Write Well Me

Final Road Words and Images from Vacation

When you have sixteen hours in the car, you have plenty of time to look around you. 

Along with noting songs that I wanted to add to iTunes when I got home (and I'm not going to list them here because every last one of you will make fun of me for my 80s music needs), I had fun with even more license plates.

TADAAA2 - I like the idea of "tadaaaaa," but why 2?  I guess it could be the second vehicle for a family who really likes "tadaaaa" or a company with that name. 

HLF TRK2 - Why just half of a truck?  From what I can remember, it wasn't a particularly small or large truck.  And again, there's that 2.

FANSTA - Not sure what this was supposed to signify, but it led me down the road to GANGSTA (I don't think we'll be seeing that on a license plate) and then HAMSTA.  I dare someone to get a vanity license plate with "HAMSTA" on it. 

JOURNAL - lucky duck, whoever owns this one.  Granted, maybe it's someone who works for the Journal newspaper, although I like the idea of someone who's just really passionate about journaling.

And finally, this picture.  I'd never actually seen an inmate transport before.  It immediately brought to mind Fugitive and Conair.  Luckily, there wasn't a train, plane, or one-armed man in sight.

Words and Grammar, Even on Vacation

We're on our way to Florida, and even on vacation certain things still capture my attention. 

First, we stopped for lunch somewhere in Virginia.  It wasn't a metropolitan area (we were twenty miles or so from some town called Troutville), but I was happy to see that a love for grammar (or at least properly spelled words) prevails everywhere.

We also came across the following license plates along on our drive:

BBISLIF - we're assuming that either baseball or basketball is life.  I wonder, purely from a semantic point of view, how we're supposed to infer which sport "BB" stands for.  Is it one over the other?  You sports nuts out there:  when you see "BB," do you think baseball or basketball?  And why?

TRUE FUN - appropriate for the convertible that was sporting it.  Also appropriate for us on vacation.

HIKN UPD - All right, I get that this is hiking up something, but hiking up "D"?  Help!  Is it supposed to be "hikin' up d' ____" as in "I'll hike up d' mountain, up d' trail, up d' anything"?

Finally, when we crossed over into Alabama and soon after into the central time zone, I was watching my cell phone carefully.  I wanted to see if it would immediately go from 12:24 to 11:24.  I watched and watched, and it never happened.  Soon we stopped for lunch.  By the time we got back in the car, I remembered about the time.  I checked the phone, and sure enough, when I wasn't watching, it sneaked into central time.  Rats!

eWomen Network Conference - Final Saga

Imagine that there's a woman who's been at the eWomen Network Conference for four days.  Imagine that this woman (oh heck, let's just call her, oh I don't know.... Dawn maybe) has made some great connections, talked to some incredible people, and is tired beyond belief.

Dawn packs up her table at 12:30 and meets some friends for a quick lunch before going to the airport.  By the time she gets to the airport to return her car, it's a tad bit later than she would normally be comfortable with, but she's happy that she won't have to spend too much time waiting at the airport.

She returns the car and jumps in the shuttle that is just leaving the rental car area for the terminal.  Such luck!  Now she doesn't have to wait for another shuttle!

Dawn's tired, and she's so happy to be going home to see her family.  She's been talking nonstop (the trick is getting her to shut up*) and not sleeping nearly as much as she should at a an energy drainer like a conference. 

She checks her baggage, and the AirTran customer service representative mentions something about Dawn's flight being delayed for three hours. 

Dawn's world sinks.  All she wanted to do was to get on the plane and get home as soon as possible.  All the boards show the flight being on time, so maybe there's hope.

She walks through security, trying to hold back tears.  While waiting at the gate to check the status of her flight, she overhears the other passengers talking about delays.  By the time Dawn gets to the flight representative at the gate, she's full blown crying.  Yes, storms in Atlanta have prevented the plane from getting to Dallas to take Dawn home to Baltimore.

After days of being on, energy and emotions riding on high, and little sleep, Dawn can't cope.  She sits in the hall and sobs.  A friendly fellow passenger checks on her, and all Dawn can say is "I just want to get home."

(Don't worry.  This story has a happy ending.)

After several calls to Chris and Stacy (did you know Stacy worked in the travel industry?), Dawn ventures back out of the secured area to talk to the counter representatives.  A very nice security guard checks on her as the tears are still flowing.  (No one can complain about the kindness of strangers in this story.)  Can they put her on another flight (American Airlines has three flights from Dallas to Baltimore leaving within a 45-minute period, and they all have empty seats)?

No.

Why not?

We can't control acts of God.  We have no control over the weather.

This act of God isn't affecting weather in Dallas or Baltimore.

Nothing we can do.

So you would rather me wait in an airport for 4-5 hours or more than put me on another airline?

Sorry.  We can't do that.  We'd go out of business.

Yeah, especially since I won't be using your airline again.  (Very sad since Dawn was so impressed on the way out.  It's not that she doesn't expect problems and delays to occur.  The mettle of a company--or person--is measured by how it handles problems.)

