A week later, my brain still feels like it could melt when I think about the writer's conference. So here's a "shortened" version of my trip.
Tuesday, Mom and I left about 11:30 am. We got to my grandparents that afternoon, stayed overnight with them, and drove all the way across Kansas to Goodland Wednesday. FYI, you people who think Kansas is FLAT...are only partly right! The eastern half of Kansas is pretty much like Missouri (yes, Mocha, except for the place you live...that's the only place in Missouri that imitates western Kansas). The difference is that Kansas roads are flat and straight; they cut through the hills instead of going around or over them! :0)
So, Thursday we only had a short 3 hour drive to Colorado Springs. Once in Colorado Springs, we had some time to kill so we drove around for a bit. I admit, I've never stayed at a 5 star hotel/resort before and felt kind of like a hick because I couldn't stop staring at everything. The main lobby had an enormous "Italian staircase" that was probably ten feet wide and had thick marble steps and handrails...yeah, pretty fancy for a country girl like me! The beds in our rooms were so tall that if I sat on the edge, my feet couldn't touch the ground (OK, everyone, stop laughing!).
Friday and Saturday I went to Brandilyn Collins' Fiction 101 class where we leaned how to put desire, emotion, conflict, and kick into our books. This helped me a lot, especially the desire and emotion part. I also got her book, Getting Into Character which teaches seven secrets actors use to make their characters come alive that us fiction writers can use.
In the afternoon on Friday, I attended Jerry Jenkins and Andy Scheer's Wordiologist session, teaching us how to edit fiction. I picked up a couple of useful ideas from that. Saturday afternoon, I went to Brandilyn Collins' Fiction First page Clinic, where she taught us how to snag readers in the first page. She says that for browsers in a bookstore, it takes 30-60 seconds to grab their attention with a book. They read the back cover...if that's interesting, maybe they'll open it and read the first sntence...if that's interesting, maybe they'll read the first page...if they like that, they'll buy your book. 30-60 seconds...all you have to make a sale. So you have to grab their attention with the first page (publishers generally take care of the back cover). That was very helpful.
Then of course we had mealtime speakers and editor appointments. Editor appointments were soooo cool! Two editors are interested in a book proposal once I'm done with my editing (try a year or so) plus my mentor has offered to help me figure out the whole marketing thing once my book is published. I'm excited!! I really, really liked all the advice and helpfulness from everyone I met with. Definitely helped me see editors in a different light. Imagine sitting and listening to peoples' spiels for two days and not being interested except in one or two! It'd drive me up the wall!
Lunch and dinner every night were ridiculous...two course for lunch and three course for dinner. Fancy table setting where you had three different forks (work from the outisde in, I found out!) and so much stuff around your place setting I didn't feel like I had any room to manuever. Every time I reached for my glass I cringed, expecting to knock something over.
I missed Justin like crazy...so bad some nights all I wanted to do was curl up and cry. Or leave and go home. Especially Friday and Saturday. Sunday wasn't so bad....I was heading home. All week I just had to think, "I'll see him Tuesday on the way home." That was amazing!! I loved seeing him so much. He'd been trying to talk Mom and Grandma into going up on Pike's Peak (Mom nixed it pretty quickly) and so I told him "OK, I'll go up Pike's Peak with you." And I bought him a Pike's Peak hoodie, which is very warm and fuzzy so I think I might steal it. :0)
So....I learned a lot, stuffed my brain full, and am now still trying to recover. Today is the first day that my mind has worked properly since. :0) But I'm very excited! Except that I just found out I have to work outside today instead of being free to write like I thought, bummer. :0(
Josh is at Teen Pact this week so maybe the next post I'll talk him into writing. If not then I'll let y'all know how his week went.
TTYL!
