Your Inspiration is Calling
The 2010 ASJA Writers' Conference is right around the corner
by Gina Roberts-Grey

Some call it mojo. Others, a muse. No matter what moves you to put pen to paper, the 39th Annual ASJA Writers Conference that takes place from April 23 to 25, 2010, at the historic Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan will provide the keys to unlocking a bounty of creativity and inspiration.

Every spring, ASJA conference goers converge in New York City for a variety of reasons. Personal Pitch (members only, on Friday) is a perennial crowd pleaser. And who doesn't love catching up with fellow writing buddies, putting names to faces or making new friends? The latter is what sparked a new conference committee, Social Networking/Ice-Breakers. As the song says, sometimes we all "need a little help from our friends." Motivated by that melody, Jackie Dishner and Rebecca Allen, co-chairs of the ice-breaking brigade, have stashed more than a few tricks up their sleeves aimed at getting attendees mixing and mingling. I can't promise they won't slap a smiley face sticker on your name badge, stick a scavenger hunt sheet in your hand or tap you for a tweet-up. These ladies are determined that everyone will be inspired to make a few new connections.

Food is another fan favorite at the conference. That's why we've added a continental breakfast on Friday and brought back the Friday luncheon with an added twist: a special keynote speaker. The ASJA awards presentation will return to lunchtime, as well. Saturday's luncheon will have twice the inspiration, featuring two keynoters; ASJA's own best-selling author, Liz Holzemer, and Peter Shankman, the networking genius behind HARO (Help A Reporter Out) and author. Both are engaging, insightful, and energetic, and have fascinating stories of perseverance, ingenuity, and triumph.

Even though attention has been placed on fun and food, giving writers options to boost their bottom line, discover untapped income sources, and forge new professional relationships is still top priority. We've lined up 13 sessions on Friday (Members' Day), offering a full day of editor-packed panels to complement Personal Pitch.

We finetuned the scope of Saturday's existing Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced tracks and added a couple of new ones to the mix: "Getting Started" and "Totally Tech."

"Getting Started" is for those dipping a toe or two into the freelancer pool and for writers who may be coming back to freelancing after being away for a spell. The tech track is packed with hands-on demonstrations, editors who pay for tweets, and dozens of "how" and "why" nuggets. Speaking of technology, if you're on Twitter, follow the conference at @ASJA2010. You'll get conference updates and tweets about Twitterviews featuring many of the panelists, speakers, and moderators.

Sunday received a bit of a face-lift, too. There's twice as much to do, with eight sessions that are a mix of 90-minute sessions and three-hour in-depth workshops. Sree Sreenivasan, an ASJA conference favorite, has a brand new three hour workshop you won't want to miss. Carol Weston, author of 12 books, leads an all-star fiction panel, that includes Patty Dann, author of Mermaids (which became a movie starring Cher), that's ready to help you develop characters, land an agent, and turn those great fiction ideas into a book. Another workshop will focus on writing children's books.

We hope your mojo, muse, and chutzpah will come alive at the conference. Rest assured, every decision and detail has been made with one mission: to inspire. You can find a description of all the sessions, moderator and speaker bios, and much more at www.asja.org/wc/2010/. For now, here are a few highlights:

Members Day, Friday, April 23

• Break the Ice … Meet up with old friends and make new ones. You never know, you just might win a prize or two along the way.
• Personal Pitch … Editors, agents, and publishers line up just to meet you.
• Market Scoop … Attend one of four sessions, each featuring four editors who routinely hire freelancers.
• Everyone Has a Story … All about memoirs and biographies.
• Behind the Best Seller … One book's team tells us how it's done.
• Book Promotion 2.0 … Take the lead in promoting your book.

Saturday, April 24:

• First Impressions … Three senior editors tell how to start off on the right foot.
• Stay Safe … Avoid carpal tunnel, beat stress, and learn relaxation techniques.
• Post for Dollars … Learn how to get paid to blog and tweet.
• Kill-proof Copy … Three editors explain how to avoid multiple revisions and get your work accepted fast.
• All About Agents … Get the scoop on meeting, making up, and breaking up.
• Social Media … When, where, and how to make it work for you.
• Get organized … Software and tricks that free up valuable time.
• Big Changes … How veterans can avoid boredom and burnout.
• Cocktail Party … Schmooze with editors, agents, and fellow conference-goers.

Sunday, April 25:

• Creating Websites … Straight talk from pros telling you everything you need to know.
• Write Green … Get paid to save the planet.
• Children's Books … Learn all the tricks of this trade.

Gina Roberts-Grey is co-chair, with David Budin, of ASJA's annual writers conference.