Do you know about WriteOnCon?

It's almost here! I don't even work for them and I'm that excited. WriteOnCon is a free online writing conference going on next week August 16-18. If the concept of an online conference seems puzzling, read on!



The organizers behind the event are motivated authors who already do a great job with their own blogs. There are some great agents and editors who have pre-recorded video material and have written articles about the craft of writing and the publishing industry. Most of the daytime events consist of newly posted material to be viewed at your convenience. The evenings involve hosted chats based on the daily content. It's a go-at-your-own-pace kind of thing, and you have access to many of the same resources you'd find at an in-person conference.

Did I mention it's free?

This post answers all the general questions like how to register, how the forum & chat events work, and anything you can get ready ahead of time, like your query letter or a short pitch, for those of you ready for that kind of thing.

I've participated in a few of the monthly chat events through the WriteOnCon website and found it helpful and informative. I took notes! One live chat featured a YA agent and a couple editors, and another chat involved 3 YA authors, including Maggie Stiefvater. Chat participants can submit questions to the moderator, who then facilitates the question & flow of the chat. Everything typed by the moderator and featured guests shows up on the chat screen so anyone logged in can view it (but it's not all mucked up by everyone typing random things, which is nice).

Hopefully this conference can be a resource if you're looking to expand your writing skills or you're working toward publication. To see what you can expect, here's an archive of posted material from the 2010 event.