Conference Recovery

Monday was a blur - jet lag and a migraine consumed the day.

On Tuesday I actually turned on my computer, but did very little work except for writing the conference blogs. I also spent quality time staring at my unfinished manuscript.

Today is Wednesday and true to my writing nature, I’m under pressure to complete three projects ... one is due next Tuesday, March 3rd, one Wednesday, March 4th, and another one is due Friday, March 6th.

CWG Conference Day Four

Day four was emotional saying goodbye to new friends during breakfast. With only two hours of the conference left, I finally met Sandy, a writer from Southwest Florida. We didn’t see each other during the entire conference and on the very last morning, I looked up and there she was - I’m still amazed. I’m also excited about future book talk over coffee.

One of the most touching things I witnessed was Lori from Rhode Island assisting a woman to and from her wheelchair. While others were absorbed in the last session, I saw her out of the corner of my eye helping someone else. I met Lori at the 2008 conference and sensed she was caring and compassionate ... this year I witnessed it firsthand.

One of the most encouraging messages came at the very end of the conference. Jerry B. Jenkins said writers are procrastinators - what a relief! Those who know me, have worked for me, etc. are also well aware that I am one of the world’s worst procrastinators when it comes to writing. I need the deadlines to get the adrenaline going and I’ll procrastinate just long enough to put myself under pressure to meet that deadline.

Jerry also said you have to force yourself to write and to meet the deadlines, because if you do you’ll stand above most writers - only 1 in 100 writers makes their deadline.

Day four of the conference ended – exhausted complete with sandpaper skin and a clogged nose. God is good.

The picture of Pike's Peak to the left was taken outside the airport. I was privileged to have lunch at the airport with Joan from Atlanta again ... we had lunch together before leaving the airport in 2008. She is such a great encourager and a delightful person to know. I hope we'll continue the tradition for many years to come.

From Colorado Springs to Dallas I sat next to Linda from Virginia. I thought she was another writer from the conference, but she was at a conference for Tupperware and it was a joy to meet her and talk to her. If I decide to add another career I'll be calling her.

CWG Conference Day Three

I began day three asking God for guidance (I found out later that Belinda had also been praying for me). For added encouragement, I visualized a note on my bulletin board at home - 18 publishers had turned down Jonathan Livingston Seagull before it was published - once published, it sold more than seven million copies in the United States in five years.

Saturday breakfast was very enjoyable talking to Carla from New Hampshire. I found her life story intriguing and thought it would make a great book. My first appointment was with another editor. He first explained why I needed an agent to promote my book. Then, after I read the first page of my book out loud to him, he challenged me to go back and put my own fears in dealing with the demonic side into the main character and the plot – there are the 20,000 words I need. I also met with an agent who was very kind and even though she did not represent “supernatural thriller” authors, she recommended two she would trust.

A handsome young man across the table from me at lunch was kind enough to point out the string of sauce a waiter had poured on my jacket. We were also at the same dinner table and I was able to ask him about continuing on with the Guild, choosing an agent, etc. Although Nick is much younger, he is also much wiser about this side of writing - I thanked him and look forward to reading his book when published.

Funny how God works sometimes - Belinda and I were both in “brain freeze” mode by the time this last meal with an editor came and we’d decided to sit at a table without an agent or editor. Apparently we were not the only ones - those tables were full. As it turned out, the editor at the table where we found empty seats was the very best. She was engaging, funny, and open to looking at everyone’s proposal - yes, even mine! She was also honest enough to tell us she would know if we had a viable book after looking at the first three chapters. We would hear back immediately if she wanted to move forward so we must have a complete manuscript ready and polished before we emailed her the first three chapters.

McNair Wilson, author and former Disney Imagineer, was the speaker for the night and I laughed until I cried. Yet, his message contained valuable words of wisdom I’ve since pasted on my computer: take risks, challenge assumptions, stay curious, and see differently.

Day three ended – encouraged, hopeful, and optimistic once more. God is good.

CWG Conference Day Two

Day two began with hope and inspiration at the morning devotions where I met Pamela (suspense) and David (science fiction) from Colorado. I joined them for breakfast and added two more friends to my life.

The first editor appointment left me confused … good idea, bring out more of the political aspect, and enter it in the annual contest. The second appointment was a mixed bag - good idea, develop the main character more, and get an agent. Since this was my first time before book editors, I initially thought both appointments went well. Then, I talked to other writers who were told to send their proposals directly to the editors. I concluded my appointments did not go well and the editors were being polite. God must have known my doubts and insecurities were surfacing - he placed Pamela and David in the hallway with encouraging words.

