Monday Meeting: Blue about Missing You, and Looking for Conference Advice

The Blue Man Group rocks. Literally.

Last week was vacation week for my kids--and we did some great stuff. None of it revolved around writing or being plugged in. I miss this aspect of my life when I can't focus on it. I'm hoping to jump right in this week, and not lose any momentum that I had gathered before. (I guess that's my ROW update--I did nothing last week, but plan on hitting my goals this week.)

This April, not only am I attending the NESCBWI (New England Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators) conference, (can I get a WOOT!?) but I'm moderating a discussion there about attending a conference for the first time. Since my group is first thing on Friday afternoon, what I tell first time conference goers might affect how they go about the rest of the conference.

I remember attending my first conference, and, quite honestly, feeling like a fraud. I stuck to my writing partner, and we both introverted the entire time.

Now, that doesn't sound much like me. :)

So, I'd love to hear your take on your first conference, and what advice you would like to have heard before that conference.  Or, if you have yet to attend a writing conference, what questions you might have about preparing for the time spent there.

I think that my advice for first time conference goers revolves around the idea of picking one thing to focus on--whether it is socializing (or appropriately networking), getting critiques for your work, or working on craft. Otherwise it can be overwhelming.

On another note, I found this great post outlining the benefits of using youtube, and it reminded me about our discussion a few weeks ago about an author's platform.

And, I love this hopeful post, about YA and ereaders.

So, what goals do you have this week? What concerns did you have when you attended your first conference? What do you think about YA and ereaders? Do you youtube?