I got back yesterday from SIWC and after wiping the glazed look off my face here are the high points.
In Janet Reid's master class I got my query pitch for my next book eviscerated and then tweaked until it sings. Or at least hums. :-)
In terms of agent/editor pitch sessions, I obtained 10-minute one-on-ones with agent Rachel Vater, and editors from Little, Brown and Tom Doherty Associates. I also had 15 minute one-on-ones with Robert J. Sawyer, James McCann and Don McQuinn, who sat down with my actual pages and gave me feedback. I can't emphasize enough how valuable and informative these sessions are. How often do you get that kind of opportunity?
Plus, if you ever need a kick in the pants to write, Vicki Pettersson runs a great talk about doing the work.
I'm so lucky to have this conference essentially in my backyard. Writers' workshops are great at pointing out everything that's wrong with my writing. But SIWC always gives me a great boost and is an incredible motivator to focus and get the writing done.
