In some ways, it still feels like I’m processing the conference. It’s blurry, a mishmash of faces and conversations – most organic, some crafted during certain events. There’s a pocket in my backpack full of business cards and scribbled names and email addresses. All folks I want to keep in touch with. I have a lot of emails to write…
Summer vibes + lots of energy!
The conference kicked off (unofficially) Thursday night with a Writer’s Fair, that was open and free to the public (w/proof of vaccination and masks). It was an extremely casual look at local writing organizations (Wordcrafters in Eugene, SFWA, Astoria Writers Guild, etc.,) with a little social hour complete with a full-service bar and appetizers. We also celebrated the release of The Timberline Review, and heard some WONDERFUL readers! I wore my best “Summer Speculative” look and got to meet my critique partners Nan C Ballard and Laura Cranehill IN PERSON!
Friday, feelin’ fine!
Friday was the official start of the conference, and I put my best foot forward – lipstick and all. The morning sessions were dedicated to some master classes, which were an additional fee to attend. So, I had the morning free to mingle, drink coffee and get my head in the networking game. By 10am general sessions were starting and I was ready to LEARN.
Saturday, fading fast!
Saturday was the busy day, the schedule packed from 9-5, but I was already feeling the effects of so much socialization from the past two days. I opted to arrive a touch late in favor of getting some iced coffee, which bolstered me for the long day ahead. There were a lot of great sessions on Saturday, and I’ll get into the details a bit further on in the post.
Sunday. Mostly Dead.
Sunday was… rough. A serious shortage of sleep all weekend combined with a little too much tequila the night before, meant I was mostly dead come Sunday morning. I’m sure there were folks who expected much more enthusiasm from me, given the energy I brought the rest of the weekend but I simply didn’t have it. If you hoped to reconnect with me and I was anything less than eager to talk to you – I’m sorry! It wasn’t you, it’s me! Pinky Promise!
Highlights
Thursday:
Meeting “old” friends
I’ve spent the last two years meeting writers virtually through Willamette Writers chapter meetings and their virtual “coffee” meetings. It was soooooo fun to see all these faces in person and get to talk face to face for the first time.
This is a Kate specialty. She finds wandering, anxious people and connects them with people they have things in common with and forces them to talk. I resist every time, but I’m really grateful that I went down into the courtyard and chatted with Curtis Chen (who remembered me???? WHAT?!?!). That easy conversation helped set the tone for the entire conference, so thanks Kate.
Friday:
First Page Critique session
Luckily I took the rough draft of Victoria with me! I wasn’t planning on doing this session, but the other ones I intended to do filled up basically immediately. The WilWrite volunteers graciously made copies of my first page(s) and we broke into groups of 5-6, each group with an industry pro who reads/writes our genre. Y’all, I was so nervous. I had NO INTENTION of sharing my rough draft with anyone, and as we went around the group, reading pages and learning from Maren Bradley Anderson what a first page SHOULD do, it was clear to me my book was doomed (lol). But they all loved it! So much so that people talked about my pages and people who WERE NOT in my crit group were asking me about Victoria. It was very very flattering and EXTREMELY mortifying.
Lunch w/First Page Critique group
We all had such great conversations that we went to lunch together (Frank’s Noodle House) which was really fun!
Laura gave a great speech Friday night, and once things mellowed out, she found her way out into the courtyard, where I sat alone (eavesdropping on my crit partner Laura talking shop with Curtis Chen). So she sat down and we talked, not about writing, but teenagers and libraries and indie presses and all kinds of madness. It was a delightful, laughter-filled chat that was definitely my high point for the day.
Saturday:
Indie & Small Press panel with Brian W. Parker, Ben Gorman, Vinnie Kinsella, and Wendy N. Wagner
This panel was pretty funny and also really informative. Brian W. Parker is an illustrator and co-owner of Believe in Wonder Publishing which he runs with his wife, Josie A. Parker. They’re relatively new and building a backlist with their own projects, but hope to branch out to other writers and artists soon.
