Blog | Alison Morton's Thrillers

RNA Conference – where to start?

The Twitter and blogspheres have been full of praise for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Conference at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich last weekend. Rightly so. Jan and Roger masterminded the conference, the RNA stalwarts gave talks, introduced and chaired discussions and seamlessly supported the whole framework. Joanna Trollope gave the keynote speech and she took no prisoners. The venue was superb, the food satisfying and the accommodation reminded us nostalgically of student days. The sheer range of events as set out in the pre-conference bumpf exceeded its promise. Even the weather was sunny.

Can there be more?

Yes. There is.

This was the nicest conference I have ever been to (and I’ve been to a few in my business career).
“Nice” is an ambivalent word, often sneered at, used ironically or even sarcastically.
Collins Thesaurus says:
1. pleasant, delightful, agreeable, good, attractive, charming, pleasurable, enjoyable
2. kind, helpful, obliging, considerate
3. likable or likeable, friendly, engaging, charming, pleasant, agreeable, amiable, prepossessing
4. polite, cultured, refined, courteous, genteel, well-bred, well-mannered
5. fine, clear, fair, dry, bright, pleasant, sunny, clement, balmy

What a hard-working word! But a perfect fit for this conference.

Newcomers and habitués alike exuded friendliness and willingness to share; they signally failed to show any stand-offishness. The much-published and complete tyros mixed and mingled and nobody’s opinion or contribution was valued less or more than any other person’s.

Everybody seemed to learn something, even those with 45 books behind them.

Oh, and the goody bag contained, amongst all the other riches, a small bar of Green & Black’s chocolate 🙂

Shall I go next year? Silly question. Who knows, I might even be on the way to being published…

Subscribing to this blog…

Got some very polite feedback that it was a little unclear how to subscribe, so I’ve added a special plugin.

I always take note of sensible and helpful feedback. 🙂

Destructive and carping moaning – no.

Conference fever mounts

The Romantic Novelists’ Association conference in London is fast approaching. Flowing over the 9-11 July weekend, it’s already promising to expand into a five day event, with many delegates arriving Thursday and not leaving until Monday. Twitter has been alive with anticipation and discussion of details not only of sessions but also shoes; a special hashtag #RNAConf10 has been created. It seems that the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich won’t know what’s going to hit it!

So, I’ve got my flights from France organised and am drawing up a packing list. But what is a conference for? Why attend? Socially, it’ll build on my experiences from previous RNA events – meetings, the summer party, the fabulous awards lunch. Professionally, I’ll be able to network, not only with editors, publishers and the odd agent, but with other aspiring and published writers who are the ‘coal-face’ workers of our trade/art/industry (Delete according to taste).

But the big draw for me is the chance to learn. I’ve chosen sessions ranging from market overviews, writing techniques, preparing your novel for publication, marketing and publicity, a first lines workshop, research plus expert plenary sessions from “those who know”.

Can’t wait. Off now to do the Ryanair on-line check-in….