Lovely Girl   +  open thread

In my latest Ebyline post, I ponder the question, "are writer's conferences worth it?" In my experience, it's a resounding yes, but I know there are a lot of conferences to choose from, so the question may not be "are they worth it?" but "which ones are worth it?" I mean, last weekend alone, writers had to choose between ASJA, Muse & the Marketplace, and BU's The Power of Narrative Conference. So, how do you choose? Do you focus on geography, topics, size, price, or other factors? Until you're there, how do you really know that a conference will offer the type of information or contacts you want? Personally, I look for combination of like-minded attendees (first) and intriguing panels (second). Even if the panels don't keep my interest, I know I can learn something from chatting up fellow freelancers. And I did plenty of that at ASJA last weekend, so I'm already looking forward to next year.