October was a busy month. I spent part of the time marketing my latest novel, Presidential Shadows, and starting the sequel. October was also the Florida Writers Convention. I will admit I wasn't looking forward to is as much as I had in recent years because some of the topics weren't new or interesting to me. Now, that does not mean the program wasn't varied or well done. Just the opposite. I am always impressed with the dedication and the organization of the Florida Writers. For anyone who has ever served on a committee (I have done more than my share) you know what I am talking about. It is hours and hour of planning for events with not much if any gratitude from the members. But I digress.
Every time I go to a convention now or watch a webinar, I think, why do I bother. It's not that I know everything, but will it be worth the effort and expense for what I will learn? At least for the writers convention I am always amazed at how much I learn. You would think I would know better by now. This past year, I spent time speaking with Mary Burton, who is a NY Times best selling author. We spoke in between one of the sessions and that alone was worth my trip. I must say Mary was as polite and gracious as I could have expected and more. To me, that's what conventions are about. Yes, you pick up a tip here and there about how to title your book, a marketing tip, or even a tip on metaphors, but you can't meet people like Mary unless you attend events like the Florida Writers Convention.
People in my writers group are always asking me if it was worth the money. For me the answer is always yes because I do learn something in pretty much every class. And once again I leave with the understanding that I don't know what it is I don't know, until I know.
Ok, back to writing the new book and applying a few new marketing tips, cause those I do know, thanks to never thinking I know enough to stop learning what it is I don't know.
