We’ve had a number of questions regarding manuscript critiques and 1:1 (one on one) appointments. This year, both the 1:1 appointments and manuscript critiques will be pre-booked. This means, if you wish to meet with faculty individually at a scheduled time, and not just eat at their table for lunch or hope to run into them in a hallway, you must submit an appointment request form indicating which faculty member you’d like to speak with.
The appointment and manuscript critique request forms will be emailed to registrants in early May, or after registration.
Before pre-booking your 1:1 appointments, we suggest that you prayerfully review the faculty bios and their websites to find the ones most suited to answering your questions. Registrants will also be sent a Faculty Interest Chart which will help you see exactly which topics interest each faculty member.
Also, before you request a specific faculty member, please consider the following:
- Certain faculty members will be in high demand. We do our best to honor your requests, however, sometimes it may not be possible to match you with the faculty you request.
- Since Manuscript Critiques receive first priority, your best option for meeting with one of these high demand people is to submit a manuscript to be critiqued. (See Manuscript Critique guidelines.)
- However, even if you do send in a ms for critiquing, your ms may not be critiqued your first or second or even third choice. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as there are a number of reasons why you may not receive an appointment with the faculty member you requested.
- There may be another faculty member who is better suited to review your ms. It can be a waste of your time, as well as the critiquers, if the faculty person you request is inappropriate. i.e. you have a YA novel and the faculty member does not do fiction. Or the quality of your work may not meet that particular critiquer’s requirements. In both cases we will place you with someone who is better equipped to advise you.
- But in the end, it may come down to the faculty person having 10 available time slots and 15 requests.
- If you are unable to obtain a critique or a 1:1 appointment with the faculty of your choice, you will still have lots of opportunities to speak with him/her. Sit with the faculty member during a meal. Ask questions during your workshops. Or simply stop the faculty member in a hall (if he/she isn’t busy) and ask for a business card so you can send something after the conference.
Our goals at Write! Canada are to help attendees get the information they need to develop their careers, to help attendees make the connections they need to find editors/publishers, and to help editors and agents find the writers most suited to working with them.
Ultimately, do pray that God leads you to the people who can assist you the most. Often, it won’t be a faculty member at all, but another conference participant who gives you advice or a bit of a boost to the next stage.
Remember, you must be registered for the conference before you can book an appointment or a manuscript critique.
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