Last year I was the newbie to the Romance Writers of America National Conference. So now that I know what I didn’t then, I’m going to help you figure out a plan of attack for attending. Answer a few questions, do a little web browsing, and you’ll have a strategic plan of attack worthy of any military assault!

Why are you going? This basic question is your objective, what you hope to achieve by hanging out with 3,000 other authors. Are you going because you’re having trouble writing and need advice? Do you want to meet agents to see if there’s one out there for you? Or are you there to pick up free signed books? I think of RWA in terms of three levels: improving your writing (novice), getting your book published (intermediate), or becoming a business professional (professional). You can target more than one area, but focus will help you get the most out of RWA.

Who do you want to meet? Networking is an essential part of national. Whether you’re meeting with your local chapter, meeting your editor for the first time, or trying to find out what the key to Nora Roberts’ success is, you should have a mental list of people you want to contact. Plan or arrange to meet them at the workshops they’re presenting, at one of the meals that comes in your package price, or during book signings. However, no stalking or gawking please! You won’t look professional, and this is, foremost, a business conference.

What do you want to take away? Takeaways are both physical and mental. Free books, pens, bookmarkers, and notepads are some of the physical items you can pick up in the Goody Room. Use these for ideas of how you can market your book, or to give away to readers and other authors back home. Many workshop presenters will have handouts. Take copious notes on those that benefit you most. The major publishers will have signings, their authors autographing free books for all who wait in the lines. Besides the obvious books for reading, you can also give these away for personal or chapter promotion. As for your mental takeaways, the workshops will give you much to think about and help your writing business, and the inspirational and humbling speeches given by the speakers may give you that psychological boost to get your writing to the next step.

Using the answers you’ve given to the questions above, you’re ready for what we military types call a course of action (COA). You may have more than one COA, which is fine. You’ll need to refine your plan on arrival. Get on the RWA website early. You can start downloading handouts off the conference page to see which workshops you’ll want to attend. They fall into several categories: career, craft, research, chat, special (tends toward the philosophical/insprirational), publishing, writer’s life, and Publisher’s Spotlights. Shortly before the conference, RWA will upload the entire schedule. This is when the real work begins.

I used the Outlook calendar feature next, but you can simply write on a day planner if that’s your preference. Write down all the workshops and events you’re interested in and when they are. Why? Because you will change your mind about which ones you want to attend as the day goes by. Maybe one workshop gave you what you wanted and going to another similar one would be a waste of time. Or maybe you met someone who is attending a different workshop, but is turning out to be your best resource (or just fun to hang with). But since you have a backup plan, no need to read the entire catalog you’re given at registration.

If you’re directionally challenged, you’ll want to study the hotel map as well. Though there’s plenty of time between workshops, you don’t want to get lost trying to get to one that is standing-room only and end up trying to listen over the crowd squeezing in at the door.

If your goal is to snag an agent or editor, don’t miss your opportunity to sign up for appointments. Last year RWA posted a table of editors and agents and what they were looking for. Print this out—because they don’t have copies at the conference. Although you’ll only be given one agent/editor appointment, be prepared to hit up all agents and editors you’re interested in. You are allowed to sit in the waiting area for appointments, and if someone doesn’t show up, you can step into their slot. But do your research. It does little good to pitch your 150,000-word paranormal romantic saga to Harlequin.

Because you’re a first-timer, be sure to mark that on your registration. You’ll get a sticker for your badge saying “Newcomer.” This is an open invitation for agents, editors, authors and veteran attendees to strike up a conversation with you. Be prepared to talk about what you write and be proud of your status!

A good attack plan will help you reach your objective, and of course, result in that happily-ever-after ending we all strive for!