As a writer, it's important to um... well, write . This goes without saying. Another important thing is to be all professional and go to a writer's conference. This is a great place to meet other writers, get ideas, and be smart and shit. If you're new to the conference scene, you might be overwhelmed by the amount of things: people, freebies, ideas, agents, and the concept of not wearing pajama bottoms while conducting your writerly self. Fortunately for you, Flippant Girl is here to help. 1. Bring a stenographer. You'll be too busy being in awe of your workshop leaders to take notes. Because you don't want to kick yourself for not doing this, find someone to do the hard work for you. Let them write down the crucial bits while you fangirl/fanboy out over how brilliant so-and-so is. 2. Wear roller skates. With only a few minutes between conference sessions, speedwalking is too slow. Zip through the crowds to get that prime seat for you and your stenographer....

It's kind of hard not to get good advice when you're at a conference for three days. Even at the crappiest of conferences, you should be able to take back one nugget of information. Since I'm an avid note-taker, I have pages of information. Unfortunately, I can't share everything with you. But I can share a few thoughts. After reviewing my notes* from the weekend, I found some of the most memorable bits of information could be broken down into three main groups. Plot and Subplot "When plotting, list all possible assets, obstacles, allies, and rivals as they relate to your protagonist--you never know what can be used." -- J.L.Bell "Subplots come from your primary characters' secondary wants or your secondary characters' primary wants." -- Sarah Aronson Critiquing, Rejection, and Distance "Listen with 'elephant ears' when being critiqued. This helps you be more open-minded." -- Lin Oliver "It's important...

It's Monday, Lurkdom, and after my truncated week last week, the day job exploded all over itself.* You know what that means... I'm still thinking about the 25th Annual NESCBWI Regional Conference I attended this weekend. I hung out with some fantastic people ( Kris Asselin , Laura Pauling , and Heather Kelly specifically) and learned a bunch of stuff. I come here to learn stuff. Care to share? It's nice to have a room to yourself. After the constant go, go, go of the conference, there was nothing better than heading back up to my hotel room and sitting in silence. Kidlit writers are some of the friendliest people on the planet. Networking doesn't have to be anxiety-ridden. When I checked in on Friday, I asked the lady at the registration desk what I needed to know. She said "say hello to at least five new people a day." What a great low-stress idea. We rarely look like our avatar. I had problems recognizing both Laura and Heather (neither of ...