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Last month, I attended the Erma Bombeck writing conference in exotic Dayton, Ohio, and today I am sharing a hodgepodge of takeaways.
Craft advice
There were lots of good tips in the sessions I attended, but a few that stuck out for me included:
Don’t self-edit too much in the creation stage. This was the essential takeaway of the Improv on Paper session I attended with Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff. We were given prompts and told to write without overthinking, and then did some sharing. This was not comfortable all the time! But it was a reminder that sometimes you just have to try things and not immediately worry about whether they are good or not. I’m doing some daily writing challenges this month and reminding myself of this frequently.
Have you picked the right point of view for what you want to convey? Melissa Balmain included this question in her session on editing humor. When writing satirical pieces, I do tend to consider different formats, but I don’t always consider if my POV is the right one for what I want to say. This is something I’m going to add to my editing toolbox.
Is this only funny to you or people you know? Wendi Aarons mentioned this as a way to test out ideas. I have gone down the rabbit hole of overly niche pieces in the past, and I think this is something good to remind myself of when writing or revising. Something being relatable is also often what draws me to other people’s jokes or pieces, too, so asking this question makes sense.
Best animal sighting
As I was watching World’s Worst Assistant Sona Movsesian deliver a funny lunch keynote, I saw a beaver-like animal emerge from the water shown below:
My internet research on semiaquatic rodents of Ohio leads me to believe it was either a beaver or a muskrat, although a muskrat was maybe more likely. Liz Alterman was sitting next to me, so maybe she can weigh in on what it might have been? Either way, I always appreciate a good random animal sighting.
Book and newsletter advice
I went to two of Jane Friedman’s sessions and got some good info from both. One was on publishing trends today, and one of the big takeaways is that authors and publishers are getting creative about how to get their books in front of people. This is understandable as readers now have a lot competing for their attention.
One example was authors putting their books on YouTube as an audio listening experience, and another was a company partnering with influencers to promote books they love.
I have been thinking about how any potential future books could reach the right audiences, and I’m guessing this conversation will continue to evolve.
Jane also presented on newsletters, and one point that I appreciated was that writers don’t need to send newsletters that often — she recommended monthly or even every other month. If you are pondering newsletter frequency (especially when starting out), I think it’s better to start less often and then add more if you and your audience have the bandwidth for it.
She also mentioned a newsletter writer who offers paid subscribers a shorter version of his newsletter. This made me think of some similar paid tier ideas:
Paid subscribers get a post that is a quarter of the size of the full post
Paid subscribers get a bulleted list that sums up your newsletter
For a small fee, the newsletter writer reads all the newsletters you haven’t had time to catch up on and then summarizes them for you.
(Feel free to steal any of these groundbreaking ideas.)
Market leads
Light verse: Melissa Baiman’s session clued me in to the journal she edits for light verse — fittingly called Light. So keep it in mind for humorous poetry.
Short prose: Grant Faulkner’s session on the Art of Brevity mentioned a market for micro pieces — 100-word stories. He also mentioned the market SmokeLong for flash pieces, and while I had heard of Smokelong, I did not completely realize they focused on the flash form.
Humor markets: I heard some questions about humor markets during the conference, too, so this is your friendly reminder that I’ve also got a list of humor writing market leads here.
Best part of writing conferences
I am an introvert, and conferences do drain me, but I still really like going to them.
While I enjoy keynotes and sessions, the best part of the conference for me is often just getting a chance to talk to other writers. While at Erma, I got helpful intel on some publications and appreciated the chance to talk about things like rejections and submitting with other writers.
I’ve gone to this conference several times and have met a lot of writing friends, which led to things like feedback and accountability partners. So I’ve found conferences to be a good way to find community.
I particularly appreciate that Erma is a well-run conference created in honor of a woman humor writer, and the majority of attendees are women, which is not something that is always common in the comedy/humor world.
It was great to see so many new and old writer friends there, and I am already looking forward to my next writing conference (which will likely be AWP in Chicago next year).
Best conference keepsake:
Kelley Greene gave me the above friendship bracelet at the conference, and I now think all writing conferences should feature friendship bracelet exchanges. Maybe all conferences in general? I can see friendship bracelets that say “Northeastern Mid-Market Office Supply Convention” being a big hit, too.
Thanks for reading Humor Me, a newsletter featuring funny stuff and writing tips. In case you’re new here, I’m a humor writer and freelancer whose work has appeared in New Yorker Shouts, McSweeney’s, Real Simple, and more. Find out more about me at julievick.com.
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Didn't know Erma Bombeck Conference was a thing, so now I'm sold! I grew up reading Erma's column and books and I think she had a lot to do with how my own humor developed. I haven't figured out how to write my humor yet, but a conference sounds like a great reward for figuring it out before 2028. Thanks for sharing this❣️
Thanks for sharing!