Pam Writes Romance

More of last year’s prepping for Nationals series, originally posted July 15th, 2009. Enjoy!

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Wow, we’re practically at the two week mark. The “Oh, my God, where did the time go?” hysteria is now being replaced by the excitement of “Two weeks until Nationals. Squee!” I have a few details to iron out, but am close to being ready. (I’ve even started the packing pile on the couch in our front room. Sorry, honey. Hope you didn’t want to sit there or anything.)

With this post, I’m going to deviate from an earlier statement when I said I was going to discuss pitches and instead head back into the hotel/conference information. If anybody has any questions on future posts or would like to see a discussion on pitches, let me know either here or by email. I live to serve.

So today let’s discuss what to take with you. Since we already addressed what to wear, these lists are going to cover food/drink and miscellaneous. (I’ll admit it—I went to Target this weekend and got my items for these lists, so I’m a little excited about this post.  And yes, I was giggling in Target. I told you I was a conference slut.)

Food and Drink: “But, Pam,” you say. “The conference provides some meals and the hotel has restaurants and a Starbucks. Am I not good to go?”  Yes and no. Sometimes you’re good, sometimes you need a little augmenting, and sometimes you need Plan B.

When you’re good: The keynote luncheon on Thursday and the awards luncheon on Friday. These are yummy meals hitting several of the food groups (including dessert) and shouldn’t be missed unless an editor is asking how to spell your name for legal documents, such as a contract. Plus, the talks are inspirational, you get more free books, and it’s a wonderful chance to meet other people.

When you need augmenting: Friday and Saturday mornings are a continental breakfast. These are wonderful buffets of fruit, breakfast breads (pastries, bagels), fruit, and yogurt. (I’m pretty sure on the yogurt, but don’t hold me to that.) Plus, coffee, tea/hot water, and juices. This is a lovely start, but if you’re anything like me, you need an extra boost of protein or complex carbs. For this, I always bring a few packets of Quaker instant oatmeal (preferably the ones with a high percentage of protein.) Since I don’t drink coffee, I also bring my own tea (because I’m a tea snob, plus it rates as a comfort beverage, so I want what makes me happy) and packets of sugar-free cocoa. (Another comfort beverage, plus it’s a little more filling than tea or juice.) I’m also a firm believer in those individual powered drink bullets. You can get a variety of teas, fruit drinks, vitamin-enhanced juice, and so on. Plus they’re so tiny and so easy to carry!

I’m also including snacks in augmenting. Excellent items that are easily packed and can be tossed into your conference bag are: granola/protein bars, lunch-size packs of fig newtons, cheese or peanut butter and crackers, raw almonds, dried fruit, trail mix, M&Ms (more comfort food, and if you choose something in dark chocolate, also health food!) and so on. I prefer the lunch-size/treat-size packs because they’re individually wrapped. I’m a huge believer in Ziploc bags, but my theory is if airport security picks your luggage to search, the food is factory sealed and less likely to cause a kerfuffle.

Plan B: If you were at Dallas last year, you already know what I’m talking about. The restaurants/snack bar were just not equipped to handle us, and getting food could be something of a challenge. San Francisco is already better because of the Marriott’s proximity to restaurants, but there are times you’d rather have a little nosh and some quiet time, or just don’t have time to walk somewhere for food. For these times I always pack a few soups—can be a traditional cup-o-soup or a little more complex version that comes in its own disposable cup/bowl. (Start saving plastic silverware now!) Since the Marriott says each room is equipped with a coffee maker, you can boil water and voila! Instant snack! I remember a rainy day in Dallas last year when we just went up to our room and had chicken tortilla (me) and split pea (Montana) soup rather than spend 90 minutes waiting for a $20 hamburger and fries in the lounge downstairs. At that point, I believe I was declared “brilliant.”  (You could also call some almonds and a packet of instant oatmeal breakfast if you were running late or missed the continental breakfast.)

Miscellaneous: Here is a list of items I’ve found particularly handy to have at the conference. (Keep in mind, too, that I pack like I’m going to deepest Siberia with no access to any type of store, so some of this may seem like overkill. You can feel pity for Montana, but keep in mind he’s benefitted from my compulsion. See “brilliant” reference above.)

• Sewing kit/extra safety pins—no further explanation needed
• Shout Wipes/Tide pen—this is the voice of experience. At the Reno conference, I dropped a huge glop of salsa on my yellow shirt. One Shout Wipe later and you couldn’t tell I needed a bib.
• Sleep mask/earplugs—again, the voice of experience. Sleep is crucial and when you need it, you need it. So if it’s the middle of the day, if your roommates are practicing their pitches, if the 4+ people in the room next door are talking and laughing until 3:00 a.m. (true story)—slap on your mask (yes, one of those 1950’s satin jobs) and pop in your earplugs (those little foam things you can get at any sporting goods or hardware store) and sleep is that much closer.
• Alarm clock—rather than depend on the hotel’s clock, I’ll use my cell phone or bring a small kitchen timer set to wake me up in one hour or eight or whatever.
• Medicinals—this includes the pain reliever of your choice, Tylenol PM or equivalent (because your body is going to ache at the end of the day), Tums/Pepto/etc. (no explanation needed), DayQuil (for those times you feel a little cold-ish), and for those of you who need it, allergy medication.
• And I always keep a few mints or roll of Life Savers with me. Not only for breath protection, but you can never tell if you’re going to get all nervous and dry-mouthed before your pitch.

