More on Crime Bake

As promised, here are some more details from my Crime Bake weekend, my very first (but not last) writers’ conference. First the most important thing: there were lobsters…

Lots of lobsters…

There were also interesting panels, agent-pitch sessions, two awesome guests of honor, a fun costume party, and of course the award ceremony and launch of Dead Calm. I guess I’ll just try to sum up my experience and mention the things that stand out in my mind. Won’t bore you with all the details.

The Boston weather (pleasantly) surprised me with extremely mild temperatures. I brought my big winter coat for nothing and had to lug it up the hill to Hilton Dedham, assisted by a kind Rusty Gagnon – a mild breeze blowing our hair, ocher leaves swirling all around us.

• The “social media” panel was interesting. Surprisingly, Facebook was deemed the most important social media platform – due to the sheer number of users. I’d have thought Twitter would win the prize. Blogs were considered nice but not necessary. Personally, I like blogs. A new writer won’t have anything to put on a static website. Blogs allow you to share thoughts longer than 140 characters/Facebook statuses. I think the basic conclusion at the end was that you need to have something (this is clear), and it’s up to you what you feel most comfortable with. Trying to do everything was discouraged. There was advice to “write the damn book” and limit social media time by quickly zipping in – liking a few things, dropping a few comments – and then zipping right out again. I don’t know if it’s really that easy.
• Barry Eisler and Nancy Pickard were wonderful. They are also both attractive. I know because I was sitting right in front of them. They talked candidly about highs and lows, dark moments before dawns, horrible covers and bad titles, helpful/unhelpful editors. Listening to them talk renewed my appreciation of the weird, winding paths writing careers can take. And each path is different. I enjoyed Nancy Pickard’s moderated panel “I’ve Got a Secret” on characters and secrets, layers of secrets, when you should or should not reveal the secrets… I believe it was Nancy who gave the tip, “Put a surprise in every scene.”
• Agent-pitch session. I’d never pitched before but I gave it a go. My impression of the pitching business: it’s always going to be a little nerve-wracking but who cares. Just do it anyway. I certainly didn’t feel lonely waiting in the hall with all those other nervous people twitching their notes like actors waiting for an audition.
• The costume party (“Sleuths, Spies and Private Eyes”) was lots of fun. I wasn’t the only Nancy Drew. Another plaid-skirted gal graced the dance floor. Around her hovered a ghost. None of us could figure out who the ghost was supposed to be. Turned out it was Carolyn Keene (ghostwriter). I saw a Columbo (complete with glass eye) and Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. All in all, a grand evening.
• I wanted to do the writers’ yoga session at 7 a.m. on Sunday but, yeah, I didn’t make it.

If you like crime fiction and you’re thinking about attending a writers’ conference, I can warmly recommend the New England Crime Bake. Just sign up early because it gets booked up really fast (this year I think it was sold out in June).

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