Surrey International Writer's Conference - Part One

The Surrey conference was the first ever writer's conference that I'd been to. I went not knowing what to expect other than the schedule that I had seen online. Boy was I surprised--the whole place was just charged with energy! The thing I liked most about the conference was the atmosphere. For a shy person like myself, the ease of approaching people and striking up a conversation was a godsend. And being among people who shared the same aspirations as I did was uplifting.

I've split the writeup into two parts. This part will deal with my general impressions of the conference (as well as my Blue Pencil Cafe and pitch sessions) and the second part will cover what I learned from the panels.

The lunch and dinner sessions, along with all the keynotes in between, were probably some of my most enjoyable moments. Not just for the speakers (who were fantastic) but because I was eager to see my new friends at Table 31 and blab about what we had done during the day. The food at lunch and dinner were average fare--sandwiches, salad, soup, sweets, that sort of thing. I was able to indulge in omelettes at the hotel restaurant in the morning, though.

The hotel room was actually quite nice. The bed was a bit softer than what I was used to and the pillows were squishy, but it was comfortable all the same. Also, it was ladybug season--there were a crowd of ladybugs hanging out at my window, behind the curtains, so that during the day I'd hear them buzzing around as they flew. If I could, I would have caught them and sent them back outside through the window, but unfortunately the window was hard to open and way out of reach. 

My Blue Pencil session was with Arthur Slade. I have to admit, I got kind of giddy when it was my turn to sit at the table with him. I think it has to do with realizing that authors aren't just names on the covers of books, they are also people like us. Anyway, he was very friendly and humourous, and I had an opportunity to try my pitch out on him while I was explaining my story. A much-needed warmup since my pitch session with an editor was coming up very quickly.

Ah, the pitch session. Don't you love how all the anxiety and nervous-wreckage from those school presentations came back to bite you twice as hard? The stakes were also so much higher--here was your chance to get your foot in the door. That letter grade or two-digit percentage seems so insignificant now, doesn't it? I had reviewed what I was going to say countless times before the pitch (hooray for phones that can take notes). I had practiced my pitch on several people already, and one was a friend who was also going to her own pitch session. Was I ready? Yes. Was I completely cool and collected? No.

Well, it was finally time. I went in as confidently as I could and did all the courtesies--the handshake, the my-name-is. Then I launched right into talking about my protagonist and the rest came naturally. She asked questions, I answered. I'll admit that when we approached a slightly confusing point in the plot, I saw a frown on her forehead and my brain screeched to a halt. I stopped talking for a second to regain my self-control and went right back into it. And then she gave me her business card and asked to see a partial. I don't think I need to describe my reaction here, but the first thing I did afterwards was to call my parents and then my friends.

Later that evening, I attended one of the Night Owl sessions. It was Michael Slade's Shock Theatre, basically a live radio play with a horror theme. I had been reading some H.P. Lovecraft prior to attending the conference, so it was perfect. Let's just say that there were heads growing out of chests and chicken hearts consuming the world. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the Night Owl session the next night, which was the Forensics Museum (blood spatters and more). I was too tired!

This concludes Part 1 of my writeup. Check back soon for Part 2, which will contain a breakdown of the panels I attended and the useful tidbits that I learned.