I’m excited as always for the return of Write on Con this year. Haven’t heard of it? If you write any kind of kidlit, from picture books through to young adult, it’s not to be missed. This year it takes place on the 13th and 14th of August (US time).
What is Write on Con?
Write on Con is an online conference for writers of kidlit (from picture books through to young adult). It’s for writers all over the world and best of all it’s FREE!
What Happens at Write on Con?
– Live chats and blogging events with professionals in the industry, such as agents.
– Query critique sessions.
– Posts from industry professionals and authors on a variety of topics, from querying to characters and everything in between.
– Workshops.
– Peer critiques (queries/first 250 words/first 5 pages) in the forum.
– Contests.
– Writing discussions (in the forum).
– NINJA AGENTS! Secret Agents (literary agents, not the spy kind) stalk the forums and comment on/critique queries and pages writers have posted for peer review. Some writers have even been known to get requests.
Why I Love Write on Con
– It’s FREE. As someone living on a tight budget, I feel guilty spending money on conferences when we’re paying off our house and raising a family who need to eat, so Write on Con is a God send for me.
– It’s online. I live rurally – about a three hour drive to the nearest big city where all the conferences take place. Not only can I not afford to travel to and stay overnight in the city to attend, I also have three small children at home. At Write on Con I get to attend from my own home – no travel required. (I can even wear my pyjamas if I want!)
– Meeting fellow writers. In past years I’ve met some really lovely writers whom I still talk to now. I even started up a critique group with a few of them following my first conference.
– Learning lots about the craft and the publishing industry. Every year I come away with so much fabulous information from the live blogs, chats and posts by the industry professionals and authors that I’ve been able to put into practice with my writing. And even if you can’t attend one of the live events (due to timezone or other commitments) you can still access it afterwards.
I highly recommend Write on Con for anyone who writes children’s literature.
You can check out Write on Con here: http://writeoncon.com
And register for the forums here: http://writeoncon.com/forum/forum.php
Will you be attending this year? I hope to see you there!
Jo Hart - Author 