How To Survive A Writers Conference in Style - Vol. 3

CLOTHING

Let’s talk clothes.  Writing Conference clothes. 

When EMichels and I first decided we’d do a blog series on conference survival, we were all “…and clothes! Yay, we can do a post about clothes!”  The excitement was contagious, but then we had to decide what we’d say.

*Cue crickets*

The fact is, clothing is very individual – as it should be.  Everyone has their own style and it may change depending on the event or day of the week.  We aren’t fashion experts and we certainly aren’t going to tell anyone how they should dress.  This post is merely an attempt at helping you carry out a look you want, IF you want a look.

If you do, then here’s my one basic, fail safe rule and a few examples on how to make a look work.

Fashion Rule: Always give thought to what you’re going to wear and the message you intend to send.

I’m not saying you should plan out every outfit, including the Saturday trip to Wal-Mart. For me that consists of khaki shorts, t-shirt, little to no make-up, and flip flops. But I’ve still given it some thought. I thought: I want to be comfy. I’m a mommy on her weekly grocery trip with her toddler son. It’s Saturday, I’m casual and I’m not trying to impress anyone.

And that’s exactly the message I send.

I do not want to send this message at a writer’s conference. No one wants to project harried or overly casual, over-worked or fraying at the edges to a room of agents, editors, and other writers.  I think we all prefer for our better qualities to shine through at writer events.

So, the first thing you do is decide the message you want to send while networking at a writer’s conference.  Are you neat and down to business in your slacks and classic cardigan? Are you simple and chic in black? Are you powerful, motivated, and a bit of fun with your business suit and pop of color a la fuchsia scarf and statement jewelry?

These looks send messages. If the message is strong enough, it makes you memorable.

Let’s say you write quirky Steampunk novels that run high octane on the erotic meter.  If I were you, I wouldn’t wear a cardigan and pearls to a writer’s conference. I’d work my brand and go with a few pieces of Steampunk inspired jewelry and the occasional article of clothing. I’m not talking full costume – save that for Dragon Con (Woo Hoo!) – but a few signature pieces, like a type of blouse or boots. Last year I saw a gorgeous forest green corset on a writer.  She wore it over some type of blouse so as to not be too risqué for a conference.  She looked amazing and I still remember her and her outfit.  That’s a good thing!

Another example is a writer of women’s fiction, heavy on the literature, low on the fluff.  Her writing is serious and she wants to be taken seriously.  If I’m her, I’d choose flattering skirts and dresses, heels or heeled boots, reserved colors with a touch of flash (ie. Animal print or a swath of color) that hints at my creativity and sense of humor.

If I’m the M Shelf member that writes paranormal (not too dark, not too light) with humor, grit, and a sensual flare – I’d go for black mixed with bold colors. Red, Blue, a bit of sparkle and shine, tempered by urban mettle that reflects the writing. Leather boots, chunky metal jewelry, rockin’ hair.

If I’m the M Shelf member that writes sexy, sassy historical – I’d go for flirtatious and fun. Think pink with lots of skirts or dresses, plenty of flow and flowers, heavy on the sparkle and jewelry, with hair that takes up some space.

Finally, in order to carry out these looks when you go shopping (and not revert back to regular day to day attire), may I suggest Pinterest?  I knew the look I wanted, I knew the look EMichels wanted.  Over a few months I pinned outfits that said “McGovy” or “EMichels” to me. 

All of these random bits of inspiration were saved in one easy to find place, so when I hit the store it was easy to reference.  I didn’t want to buy something I’d wear to my 9 to 5, but that’s a tough habit to break.  Looking at the article of clothing in my hand and seeing if it fit with the looks on my page was an easy way to weed out the work clothes.  It also reminded me of the look I was going for when I was caught between two dresses! (Yes, I WILL be magical midnight princess at the Maggie’s party and that’s that!)

Good luck with your style, both in writing and every day.  Whatever it is, you should feel good about it and yourself. Now go work that look!

How to Survive a Writers’ Conference in Style: Vol. 2

Applying your game face…

Here on the M Shelf, we’re counting down the days until we attend our favorite regional writers’ conference: Moonlight and Magnolias in Atlanta, GA.  Last week we discussed conference hair with McGovy.  Now that our hair is fluffed, curled and sprayed within an inch of its life, it’s time to put our faces on as my mother used to say.  Game faces?  Well, if you’re going to a writers’ conference to pitch your book and network with other writers—which you are—then yes!  And don’t we all want our game faces to be pretty?  Let’s chat about it.

