After three full days of attending the AWP 2024 Conference, I am so exhausted (in the best way)—and there is so much to tell you!
Seriously.
I took 32 pages of notes.
Let me tell you—when I say these were full days, I mean full. I attended five sessions each of the three days (so 15 total), and there were only 20 minutes between sessions with no formal “lunch break.”
Having never been to the Kansas City Convention Center, I scheduled my sessions based on what I thought would be the most applicable to me—not the room number—so naturally, I managed to schedule sessions that were on opposite ends of the convention center. Which meant I did a lot of walking from one end to the other and back again. (But on the bright side, it was easy to hit my step goal!)
I wasn’t sure what to expect on the first day, and not having time for an actual lunch break was tough. Luckily, I brought plenty of snacks just in case. For the next two days, I learned from day one and brought a PB&J and some chips for lunch.
This conference was so informative, and I want to tell you guys everything! Since this blog is also for myself, I want to do justice to these recaps so that I have a record—almost like a journal entry—that I can refer back to. So over the next two weeks, each post will be a recap of each day at the conference.
I also got some really practical advice about ways to keep yourself accountable when it comes to writing. On my Monday posts, I’d like to start including a word count chart. I’m currently drafting my second novel, and to be completely transparent, I use the words “currently drafting” very loosely. I haven’t actually worked on it much in the new year.
So, starting today, I’m setting a goal of writing at least 500 words per day, and at the start of each week, I’ll tack on a section at the end of my post that details how many words I got written that day. I’m officially instating you all as my word count accountability partners. (Feel free to message me throughout the week to check my progress.)
After participating in NaNoWriMo, 500 words seems like a really small (but achievable) goal. NaNoWriMo’s daily word count is 1,667 words, but my goal right now isn’t to write a novel in a month—it’s just to finish one and get back into the habit of daily writing. Plus, if I feel like I’m consistently writing more than that, I can always change it. But a goal of 500 words feels like a good starting number.
I also want to be better about querying agents more consistently, so I am setting a goal to query at least two agents a week. I want this blog to be a really transparent space, so I plan to share the rejections (and hopefully positive responses) with you as well. I want you all to be there for the successes, of course, but also the sometimes disheartening reality of this publishing process. It’s not all instant New York Times bestsellers out here.
One thing that really excited me about the sessions I attended at this conference was that I really feel like I’m on the right track. Launching my website and starting this blog was definitely a step in the right direction, and now, I need to keep this forward momentum going—and write.
Britnie Jenkins 