them. You don’t need to spend a zillion dollars attending every single event. Choose those which you feel are most relevant to tour writing interests and the stage of your career. Talk to other writers who’ve been in previous years and find out what they’ve got from their attendance. Look at the list of speakers or workshop offerings, and the networking opportunities. And, yes, consider your budget. If you can’t afford to travel across the country or across the world, look at what is on offer closer to home. There might not be a big children’s writers’ conference, but there might be a writers week component in your city’s festival, or a literary festival which has writer’s sessions.

I’m still buzzing from my weekend at the WA SCWBI conference. It’s a feeling every serious writer deserves.

SCBWI Conference

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On the weekend I was lucky enough to travel to Perth to attend the first ever State conference of the Western Australian branch of the SCBWI. What a wonderful event! In attendance were seventy plus children’s book creators – authors, illustrators, editors and publishers as well as many aspiring writers keen to learn more about the industry.

I have come home so inspired and so well informed about publishing trends, editors’ likes and dislikes, the process of building a children’s list and much, much more. I also relished the chance to talk with so many fellow writers, of all levels of experience and from so many different backgrounds. Only a fellow writer can really relate to the highs and lows of the writing life, and living in the country as I do it isn’t always possible to chat with other writers. That’s why when these opportunities arise I do everything I can to take them.

I’ll have more to say about conferences and about this one especially as I recover from a busy weekend and gather my thoughts. In the meantime, if you are a writer and have the opportunity to attend a conference, take it – seize the opportunity with both hands.

Shoes

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Nothing to do with writing, but last night I discovered I have a shoe fetish. Not for buying shoes (though that’s fun, too) or wearing shoes (though that’s necessary), but for the smell of good leather shoes.

I went to a shoe party (like a Tupperware party, but with shoes) and, as the shoes were passed around for us all to admire (and they were beautiful, good quality shoes) I found myself holding each one up to my nose and breathing deeply. That rich leathery scent of new shoes is divine! Of course my friends all thought I was crazy – but they already did, anyway.

So I had a scent-full night and came home with a lighter wallet. I fell in love with two pairs of boots, each very different, and decided I could justify getting both.

The brown pair are comfortable and semi-dressy, so I could wear them out or to work.

The red pair (yes, red) are sensible bots with elastic sides, like a pair of work boots. But I got to choose the colour – and I chose red. They’ll be great for school visits and such and will sit proudly in my wardrobe alongside the purple shoes I ordered last year.

Now for the writing-related bit. My number one piece advice to writers attending literary festivals and the like is to wear sensible shoes. They can be purple or red if you so choose, but do remember that you are likely to spend large parts of your day on your feet, and if they start aching, you cease to enjoy yourself.

If you are going to a conference, please do your feet a favour and pack your sensible shoes. You’ll be glad you did.

sallymurphy.com.au