Colors:

I’m somewhat of an expert at mixing paint.  In college I took a class called Theory of Color where all we did was mix colors of paint on little squares of paper for an entire semester.  I thought it was pointless busy work at the time, however as a result I now understand how the color wheel works and what really happens when colors are mixed.  What does this have to do with putting on your game face at a conference?  Everything!  Applying makeup is the delicate art of mixing paint—only on your face.

1.)  If you mix red and green together, you get neutral. 

2.)  If you mix purple and yellow together, you get neutral.

All skin tones fall within the center of the color wheel.  What does this mean?  Colored concealer is a writer’s best friend at a conference.  Nobody wants to have a giant zit on display just beneath the dark circles hanging under their eyes, right?  Blemishes and splotchy red marks will instantly disappear with the use of a dot of green concealer.  This is because red and green make what? Neutral.  Dark circles under your eyes from partying too hard with your writer friends last night can be quickly hidden with a smear of yellow concealer.  Why is this?  Because purple and yellow mix together to make neutral.  This will give your skin a smoother, non-clumpy appearance once you achieve your final look.

What’s your look?

Your color scheme should blend well with your hair, eye color and clothing.  Because of all of these factors it’s necessary to keep in mind the proper season your coloring falls within.  See charts below.  If you use your coloring as a guide, your conference style will come together with ease.

Tips and Tricks:

Days at a conference are long days that last well into the evening.  So, your lipstick needs to last right alongside your hair and feet. Wouldn’t it be nice to have your lip color last without worry?  Try this: Put lip liner on all over your lips as if it’s lipstick.  Blot.  Apply lipstick over the top of this layer, using it like a base to hold the lipstick in place.  You’ll be amazed how long it lasts.

So, you have your writers’ conference game face on.  You’re ready to conquer a few workshops.  But, now it’s time for the keynote speech.  Some famous author delivers the most compelling and gut wrenching speech you’ve ever heard.  There isn’t a dry eye in the room, but now you’re puffy eyed for the rest of the conference.  Not if you use this tip! Bring 2 metal spoons with you from home and throw them in the itty bitty freezer in your hotel room.  When the keynote speech ends, slip away for 10 minutes.  Press the frozen spoons to your eyes and any puffiness will go away within a few minutes.  Reapply mascara and rejoin the conference looking like you never shed a tear.  (No, McGovy, I will not need this tip this year because I will not cry at all and you will owe me a drink!)

I hope with your game face on and your lipstick attached for life, you’ll have the confidence you need to make the most of your writers’ conference.  Want to discuss your conference look?  We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Supply List:

Green concealer

Yellow concealer

Lip liner and lipstick

Metal spoons

Water to stay hydrated amid all the drinks

A wash cloth, hand towel and pillow case from home to avoid any allergic reactions in the hotel

How to Survive a Writers' Conference in Style - Volume I

This post is the kick-off in a series on Writing Conference Survival.  For the intent and purpose of this series, we’re talking regional size weekend conferences – not retreats or more laid back local conferences that last a day. We’re referring to a conference that includes pitching to agents, editors, long days of networking, nights of parties and mingling mixer type events.  But we believe every conference, retreat, meeting, and coffee meet-up should be informative and FUN! It’s in this spirit that we’ve developed the M Shelf head to toe tips:  How To Survive A Writing Conference In Style

Today’s topic: HAIR.

Hair is an extension of you. It’s one of the first things people notice, particularly for women.  It should be an extension of your personality and profession.  For example, at my 9 to 5 job, I’m a Charlotte. 

I wish I had her hair (I don’t), but that’s my basic aim.  My job is professional and conservative, therefore so is my hair and apparel (outside of the occasional crazy pair of shoes and statement jewelry).  And, to a certain degree, I am a Charlotte hair girl. I’m a jolly Pollyanna and I believe in love.  I like my hair long and feminine in rich brunette tones. A Charlotte ‘do suits me the majority of the time, but occasionally I get a wild hair! (Pardon the pun)

The part of me that’s daring and wide-open, fierce and fun with a little rock n’ roll needs to come out and play.  That is the hair I take to a writer’s conference. It gives me confidence, puts me in an outgoing mood, and reminds me why I’m there.  So I let a little Drew Barrymore come out to play (but as a brunette of course).

