In March, I attended the CA Dreamin’ Conference and won a raffle to meet Silvia Day! Read my secret tip below on how to win raffles.
The group of winners sat in a hotel suite and picked her brain on writing. One thing that I love about her books is that her characters seem so real. I asked Silvia how she makes them jump off the page. Silvia said that her characters are real to her. Even her characters from different books are part of the same world. What a concept. She also stressed the importance of believing in yourself and reading.
If you aren’t reading, you can’t write.
I met a lot of great people and quite a few gave me their business cards. I didn’t even think of bringing one for myself. I mean, I haven’t published anything, why would I pass out cards? When I collected the 5th one, I had an realization. It’s a networking tool. Now, I wish I had asked for more cards and passed out my own. Lesson learned.
Here’s my tip to winning a raffle or drawing. Always wait to put in your tickets until right before the deadline. I have won several prizes using this strategy. Movie passes, Dodger tickets, a frozen yogurt gift card, a gift basket, to name a few. The reason for this is that the person drawing the winners normally does not shake the box before selecting the names.
Have you been to a writing conference? What was the most important thing that you learned?
Jennifer Farrar 