Attending the NINC Fall Conference

I began working for NINC (Novelists, Inc.), seven years ago when I took up the monthly job of editing their newsletter: Nink. I am still not a member of NINC, because the majority of my money still comes from all of my copyediting clients and not my novels, BUT times are changing. 

I still LOVE proofing the newsletter, though, because I get that insider info in the publishing world, advice, tips and tricks from some of the most successful authors in the world today. And that has always included the yearly reports from the annual NINC Conferences that always take place at the TradeWinds in St. Pete Beach, FL. 

This year, when I handed the absolutely devastating reality of knowing I had to give up everything in Oregon and move--AGAIN--to North Carolina, I was also offered a comp ticket to the fall conference from my team at NINC. They wanted to offer it to me so I could see the inside scoop for myself, and we would all be able to meet in person... I just had to get there and swing the hotel for the week. 

Since I was no longer putting all of my earnings into my farm, because it was being stripped away from me, I did have the money for us all to drive down to Florida in September from North Carolina and stay for five glorious nights. My family played on the beach while I attended all the sessions I could and I got to fangirl all over Sarra Cannon and Elana Johnson. (That's another story.) 

I knew this conference would help me in many ways, and it definitely did. I had to flex my I'm In Public Now, Look At My Girl Clothes! muscles... and I learned a ton of things from all of the presenters: a little craft, a lot of business, BookFunnel, how to pull a story bible together, just everything. It was exhausting and my head felt like it weighed 50 pounds at the end. 

I came home with a renewed sense of I CAN DO THIS and I dug into my plans for my novels. I was really jazzed to make goals that I hope to see come true before our next trip to St. Pete Beach, because Charley and the girls all loved our time at the beach!!