For my fellow M Shelf blogger, I think it’s safe to say she’s normally a Reese hair on a day to day basis.

But for conference she wants glamorous rolls and spirited waves like Carrie Underwood.

The only way to get all of these different looks is product and appliance.

But everyone is different and this is about YOUR hair. Let’s say your look is more reserved or wild & funky with short hair – the point is, you want to feel good about your ‘do at a conference, because if you feel good, you look good and vice versa. Confidence isn’t just a great thing when you’re marketing yourself and your work – it’s darn near a must have.  

So regardless of the hair you have and/or want, product and appliance will help get you where you want to be.

The average day at a writers’ conference starts at 8am and ends around midnight. That’s some serious all day hair. Luckily you’re usually in a hotel and can do the occasional touch up work, but your base style needs to last.  Here are a few key products that we’ve found work well for All Day Conference Hair.

Hairspray

After much trial and error, including the aptly named Helmet Head hairspray, our number one pick for perfect conference hair hairspray is Kenra #26. All day hold, a great smell, and your hair isn’t “crunchy.”  It’s nice to touch and doesn’t look stiff, even though it is.  I don’t know how or why it works, but it does.  It comes at a price, but it’s worth every penny if you require hold.

Anti-Frizz

This is something near and dear to my heart because I get frizzies after ten seconds in the southern air.  I swear by Moroccan Oil.  If it can make my unruly hair soft and smooth, it can help anyone. I’ve also recently discovered the Bed Head Hair Stick.  Those wispy baby hair combatants are no longer sticking up all over the place, even when rocking a wavy ‘do. Short hair, long hair – you just put some on your finger tips and shape it/smooth it how you want it.

Volume

If you need volume, we’ve found two things that work great for making limp hair full and ferocious.  Big Sexy Hair’s Root Boost and a tried and true set of hot rollers. The key to hot rollers? Flexibility OR having a roomie who doesn’t mind rolling the back for you.

Other Appliances

I’m a fan of curls and waves, so I go nowhere without my curling iron and hot rollers.  For others, it’s sleek and smooth with a flat iron.  Whatever you prefer, there’s no better line than CHI if you can afford it (it even gets my crazy hair straight and sleek). I can’t yet spring for a CHI, so trusty Helen of Troy or Hot Tools is a great second option.

We hope these tips will help if you have a quest for conference hair.  If you prefer to go au natural then power to you.  Own your look whatever it may be! =)

Shifting Gears

Have you ever been driving down the road with a friend calling out directions in the passenger seat?  As you’re driving through an intersection your friend yells, “Turn right!” 

My in laws are known for this occurrence, which is usually followed by a scream of profanity from the driver.  Breaks are screeching.  Tires are squalling.  Everyone in the car flies forward a few inches…it isn’t fun.  But, the car ends up on the correct street.  Then, comes the uncomfortable moment when apologies are made and everyone checks for bruises as the car gains some speed.  This is the point I want to talk about today.

I recently had to slam on the breaks in my writing journey and turn onto a new street.  I abandoned my work in progress in favor of a different project.  This “Street” is going to lead to my destination. That other road?  Not so much.  This is a lovely tree lined lane and I’m happy to be traveling on it, but I’m still rubbing the bruises caused by the sudden stop. 

My car is gaining momentum on this new path; however I’ve found I’m shoe shopping online more than I used to—we all cope in different ways I guess.  *winks* I think it’s the frustration over my current pace that has me turning to retail therapy.  When you go from speeding around corners to a Sunday drive in life, it’s a little depressing.  But, I’m pressing forward, which—I think—is all I can do.  I must admit though, I want to feel the wind in my hair again.  I want to see words fly by on the page.  I want to get into the meat and potatoes of this new story…

When life deals you a sudden stop how do you deal with it?  What do you do to gain speed again?

