Lack of Sleep, Tons of Craft Poured in, New and Old Friends = Moonlight and Magnolias 2008 Conference

The conference brain is receding, my eyelids aren’t being forced open with the invisible toothpicks, and I’m working on AToD.

I had such a wonderful time at M&M. GRW, (Georgia Romance Writer’s) knows how to put on a conference. From the lineup of workshop speakers, the keynote speaker, the photographer, makeup artist, the amazing hotel staff, (thank your Reggie!!), editors and agents, and to reconnecting with friends from past conferences and internet land, to the never sleeping, it was so much fun.

Workshops are wonderful and I love them so don’t get me wrong, but sometimes just the networking alone is worth the cost of a conference.

I’m not talking about the hopeful ‘elevator pitch’ or the corner and editor / agent and ask if you can send your book, (side note: you so should NOT do that). But what I’m talking about it is sitting around, having a drink, (okay a couple, maybe more) and laughing and joking around.

Really, the editors, and agents, like it when you treat them like they’re real people. Not once did I ask someone for their card or ask if I could send them my manuscript. If the day comes that I submit to one of them, I’ll mention how much fun it was and hopefully they’ll remember I wasn’t one of the drive them crazy people.

Then again, I’m not the normal person, (just ask my cp’s), I don’t walk into a room scanning to find where they are. That’s not to say I won’t say hello if passing in the hall, just won’t overstep the boundaries.

Funny thing is more often than not, I end up spending time with them along with others and I think it’s because of the above.

My favorite workshops were, She said, She said, with Michelle Grajkowski and Anna DeStefano, Empowering Character Emotions, with Margie Lawson, and Write Well, Write Fast, with Stephanie Bond.

Anyway, the last night, the night of the Maggie Awards and dancing was unbelievable. Very much like RWA’s Rita’s / GH’s. Picture a big group of romance writer’s on the dance floor add in Jay (the makeup artist) and you have one heck of a fun time. Dancing in the circle…well, let’s just leave it at romance writer’s have moves.

Sleep is never really an option when you attend a conference, but it’s always the last night you return to your hotel room somewhere in the wee hours of the morning. By wee hours, I’m talking 4:00 AM or later. You know when you fall into bed the morning is not going to be your friend. But the night…yeah, the night, was full of friends (new and old), shared drinks, war stories, (we have ours, trust me, they’re just funny) and if you’re lucky, a great executive chef named Reggie.

I’m already planning next year’s trip.

Writing Wishes and Plotting Dreams,

Vicki, I’ll post pics later.

Quick Update

The conference was wonderful, sleep was...well, there wasn't much sleep, old friends and new friends were a blast to see.

I'll be back this afternoon to announce the winner of this past week's contest. :)

Need a bit more sleep now.

Vicki

It's Conference Time - WhooHoo!!!

Quick reminder: Contest this week is for CL Wilson’s book King of Sword and Sky. I’m still drooling over the cover. Leave your comments all week on any post to be entered. Cheryl's going to be at the conference, so the winner will receive a signed book. How cool is that!



Tomorrow we leave for Atlanta, GA. Moonlight and Magnolia conference is finally here. Another three days of workshops, pitch appointments, and spending time with writers.

For most of us who are writers, this is a solitary journey. We are members of RWA, our local chapters, and / or online chapters. But the writing its self is something we do alone with the voices in our heads.

Sure, we send the written pages via email or hard copies to our cp’s and get their feedback, and share ours on their wip as well. We need this, we thrive on it, and we love it when our partners in crime get our story and know our characters so well, they can tell us, X wouldn’t do that or don’t you think Y would say this.

All of that is important and it’s what keeps us going when we have those days (or weeks) where we wonder why we thought we could do this. Yes, if you’re reading this and you’re not a writer, we all go through this, from the unpubbed on the brink of publishing to the multi pubbed who’s beginning the next book.

Of course, we continue on, because it’s in our blood. It’s who we are. This is why we get excited when there’s a conference happening. Imagine if you will a room full of people, all writing, and yet writing many different genres. Everything from Mr. Darcey’s take on life and romance to the future lands where anything can and will happen.

We laugh together about our journey, build each other up, and meet new friends, who become cheerleaders of sorts for each other. And we rubbed shoulders with the very agents and editors many of us hope to work with.

When I say rub shoulders, I’m not talking about walking up and immediately pitching to them. Nope, I’m talking about sitting around the bar (or wherever) and just plain ‘ole talking about kids, vacations, how we’re liking the conference and what was the last book we read that blew us away.

Brace yourself for this one…agents, editors, and even the big time published authors are human. I know, right. You’re thinking there’s no way everything in their lives doesn’t just flow perfect and so forth. When you find out many of them clean their own bathrooms and have to strongly encourage with their kids to get the homework done, buy groceries, and take their animals to the vet, you begin to realize we’re all the same. Different roads of the journey, yet the same.

So, I’m excited to go spend a few days with those who understand what I do and why I keep doing it. The laughter will be heard for miles, the excitement for someone who has a first sell will be celebrated (even if it’s the first time you’ve met the person) and the drinks will flow.

We’re driving to this one, four writer in one car, talking about our books, and plotting out the next ones. Yep, it’s going to be a great weekend.

What about you? Do you like to go to conferences? If you’re a reader, do you go to meet your favorite authors? If you’re a writer, is this the time you get to refill the well so to speak?

Remember to leave your comments to be entered into this week’s contest.

WW’s and PD’s,
Vicki