I had also stepped out of my comfort zone and sent in dialogue for an anonymous critique during an afternoon workshop. As soon as I’d emailed it and printed it out, I found two errors so I entered the room with much anxiety. As it turned out, only one of the two initial mistakes were pointed out and a couple of other minor ones came to the surface. Victory! I survived the critique.

For dinner, I joined an editor, who had requested a proposal from everyone at the lunch table, so I expected I would also have that opportunity. Instead, I was told the publishing house didn’t accept “supernatural thrillers”. Okay, I learned I don’t write suspense, I write supernatural thrillers, which was fine until I ran into my plane companion. She also writes supernatural thrillers, but the same editor said he would make an exception for her and if his publishing house wouldn’t accept it, he’d send it on to others. I was crushed.

Day two ended – discouraged, wondering why I went, and questioning myself as a writer. God is still good.

CWG Conference Day One

With much anticipation, I arrived at the airport for the first leg of the trip through Dallas. To my disappointment, my ticket had been changed and my seat assignment given to someone else. I was reassigned a window seat – a claustrophobic nightmare - thankfully, the middle seat was empty and the flight was uneventful. The second flight was quite enjoyable sitting in an aisle seat and talking to Julie, a fellow suspense writer from Texas.

We agreed to meet for registration and then dinner. At 3:30 we received our notebooks, met another writer, Genstacia, from England. The three of us headed to one of the resort’s restaurants. The meal was consumed with memorizing the schedule, narrowing down the choices of agents and editors, studying where to sit, and finally planning the order of agent/editor sign-up tables in hopes of getting one of the limited appointments.

Before the opening session began with Gary Chapman, The Five Love Languages, God placed a wonderful person in the seat next to me. In rare moments, you meet someone you feel you’ve known all your life after five minutes of conversation. You go on to find out your life experiences are parallel and you instantly bond with a new friend – such was the case with Belinda from Texas.

Instead of “running with the bulls” it was “running to the sign-up tables” as soon as the session ended. I signed up for two of the three editors on my wish list and put the third on my meal table list. The meal table list was the one that evoked the “running to the lunch and dinner tables” phenomena to sit with a particular agent or editor in hopes of pitching an article, book, idea, etc.

Day one ended – energized, excited, hopeful, and optimistic. God is good.

St. Augustine in a Day

With my mom and sister living five hours away, the three of us get very little time together without spouses, kids, and in-laws. We made a point a few months ago to reserve a Saturday just for the three of us and spent the day in St. Augustine, Florida. What a great day it was!

We hopped aboard one of the sightseeing trains and were glad we did. Not only did the train save us time and aching feet, it came with a brief history of the city and many of the sites. Words of caution – on cool days bring a light jacket. The day we visited it was comfortable walking, but riding on the open air train had our teeth chattering! The five minute ride to the first stop seemed like five hours!

The first stop was the Colonial Spanish Quarter where we strolled down St. George Street. I was so fascinated by the coquina shell walls bordering the narrow streets that I now have an overabundance of wall photos.

We were only about one fourth of the way through the tour when our stomachs demanded attention and were delighted to see that the city has many cafes and restaurants.We selected one based on an old and very popular movie.I won’t mention the name, however, because the food lost its appeal half way through lunch.

I looked around at the paintings hanging on the walls and realized they were covered in years of dust. Then, I made the mistake of looking up – the ceilings were also thick with dust and had the added feature of hanging dust bunnies.

My sister and I noticed them about the same time and in the spirit of ‘we’ll have a great day no matter what’, we looked at each other with 'deer in headlight' expressions, smirked, and said nothing until the meal was over. This was a great accomplishment for me since my family says I have OCCND Obsessive Compulsive Cleanliness and Neatness Disorder. For those of you like me – look up before you order.

We continued on the tour and marveled at the architecture of this old city – historic, ornate, and very Spanish Renaissance all at the same time. The Flagler College (formerly Hotel Ponce de Leon) and the Lightner Museum (formerly Hotel Alcazar) are both beautiful and elegant on the outside. I have many angled and out of focus pictures of them. I didn’t think it would be so hard taking pictures from a moving train – it was.

Another popular site we enjoyed was the historic Nombre de Dios with its magnificent stainless steel 208 foot cross.

For those with a thirst for the unusual, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! and Potter’s Wax Museum look like they are just plain fun; and nearby Anastasia Island with its sandy beaches and a lighthouse is a must for next time. St. Augustine is one of Florida’s few remaining treasures with something for everyone. I can’t wait to go back!