I’ve heard of authors having entire manuscripts complete by the time their proposals are rejected, but they never say how they got through it.  I have friends who have found their work environments changed in the blink of an eye and somehow they muddle through the change.  I know a few writers who scrap manuscripts and jump into another without any difficulty at all—I really wonder how they manage.  Life hands out a lot of sudden changes if you think about it.  So, what do we do?  Walk away for a minute to clear the mind? Jam on the gas pedal and scream “Go, go, go” to the steering wheel?  Shoe shop online?  I think I’m going to keep driving and see where this road takes me and perhaps do a little shoe shopping along the way.

Have you ever had to slam on the brakes and turn?  I would love to hear your story.

One Of Those Mornings

This morning was one of those mornings.

I knew things were going to be rough when I woke up late and every muscle in my upper legs felt like I’d done a hundred squats and lunges the day before – because I had.  Things went permanently askew when I later attempted to line my eyes with lip liner and spray my hair with Avon Skin So Soft instead of curl booster.  I shook it off and trudged on, but herein lies the tale of one woman’s tornado of a Tuesday morning:

Phone alarm goes off at 6am, but I hit the snooze five times because I was exhausted from a workout and staying up late writing and “networking” (Tweeting, Facebooking, Pinteresting – yes those are totally verbs thank you very much).  For those doing the math at home, that’s 6:45-ish and I have to be out of the door by 8am at the very latest.

Woke lil’ man up late as well and he was in a mood. Realized we were out of Pediasure, flavored his milk with French Vanilla creamer and kept it moving.  Finally got myself showered and dressed, then dressed him, only to hear three dreaded words for a mom with a toddler in diapers. “Poo Poo, Mommy.”  We take care of Mother Nature and even though we’re about five minutes off schedule, we’re okay.

I finish the hair and make-up, then rush to prepare my morning health shake because I’m dedicated to this plan of changing the way I eat and therefore my life.  In the blender I toss some frozen strawberries, almond milk, and a dollop or two of Greek yogurt.  Blend.  Add the spinach. Blend again.  What’s this? Yes, it’s hideous looking, but more importantly, the frozen strawberries are stuck in the blades and refuse to blend.  Of course the only thing I can do is dig them out with a big spoon.  Somehow, with some third hand I don’t know about, I hit the BLEND button while said spoon is still in blender.

BOOM!

Spinach and strawberry health shake go everywhere!  Every. Where.

The counter, the cabinets, the floor, my shirt, my hair, and my eyes (which I’d finally managed to line with the proper pencil).  It looks like someone blended a frog in my kitchen and I really like frogs so I’m doubly upset.  I say a bad word.  Then I have to apologize to lil’ man for the bad word.  Now, running ten minutes late, I clean up the kitchen, towel the smoothie out of my hair, wipe my eyes and reapply eye liner, change shirts and load everything in the car.  I get in and realize I don’t have lil’ man or what’s left of my smoothie.  I get back out, say another dirty word in private because I’m over twenty minutes late now, and collect them both. Get back in the car, close the door with a lot more enthusiasm than necessary, and remind lil’ man never to slam doors like Mommy just did.

I finally get him dropped off and I’m on my way to work when I see blue lights.  My stomach falls out onto the highway as I look at my speed.  I’m only seven MPH over. Surely not.  The blue lights close in and I want to cry.  Then the HP flies past me and gets the orange Jeep hauling it in front of me.  I’ve never been a bigger fan of bright orange Jeeps than at that moment.

I stop at the next red light and cry.  Not because of the near ticket or the frog smoothie or the sore legs, but because I’m stressed.  I’ve been stressed for weeks about things that have nothing to do with the morning and I won’t admit it.  Like most women, I have too much on my plate and not enough forks and knives to manage it.  There are days when all it takes is the great smoothie explosion or a near speeding ticket to finally make us stop and have a good cry.  It felt so good too because I needed it.

As I’m ruining my hard earned eyeliner between one light and the next, Theory of a Deadman’s “I Hate My Life” comes on the radio and I start to laugh.  The song is funny because of the lyrics and because I don’t hate my life.  Yes, it’s insane and there are days I want to take a break from it and teleport to my imaginary private island with Tom Hardy as cabana boy for 48 hours … but I love my life.  I adore my lil’ man and wacky family.  I love finally working out again and feeling it the next day, eating right even when it isn’t easy.  I love staying up late “networking” and writing and I enjoy putting on eye makeup, even thrice in one day.  I love my life and I wouldn’t change much about it, but I either need a clone or I need to learn two words.  “No” and “Help!”  So, from this day forward, along with my working out and ugly smoothies, I will use those two words as necessary.

