Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach Ann Kroeker

Are you getting ready to attend a writers’ conference?







Guess what? So am I! And I want to make the most of my time there, so let’s think through what will help with that.







You’re likely going for at least two reasons: to learn and to connect. You might also be going to pitch your project. Let’s prep, plan, and pack to get the most out of this upcoming event, so you’re even better prepared to learn, connect, and pitch.







And given that I work with a lot of published authors and speakers, it’s possible you’re one of the presenters. One day I might share detailed speaker recommendations, but for now I did weave in a few suggestions to make your faculty conference experience a little easier, too.







Event Binder







First, I should mention the Event Binder. This idea originated with Kathi Lipp on an episode of Writing at the Red House. Years ago I heard her describe what she includes in her “dossier,” as she calls it, and I’ve adopted and adapted the list to make it my own.







I load it up with all travel information (printed out, obviously) like reservations, and confirmations; contact names and emails; an envelope for receipts; a mileage tracker where I can log each outing; a printout of the schedule; and more. If I’m speaking, I print out copies of my messages in case technology fails.







That said, I do create redundancy by dropping the same information into a folder on my phone in an app like Google Drive or Notion. And I’ll save the key locations in my maps app so it’s a quick click and I’m on my way.























If you’d like a list of what I have in my Event Binder whether I’m an attendee or speaker, head to ​annkroeker.com/conferenceprep​ to get a checklist.







Research Speakers







Hopefully you already read the session descriptions when choosing this conference and got a feel for the presenters and other faculty.







Study the conference website







Now, in the days before the event, study the website to learn about the organizers and faculty. You never know who you’ll be sitting next to at lunch or crossing in the hallway—knowing the team and speakers means you’ll be able to connect more personally during any random interaction.







Follow and watch or listen to speakers online























Find and follow key faculty on social media. Search YouTube and podcasts to find your favorite speakers. Listen to at least a few minutes of their interviews, presentations, or lectures. 







[Edited to add an excellent suggestion from writer Li Mitchell, who replied to my newsletter and suggested “joining presenters' email newsletters (if they have them) and getting to know them through email before you attend their conference …because then when you met them in person, you would already have spoken through email.”]







When you do this, each speaker will lift off the pages of the conference materials and seem even more “real” when you hear them tell a personal story about family or childhood in a podcast interview. You’ll get to hear their voice. You’ll see mannerisms if you see them on video. If you have time before the event, you could read one of their books.







Write what you discover























If you create an Event Binder, write questions to ask and details you learn next to their name and session description.

Looking to transform your writing career? Visit https://annkroeker.com/chooseconference for an edited transcript and additional resources that accompany this episode. You'll get a glimpse of host Ann Kroeker's experiences with writers' conferences. Learn how these events can be life-changing by offering essential industry knowledge, networking opportunities, mentorship connections, and opportunities to pitch. With practical tips on choosing the right conference for your goals and navigating the diverse landscape of writing gatherings, this episode offers recommendations to writers of all stages and genres. Whether you're a seasoned author seeking inspiration or a newbie eager to dive into the world of publishing, tune in to decide if a writers’ conference (or any writing event) is the next step in your publishing journey. Browse all episodes at https://annkroeker.com/podcasts

I stared at a blank screen. Why did I ever think I could pull this off?







Until that moment, I’d only written short projects. Articles, essays, poems. 







As I sat staring at the screen, questioning myself in about every way possible, I was supposed to be writing my first book—a manuscript of over 50,000 words.







Overwhelmed, I sat at the keyboard, frozen.







Sound familiar? Have you felt inspired to write a book you believe will truly help people—even transform them—but you’re not sure you have what it takes? 







Well, once upon a time, this writing coach was in the exact same place.







I was staring at the screen, inspired to write a book, but doubting myself: Do I have what it takes to write a book?







Could I Write Something as Big as a Book?







How does an essayist-poet-freelancer embark on the massive task of completing a 55,000-word manuscript?







That question felt unanswerable and I felt inadequate.







This prose-freezing self-doubt was a huge problem, however, because I’d signed a contract. I was obligated to write a book I didn’t think I could write.







First, a Proposal







For a year or so my friends had been urging me to move forward with writing a book after I kept sharing concepts with them in conversations over coffee or during play dates at the park. One after another, they would say, “You should write a book about that!”







I’d laugh it off. “Me? Write a book? Ha!” 







“But you’re a writer!” they’d insist.







