My very first writer’s conference was the Romance Writers of
America (RWA) conference in San Francisco.
I had written my first book and wanted the world to know about it. Being
married with four children, I had never been on a vacation by myself, across
the country, to a destination where I knew no one at all. I guess you could say I was a little nervous.
First
stop after check in into the hotel was the Faith, Hope and Love Chapter
meeting. There I met Debra Clopton,
Linda Goodnight, and Janet Tronstad. In the short time between the meeting and
the start of the RWA Conference, I had the opportunity to take a impromptu
sightseeing tour of San Francisco with these wonderful women. Through it, I also experience the open arms
of the writing community. And there in a
conference surrounded by thousands of writers, I no longer felt alone.
I
learned more than I ever thought possible. I met authors who up until then were
just a name on the cover of a book. But
most of all, I walked away with a fire in my gut and a desire to start another
book. A conference can be a scary thing,
but the bonds you make with the writing community are immeasurable.
Share a
memory of your first writer’s conference.
First writer's conference: I went to a national conference, but it was a smaller one, here in the Springs. I just wanted to dip my toe in. I woke up the second day with a fever -- and I went anyway because, hey! I had paid for this conference and didn't want to miss any of it. That day was a blur. I do remember the last day -- ending in prayer and committing to pray for the person on our left and the person on our right. One of those people was Steve Laube (of all people).
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