Oh and the smoothie was really good.  I would’ve drank more if it wasn’t on my ceiling.

"Mine didn't look anywhere near this pretty."

Move It!

Whenever a group of writers get together the subject is bound to come up in the conversation.  I can’t say I’m surprised; they’re hard and make your legs turn to Jell-O, who wouldn’t want to talk about them?  Of course, I’m talking about treadmill desks.  These fabulous inventions have become popular recently to fight the occurrence of writer butt spread—terrible disease that it is.  I’ve been on a health kick for the past few months and one thing I’ve been trying is the treadmill desk.

When I first asked Mr. Alpha Male to build me a desk to go over the treadmill, I think he was envisioning some large contraption that would fill half the bonus room.  After much discussion of the design, we settled on a small sleek space to sit either of our laptops on the front handle of the treadmill.  This way it can be easily removed and put away when not in use.  He built mine out of poplar with a walnut finish, but I’ve seen different versions, one even using a wicker breakfast tray held together with bungee cords.  So, even if you don’t know someone with the hobby of wood working, a treadmill desk is a great option for anyone who spends a large amount of time in front of their computer.

After using the treadmill desk for a few months now, I’ve discovered a few things…

1. You can’t jog or the keyboard gets too jumpy to be able to type.  I recommend speed walking.

2. It’s hard to channel your muse and write something brilliant while speed walking.  When I decided to try this idea, I thought I would be able to write my manuscript and simultaneously drop 10 pounds—not so.  What I can do is write a blog entry, write an email, update all of my social media or critique a manuscript for one of the #CRWbadgirlz.  All of these things need to be done, so it’s definitely of value.

3. It’s amazing how fast 45 minutes passes when you’re reading a great manuscript or writing your thoughts on life.

4. It’s amazing how much you can get done in 45 minutes when you’re chained to your laptop walking in place.

5. I might just fit in those skinny jeans by this fall.

I’ll summarize by saying I love my treadmill desk, so thank you to Mr. Alpha Male for building it for me.  What crazy things have you tried in order to fit exercise into your life?

Feed Me, Seymour!

Trish Milburn and Tanya Michaels were the distinguished guest speakers at our last Carolina Romance Writers meeting. Each did an awesome workshop; one on the Three Pronged Approach to Publishing, the other sent us to Military School for our Unruly Muse - respectively.

You know the workshops are great when you’re still thinking about them days later. One thing still on my mind is what Tanya said about (paraphrasing here) feeding our muse. Not simply reading books in our genre, but how do we feed our muse via other mediums?

It’s obvious to me when my muse is starving to death or even a little peckish. He becomes a grumpy cuss that sits on his jean clad ass and won’t lift a life roughened finger to help me. He will, however, give me the bird. He’ll behave when I dive into contemporary and paranormal romances, contain his manliest snort (that’s saved for when I read my historicals and tear jerkers), but these dishes aren’t enough to satisfy him. My muse wants something he can sink his teeth into. He insists that somebody, somewhere blow something up, commit espionage, kidnap, extort, double cross, and generally do bad things. Then the good guys must show up and fight/shoot /drive fast/blow things up too. Finally, all the bad things come back to kick the bad guys in the kahunas or everything falls apart and ends in chaos. THAT is what feeds my muse. Movies - Spy, Action, Suspense, Adventure, High Stakes, and the like.

I’m not necessarily talking about the summer’s most expensive blockbuster (though sometimes it does the trick), but the smaller name movies that kick ass. The Mechanic, Snatch (and almost anything with Jason Statham or directed by Guy Ritchie), Contraband, Eastern Promises, Bourne anything, whatever Christopher Nolan touches, and … you get the idea. If I can find one of these movies on a semi-regular basis, fresh ideas come to me. Heroes come to me. My muse stops with the stoic routine and starts plotting ways to wreak havoc. All is awesome in the gray matter and playing field of my pretend world.

A friend and co-writer once said of my writing “No matter what, I know somebody somewhere has a gun. Even if they never have to use it, it’s there.” If I’m honest, I probably have my father to blame for this. He started me on a diet of action movies at the ripe old age of nine. Mom wasn’t into shoot ‘em ups, so why not take the daughter?!

I love him for it though. And my muse thanks him!