“I’m a writer of short things. A book is too long, too huge.”







They’d shrug and we’d go back to wiping yogurt off our kids’ faces.







One day I was meeting with my mentor, a writer named Ruth (I had two writing mentors named Ruth—what are the odds!—and this was the Ruth who lived nearby). Nearby Ruth was the author of a book acquired by a publishing house based about three hours north of us. 







She offered to introduce me to the editorial team, so I could pitch the idea to them over lunch. She said she’d drive me up there herself! All I had to do was hop in the car, share the project with them, and hand out copies of a book proposal. 







It was all arranged.







What a great mentor, right?







I just needed to create the book proposal…which I didn’t have the faintest idea how to put together.







"You can look at mine"







“I need a book proposal? Can’t I just describe the book?”







“They need the book proposal,” Ruth said. “That’s how they do it.”







It’s the same now as it was then, by the way. For nonfiction projects, an author produces a book proposal before landing a book contract with an agent or editor. (Learn more about the process and purpose by watching this webinar.)







Back then, I had no idea what a book proposal looked like. This was pre-Internet, so there were no samples to download or coaches to hire.







“You can look at mine,” Ruth offered. “You can see how it’s laid out and how I described my book. Then you can plug in your book’s details in the same places.”







Can you believe that? My mentor offered to let me see her own book proposal like it was no big deal.







But it was pivotal. Life-changing. Career-forming.

"Never go to bed until you have a story to tell," says Kevin Lynch, Creative Director at Oatly. I heard him interviewed on a podcast and stopped jogging to write down what he said about that daily story:









It could be a deep thing that you learned, it could be a movie that you saw, it could be a way you took home, it could be a conversation that you had…it could be anything.”1









Indeed, we can live a “storied life” without a celebrity-level lifestyle full of famous people and fabulous soirees. We’re living “story-worthy” moments each day—we simply need to notice them…and capture them.























Every day we have understated interactions and flashes of insight that create meaning. In fact, simpler, subtler, more relatable stories can captivate readers far better than wild escapades that don’t show any change.







These daily stories serve as fodder for our work, weaving into what we write as anecdotes, illustrations. Sometimes they serve as the narrative spine of a full-length project.







Thus, the more stories, the better—as Kevin Lynch observed in that interview, capturing a story each day gives us 365 stories every single year. 







To start your story collection today, try these three ways to ensure you have a story to tell by the time your head hits the pillow tonight:









* Reflect to discern your "story-worthy” moment from the day







* Create a story worth telling before closing your eyes for the night







* Gather memories that come to mind and use those as story prompts









1. Reflect on the Day to Discern Your “Story-Worthy” Moment







In his TEDx Talk, on his podcast, in his book Storyworthy, and at his blog, storyteller Matthew Dicks invites every person, not just writers, to document their “most story-like moment from the day” for what he calls Homework for Life. 







He takes five minutes at the end of each day and thinks back: What made this day different from all the rest?2







The idea is so simple. He writes a sentence or two—sometimes just a string of words—and later, when he has time to write it out in full, he’s got what he needs to bring back that memory from that day: the moment he chose to document. 







With his Homework for Life, we note the small discoveries, the daily surprises, those meaningful moments we don’t want to lose. In other words, these daily stories don’t need to be earth-shattering events. They can be quiet, understated internal shifts.







He keeps his in a spreadsheet, making it easy to search keywords and find connections and themes from year to year.3







Begin this process, and you’ll be transformed by seeing how ephemeral interactions, observations, and moments are actually filled with meaning…that a day that seems like any other day is packed with specificity.







We are living stories every single day.







2. Create a story worth telling







The next way to avoid going to bed until you have a story to tell is to create a story.







That’s what Kevin Lynch suggests: “If someone asks, ‘How was your day?’ and you don't have a story to tell them, go create one."4























He continues, "By doing so, it pushes you out of your comfort zone and kind of gets you used to doing a little more experimentation and being vulnerable and putting yourself in vulnerable places or situations."5

When I was in college, practicing in public meant sitting under an oak tree on campus, flipping open my spiral-bound notebook, and scratching out a poem as students walked the path beside me. 







Creative writing classes gave me another way to practice in public, when my poems were workshopped by my peers.







As a young adult building a freelance writing career, I submitted my work to literary journals and magazines—that was about the only way I could practice in public. Those low-tech days limited how and where we could share our words. 







