Catching My Breath…
May 2, 2011 / /
It was a crazy two days, overwhelming and awesome and tiring and energizing all at once. In the panel with Meg Mitchell Moore and Jael McHenry, my advice for those new to the conference was to take a few days to mull over what they’ve learned. That’s what I’ll be doing, but I wanted to share a few quick snapshots:
- Ann Hood’s session on revisions was thoughtful and inspiring and sobering. And Ann is absolutely gorgeous and kind-hearted — the kind of woman you want to open a bottle of wine and dish with on a Sunday afternoon.
- I’ll take running five miles in sneakers over walking four city blocks in heels any day.
Feet, don't fail me now!
- Elinor Lipman is the definition of elegant, both in prose and personal style. (You should see her shoes. I lust after them more than I do after best-seller status.) She has a razor-sharp wit and her class on dialogue was one of the highlights of the conference for me.
- Having a friend get a request for a full manuscript (GO TOM!) was fabulous — I got that same heart pounding feeling that I did when my agent requested mine.
- If Raffi Yessayan’s books are only half as good as his class on suspense was, I’m a fan for life. He’s my new (to me) author discovery.
- Going to the conference when you already know a few people (even if only virtually) makes it SO much more enjoyable.
- Poor Alice Hoffman is still probably trying to recover from my total fangirl stalker moment. She was gracious and kind and let me hang with her when I didn’t know anyone in the room. I’m still pinching myself. (Alas, I didn’t get a photo.)
- If Grub is going to scatter finely minced mint leaves over fruit as dessert, it needs to send mirrors to the table so everyone can check their teeth. (Chocolate cake, on the other hand, needs no mirrors to be consumed.)
- Whip-smart presenters Crystal King, Nicole Bernier, Michael Borum and Kate Lee may have me convinced there’s something to this whole Twitter thing after all.
- Randy Susan Meyers could go to the moon and find a fan. She’s that good and funny.
- Boston is still beautiful, but no matter how much fun it is to go away, it never compares to coming home.
The view from my hotel
Posted in Completely random
Sounds like you went to some excellent presentation. (And I didn’t even get to GLIMPSE Alice Hoffman; I am jealous of your fangirl moment!) Ah yes, the mint leaves. Still flossing.
Diana, it was so nice to see you. Next time maybe we can bond over cake. : )
I’m sorry I missed you at Muse. I came all the way from Minneapolis to take some great classes and meet my Twitter/Writer Unboxed buddies. Had a great time. BUT, what WAS that “dessert?” Seriously? Mint sauce over peaches and ice cream or something . . . fine? But over ice-cold melon? Blech. The moment you had with Alice Hoffman I had with Elinor Lipman during the Modern Love session when she sat next to me randomly and I about fell over and kept saying, ALOUD, “I’m sitting next to Elinor Lipman.” I’m so bummed I didn’t take her class.
Hi Nina! I actually saw you in passing — I think you were with Randy. Sorry we didn’t connect! And I have to say, Elinor Lipman’s class was amazing. (Unlike the dessert!)
You guys are making me feel so much better, because I get super tongue-tied when in the presence of my literary heroes. Sounds like this was a fabulous time, albeit exhausting.
It was great, Jan. I’d love to see you there sometime.
Sounds fab, Liz. Sorry I missed it. So many people I’ve met on my writing journey (alas, all virtually…so far), strike me as people I’d love to share a glass of wine and dish with on a Sunday afternoon (or anytime) – including you.
If you take the plunge into Twitter, you can join me as a newbie. I’m a bit bewildered and overwhelmed by it so far, but the WU gang has been so much help and so welcoming on Twitter, as they have been everywhere. As soon as I finish a draft of my MS I’m going to try to allocate some time to getting more comfortable over there.
It was a great conference, Vaughn. Maybe next year? And thanks for the Twitter invite! The session on that was really good, so I may have to cave and check it out!
Hey Liz – Sounds like you had a great time at the Muse too. I thought I was the total stalker fan girl for Alice Hoffman – glad there were others too. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Love your website intro btw.
Sounds like there are a lot of us, Ariel! Glad you like the web site — I was really happy with the designer. Good luck with your writing — our stories sound a bit similar!