Okay, so I know it's a bit late to talk about this, but don't judge me, summer has been crazy! 

In mid-June, I went to the London Festival of Writing, hosted by Jericho Writers. If you're starting your writing journey and haven't checked them out, I highly recommend it. The festival is three days of speeches, workshops, competitions, networking for anyone on their writing journey. There was advice on everything from editing your finished draft, to self-publishing, to world-building in children's books. You could sit at a table with an industry expert, or chat to fellow writers about how mystifying marketing is.

I have to admit, I didn't know what to expect. This was the first time I'd been to any kind of writing conference, and the whole thing felt a bit daunting. I only went for one day of the conference, partly because I thought three days would be too much info for me to take in, but principally because I'd booked theatre tickets for the Saturday before the conference was announced. In retrospect, I'm glad I only went for the Sunday. For my first time at a conference, it was a bit overwhelming, and I left with my head full of ideas and information that it took a while for me to process.

Highlights:

• Making some connections with fellow writers. I now have an email friend who I discuss marketing ideas with, which is so helpful.
• Talking to people in the industry and getting a better grasp of how things work.
• Getting a full MS request from an agent - this is a big one for me. It may not go anywhere, but it did give me the validation that I'm on the right track. 

Lowlights:

• Actually, nothing. I found it all really valuable. Even the lunch was good.

So, in conclusion, I would definitely go again. I may even look out for other festivals to go to. Writing can be a really lonely activity, and it's so great to connect with people in a similar situation.