Today, the world has exploded with numerous ways to practice in public—I can share my work with you using tools I couldn’t have dreamed of when I sat under that oak tree on campus. Some of my content goes out through my coaching newsletter, my Substack newsletter called Story Hatchery, social media, and my website. 







Tools to Practice in Public







At the click of a button, from the palms of our hands, we can instantly share our work with the world using:









* websites







* newsletter apps like Substack, Beehiiv, and Ghost







* social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads









Each time we hit “publish” or “post,” we’re practicing in public.







And each time we turn around and write another piece, we have more experience, more input, and more empowerment to become a better writer. 







Benefits for Writers Who Practice in Public







Jeff Goins and others urge us to “practice in public,” because “there is no better way to improve than to put your work out there, sharing it for the whole world to see.”1







Of course there are good reasons to practice in private, but when we look up from the pages of our journal and share ideas with others through tools like newsletters and social media, we find readers. We build our platform. We experiment. 







Heavens, there are loads of benefits from practicing in public! Let’s dive in and see why it’s worth it to start…







1. Save Time and Write with Intent







If you write in private more than in public, you’re likely not achieving your goals. Marion Roach Smith argues that writing privately in response to a prompt wastes valuable time—time that could be dedicated to a work in progress. Writing with purpose and sharing it with the public, though, allows you to focus on creating meaningful content. Save time; write with intent, boldly practicing in public.







2. Write Better and Faster: Experiment, Adjust, Improve







When writers learn new literary techniques, it’s fun to experiment with them in a low-stakes setting like LinkedIn or Instagram.







Practicing in public allows for rapid improvement. Similar to that oft-referenced experiment where pottery students rapidly refined their skills by making numerous pots (instead of laboring over a single pot), writers hone their techniques through continual practice and sharing—the more the better! 







By sharing your work, you experiment and receive immediate feedback. This iterative process allows you to adjust and improve, refining your craft over time.

Dear Writer,







It’s easy to freeze up when we’re writing for the faceless masses or the random reader who happens upon our words.







What do we say to all those people? How can we speak with heart to a total stranger?







Next thing you know, we second-guess our ideas, our prose, our very selves. We fade to beige without saying what we really think, without being specific, without our signature wit and whimsy. 







What would that random person who doesn’t even know me think if I crack a joke?







We lose our creativity, our passion, our joy.







We freeze. We get stuck. 







We’re afraid to stand out, so we play it safe. We write dull, ordinary prose that could be penned by anyone at all, even ChatGPT.







Unlock Your Creative Voice: Write a Letter to Your Reader







One way to unlock creativity is to write a letter—a letter to your reader.







And not just any nameless, faceless reader but a specific person you actually know.







Dear Anthony…







Dear Paula…







Dear Lissa…







When you think of the kind of person you’re trying to reach with your words, does Lissa fit?







Good. 







Now, write her a letter about a question or struggle that she herself has voiced. 







Weave in ideas that can help. 







Encourage her with a vulnerable story.







Add a little pizzazz that only you can include—after all, she knows you. She’ll grin at your joke and “get” your allusion.







When you’re done, you can send her the note, if you want.







Or you can cross out Lissa’s name and replace it with the type of person you write for:







Dear Weary Homeschool Mom…







Dear New Gardener…







Dear Journaler…







If that feels awkward to publish, cross off the salutation altogether. 







Dear Anthony…







Dear Paula…







Dear Lissa…







I’ll bet you can find a great hook in your opening lines, and the letter-writing trick disarmed you enough to write fresh and real and personable.







Writing a Letter to Your Reader Frees Your Natural Voice







From the writer’s perspective, writing a letter to your reader can remove that feeling of writing to the faceless masses and instead invite an easy tone and thoughts that convey empathy and intimacy.







J. Willis Westlake, author of an 1800s book about letter-writing, says:









In other [writing] productions there is the restraint induced by the feeling that a thousand eyes are peering over the writer’s shoulder and scrutinizing every word; while letters are written when the mind is as it were in dressing-gown and slippers — free, natural, active, perfectly at home, and with all the fountains of fancy, wit, and sentiment in full play.1









By tricking your mind into donning its dressing-gown and slippers, you can achieve that “free, natural, active, perfectly at home” tone, style, and voice. Your readers will love reading your “fancy, wit, and sentiment in full play.”







Genuine Letters Contain Our Most Interesting Content







And it’s not just our style, tone, and voice that letters unleash; it’s also the content itself.







Westlake continues,