I hope this is helping. Take what you can use, discard the rest. I think the bottom line I’d stress is bring what makes you happy and comfortable. The more relaxed you are, the better conference experience you’re going to have. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to check my Hershey’s shipment going to the hotel.

Hello, lovely blog readers. In the spirit of the upcoming RWA National Conference in Washington DC, I’m going to repost some of my Conference Prep posts from last summer. Now, if you couldn’t tell by my reposting that I’m going through a lazy period, let me really illustrate that point–I’m not even going to change the references from San Francisco to Washington DC. I think the spirit of the lesson is there, and as I’ve more than clearly demonstrated, I am lay-zee.

So, without further ado and no more guilding the lily, here’s my take on Dress for Success, originally posted July10th, 2008. Good luck!

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The train is gathering momentum now. We’re under the three week mark and systems are firing. Of course, many of you are at the same point I am, that of near hysteria. “What do you mean Nationals are less than three weeks away? I’ve got clothes to buy, hair to cut, pitches to perfect and twenty pounds to lose!!!”  Even with my urge to breathe into a paper bag, I think I love preparing for Nationals as much as the event itself. It’s a lot like your wedding, isn’t it?

 Before I discuss today’s Red Alert Topic, I have two administrative tasks I’d like to take care of. The first is I’m hooked up with the amazing Jude of Blogging National. Per her site, “Each summer this blog lumbers to life to aggregate all the wonderful posts about the RWA National Conference whereby RWA members attending the conference share the fun and excitement with those not able to attend.” I’ve got her link over on my Blogs roll to your right, so if you’re like me and love talking and reading about Nationals, give her a peek. (And thank her for taking the time to compile all of us! Trust me, it’s like herding cats! A great big Pam Writes Romance mwah! to Jude!) The second little administrative task is to remind everybody that these posts are done strictly from my viewpoint and experiences. In the words of the fabulous Jenny Crusie, your mileage may vary. I encourage each and every one of you to research what you want to know about Nationals and take the information you like, leaving the rest behind. (A lot like listening to people tell you how to write, eh?)

Now on to the most important of all topics: What to Wear.

You’ve probably heard other people give such advice as wear comfy shoes and dress in layers. They’re absolutely right. For shoes, you’re going to be walking all over the hotel, from the depths of the bottom-most convention level to whatever double-digit floor your room is on. From 7:30 a.m. to the wee hours of the morning, you could be walking, walking, walking. “But,” you cry, “I have to look nice for my agent appointment, then walk two blocks to lunch, then come back for seminars! How can I find one pair of shoes that are comfy and look good at the same time?” Fear not. That’s why you bring a few, well-chosen pairs. Allow me to use myself as an example.

First thing to do is pick a color scheme, probably brown or black. I have a wardrobe built with black as a foundation, so it’s where I start. I have a pair of nice leather wedges that are both moderately-dressy and super comfy. I wear these most of the conference. I also bring a pair of cute heeled strappy sandals (but no strap across the ankle or heel) that work great if I do have to dress up or am feeling sassy. More than four hours standing in these and I’ll be hurting, but great for those sparkle times. (I may throw in one extra pair—probably my flats with the pointed toe, but in all honesty, I don’t need to. Just a compulsion to.) That way, I have the option to zip up to my room to change shoes (and/or clothes) before or after my editor and agent appointment, after dinner, before the afternoon seminars, whatever. Or you can be like Melissa and bring an extra pair of shoes to the RITA awards to change into afterwards. Of course, Melissa was staying at a nearby hotel and she had a ton more walking to do, but when she opened her purse before the ceremony started and showed me her second pair, I almost lost it.  (Just one of many reasons I love her so much!)

For the dress in layers part, this is also great advice. In my color block of black, I have a black cardigan I keep with me. ($13 at Target?) I’m also one of those people who runs hot, so I don’t need it that often, but it’s good to have even if just to drape over my shoulders—you can never tell if those conference rooms are going to be blazing, freezing, or somewhere in between. I try for shirts that are either short or ¾ sleeve (or can be folded or pushed up) and with capris, knit pants or skirt (all in my black and work with all of my shoes), I’m set for the conference. (And most of my items are knit so I don’t have to iron or worry about wrinkles.) I have a black ballerina top with sparkles that works for sassy, party, or last year, for the RITAs when paired with my black velvet skirt. (You thought I was kidding about the black, didn’t you?) My tops are where I want the color because that’s what people are going to see—my head and torso, not my lower half—so that’s where I want the color to be. I stick with two colors that compliment my coloring (a turquoise blue and olive) so my jewelry can mix-and-match, too. (If you’re completely stuck, either Google RWA Nationals and look at other authors sites for photos or Google Business Casual.) Whatever you do, wear something that you feel good, comfortable and happy in. This will show on your face and in your carriage. This weekend is a great big interview to me, and I’m not going to miss out on a callback because I’m wearing jeans or my khakis are six kinds of wrinkled. I even wear a skirt and nice top on the place so when I get to the hotel, I look like a professional writer. Again, your mileage may vary.

And speaking of the RITAs, I’ve seen everything from soup to nuts there, so don’t get stressed. You will see a lot of fancy outfits, but when you get 2000 women who write romance together (whose working outfits often consist of torn sweats), you’re going to see a lot of once-a-year dresses. My black velvet skirt was a Christmas party outfit, and now that I think about it, I wore that same skirt at Reno in 2005. Nobody pointed and screamed, so the repetition was okay with me. And if I was going to the RITAs this year, you can bet what would have been packed. Now, when I’m nominated, I will have satin and frills rivaling a prom queen, but until then, simple is fine.

What’d I miss?