I haven't unpacked yet. That's how dedicated I am to giving you a report. This won't be a total report, because I am saving that for my Thursday's Children post, but I will give you some impressions.
First, some background; I have a phobia of driving on freeways. I carefully mapped a route that would let me avoid most of the freeway, and it was a nice scenic drive. Still, it was my first time driving outside of my local city. (Yup, I am a chicken.)So, then I had to navigate a city that I am familiar with, but hadn't driven much. That was a little freaky, and the shuttle from my hotel was able to save me a lot of added stress.
I can't explain the amount of stress this experience put me under. It's too personal. Now that those barriers are down, not much is going to hold me back on planning more road trips, though.
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| My Writing Suite |
Despite my best intentions, I did not get an iota of writing done. I did get a whole lot of interesting ideas and information on how to improve my craft.
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| Me & Jen |
The take away message is this; I met some absolutely wonderful people (like Jen Naumann, author of Cheating Death), made promises I hope I can keep, and I hope that I have made friends for life.
All of the stress was worth it, and I am no longer afraid to leave certain comfort zones I had constructed for myself.
To everyone at University of Wisconsin Writers' Institute, I am grateful, and I miss you all already!
I love writers conferences! They're the very best! I'm so glad you had a wonderful time! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! Me too! I am excited to go to more...
DeleteThe best thing about writing conferences is they psych you up to pursue your craft once you return home. You meet some great people, pick up a few new tips, you're good to go for awhile!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. What really stuck with me were the people. I have never been in a room with so many other aspiring or established writers before.
DeleteThat sounds awesome! But I'm also confused. Is this your TC post? Because this is the post I get when I clink on the Linky, but the beginning of this post says you're saving the total report for TC...
ReplyDeleteNo, my Thursday's Children post is scheduled to go up tomorrow. Sorry for the confusion. This was just a brain dump of things I needed to get out before Thursday. ;) My Thursday's link will be tomorrow...I only link to my blog homepage. Again, sorry for the confusion.
DeleteNo problem. I just like to get a head start on reading/responding to TC posts because there have been so many lately! (Which is awesome). So once someone jumps on I go to whatever post it's linking to.
DeleteThursday's Children has really given me a boost in visits and also in inspiration. It's all in line with not feeling alone. (My TC post for tomorrow. ;))
DeleteI was at the UW Madison Writers' Institute, too! Too bad I didn't know to look for you. I also had a great time and was really inspired. One of my favorite sessions was on "Creating the Female Superhero." Were you at that one?
ReplyDeleteI *was* at the Superhero one. Who was your superhero? Maybe we were even in the same group. ;)
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