Vinnie Kinsella is a writer and editor, who works with Hybrid Publisher Circuit Breaker Books. He gave a lot a of info about what constitutes “Hybrid” publishing, versus indie or self-publishing, and offered some criteria to look for to be sure you aren’t falling for a vanity press. He was also hilarious!
Ben GormanBenjamin Gorman is co-owner of Not a Pipe Publishing. I’ve talked about him and the press a bit, but Ben also offered some perspective on why an author might choose to go small press versus Self or Trad (Big 4) publishing.
Wendy N. Wagner moderated this panel, and she happens to be my mentor through Willamette Writers. More on her soon!
Writing Horror with Wendy N. Wagner, Kelly McWilliams, and Mark Teppo
Ugh. This panel was GREAT! It helped that I personally know two of the three panelists, so I was very comfortable sitting in the front and speaking up when appropriate. Also, Kelly McWilliams is DELIGHTFUL and we should all buy her books! Mark Teppo is a lovable grump, and we wouldn’t have him any other way.
Both Kelly and Wendy chatted with me after this panel and offered advice and encouragement about being in the query trenches! It was so sweet and kind and I REALLY appreciated it!
Not a Pipe Publishing Book Launch Party Nan C Ballard signing her book
Not a Pipe celebrated the release of their Anthology, Stories Within, AND the release of Nan C Ballard’s Distant Trails (Under Carico’s Moons #1)! You can find both here!
This is where the tequila comes in. Hanging out with friends new and old, celebrating and generally just having a marvelous time. Jessie Kwak and I chatted for quite a while, which led to another margarita and some shots? So if I was sloppy Saturday night, it was all her fault ;).
Courtyard shenanigans followed the closing of the bar. Several of us (Ben Gorman, Kate Ristau, Jessie Kwak, Curtis Chen, Armin Tolentino, J.C. Geiger, and I’m sure others I’ve forgotten) circled up outside. Ukuleles appeared, and some less-than-stellar renditions of “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz happened. We got reprimanded by hotel management after a noise complaint, which is just HILARIOUS to me –writers chastised for socializing too loudly, HA!– then we slowly but surely parted ways and shuffled up to our rooms. This was maybe my favorite part of the whole weekend.
Sunday:
Final Goodbyes
For most of the folks I hung out with this weekend, I’ll see them again before too long. But there’s a couple who I won’t. Bob DeRosa is a screenwriter from LA who flew up to learn more about writing fiction as he embarks on his first SFF novel! He’s an awesome, hilarious dude, and I can’t wait to see what he writes next!
Another is Richard C. Lin, whose first page of his YA Action/Rom-Com is SO FREAKING GOOD y’all! You’ll be seeing this guy on the shelf soon, I promise. He’s also a really nice guy with so many interesting stories! It was a true joy meeting him.Me, Kate Ristau, and Laura Cranehill
Coming Home
By noon on Sunday I was absolutely toast. Hungover (a little), sleep-deprived (A LOT), and emotionally exhausted, I could not WAIT to get home. I snarfed Taco Bell and took like, a five hour nap, and was still completely drained on Monday.
Final Thoughts
The one thing I can’t get over is how at ease I felt all weekend. Usually this much social interaction has me anxious. Like. INCREDIBLY anxious. But there were very few moments when I felt nervous, and that was early on in the conference. By Saturday I was extremely relaxed. I wasn’t nervous to talk to industry pros. I wasn’t afraid to talk about my writing. I didn’t dread each new face that came up to speak with me.
I actually felt like I belonged there, like I was among peers. Maybe it’s a side-effect of being in my 30s. Maybe it’s because I already knew so many people. Maybe it’s the community atmosphere WilWrite has worked so hard to foster. Probably it’s a mix of all of the above.
I can’t wait for next year, when I get to see all of these faces again. When I get to see new ones. I hope I get to see yours!
The one thing I can’t get over is how at ease I felt all weekend. Usually this much social interaction has me anxious. Like. INCREDIBLY anxious. But there were very few moments when I felt nervous, and that was early on in the conference. By Saturday I was extremely relaxed. I wasn’t nervous to talk to industry pros. I wasn’t afraid to talk about my writing. I didn’t dread each new face that came up to speak with me.
1 comment
Comments are closed.