As follow-up to my post last week, writer/editor Brent Winter added a few more suggestions for surviving the AWP conference, which starts next week:
* You'll get a printed schedule at the conference, but it's worth your while to pick out the sessions you want to go to ahead of time. The full schedule is already available online, so print it out now and peruse it when you have time (on the plane if you have to). Pick an A session and a B session for each time slot. And if a given time slot has no sessions you really want to attend, then great! Time for a nap, a walk, or the liquid refreshment of your choice.
* Bring a notebook/netbook/other note-taking technology, and take notes on the panels. You'd be surprised at the nuggets of wisdom that can emerge from unexpected places.
* Go to some readings by (or Q&As with) writers you admire. The writers chosen to do such events are typically good performers, so you're likely to enjoy it on that level; but I also believe that sometimes we can derive benefit just from being in the presence of people who are further down the path than we are.