Dawn goes back through security and decides that a big-ass drink at TGI Friday's might help matters.  Well, a big-ass drink AND chocolate.  Cliff, the nice waiter, even cards her when she orders the drink.  What a sweet guy!  Liar, but sweet.

After the drink and the chocolate, Dawn looks around at the people in the restaurant around her and commiserates with the other passengers.  Gerry is also stuck waiting for the flight to Baltimore (and then she has to connect to Dayton.  Poor Gerry!).  Dawn moves to Gerry's table, and they have a nice conversation about the eWomen Network Conference, flying, and families.

As they leave, Dawn runs into Debbie, her managing director of the Montgomery County chapter of the eWomen Network, and finds out they're on the same flight.  After much hugs and yet more connections with two other women who were stranded in the airport, the plane shows up and everyone boards.

The flight lands (after a missed attempt).  It takes an hour to get her luggage.  Eventually, Dawn gets home (2:30 a.m.), and all is well.  Dawn had always known it would be; she just hadn't had the coping mechanisms to go with the flow.  Never once did she do a "poor Dawn" or "Why is this happening to me?"  As tired as she was, her self-awareness was still on high.  No negativity, just an inability to cope. 

What do you do when you absolutely can't cope?

(* Compliments of Shrek.  When the Princess Fiona first meets Shrek and Donkey, she's surprised that Donkey talks.  Shrek replies, "Yeah, it's getting him to shut up that's the trick.")

eWomen Network Conference - Part III

On my table at the eWomen Network Conference was a sign that said, "Ask me about my power words," cuz you know someone will see that sign and say, "Okay, I'll bite.  Tell me about your power words."

"I'd be happy to," I'd say, and I told them about how certain words resonate with me and that a list of these words can really define me.  (You can read all about it here.)

Thanks to Gail (I miss you!), we put a portable easel up by my table to invite others to list their power words.  Here's what I got:

Passion

Love

Create, Inspire, Experiment

Synergy, Integrity, Authenticity

Focus

Believe

Maholo, Aloha

Resources, Transformation

"Money Talks"

Creativity, Being, Defining

"Authenticity in Action"

Embrace and Adore, Live, Loved Ones, Strangers

Blessed, Encouraged, Empower

"Pain is temporary; quitting lasts forever" - Lance Armstrong

Thank you to all who shared their power words with me.  What are your power words?

(In case you're not caught up, start with eWomen Network Conference - Part I and eWomen Network Conference - Part II.)

eWomen Network Conference - Part II

Best laid plans of mice and men.  I meant to write sooner than this.  The idea of blogging every day about a big experience is smart.  I just find that I need to decompress during a time when I'm on all the time.  So the updates are a little delayed.  I'm sure you've been on the edge of your seats waiting.

The eWomen Network Conference was amazing.  I was part of the Publishing Pavilion (with my name and picture in the program and everything!) with a table at the writing station.  I was pretty pleased with my table, especially since it all came together in about a week.  I had a beautiful banner due to Sam at Signs of Progress and amazing printed materials thanks to Harold at Germantown Copy Center. These guys rock!

I met some great people and made life-changing connections.  First, I got to connect with Jenifer Madson, the coolest money chick who will teach you the skills for the best "money talks" you've ever had.  She, like me, had been a presenter at the Virtual Publishing Conference, and her presentation was one of the best.  Now I know her!  How cool is that!  (I'll apologize now for all the exclamation points.  They're all heartfully meant.)

Walking down the hall one evening, I ran into Erin Blaskie.  I've seen her emerge as a serious player in the VA world, and I couldn't believe that I got see her in person, non-virtually.  The dork that I am, I immediately called Stacy and left this blithering voice mail about meeting Erin and how cute she was and how amazing, and on and on and on.

I also got to have drinks with Alecia Huck, one of the keynote speakers for the conference.  Not only is she an English major, but she used "dork" and "wonky" in the same conversation.  I love her!

Then, walking down the hall who do I see but Kim Duke, the Sales Diva.  God, was she gorgeous! Much bigger hair (appropriate for Texas) and an even bigger personality.  I was hoping to make it to her breakout session the next day, but I was making those amazing connections and couldn't get to it in time. 

One of those amazing connections came out of the blue.  A woman came up to me and started talking about how she's been offered a publishing contract, but she doesn't know what she would write about.  She goes on to say that she has a pretty successful blog and she's a musician.  The light bulb goes off, and I ask her what her name is.  She says, "Christine Kane."  What does Dawn do?  If you know me at all, you so know what's coming next.  Yep.  I cried.  I've loved Christine's blog for years, and she's incredibly inspirational.  And here she was talking to me!!! (Funny enough, the post I reference in the link to "dork" above talks about how Christine used "dork" in a post and how much I admired that.  A fellow dork to boot!)

So, Thursday and Friday were these great days, and then Saturday started out a little slow.  I thought it might just be that anyone who had wanted to visit the Publishing Pavilion would have already done it by Thursday or Friday and they had better things to do on Saturday.  I was talking to people, but it just didn't have the energy that it had the other two days.  Then, Kathleen Caldwell walked up and mentioned that she had been featured in Blueprint For Success, a book that a friend and former client, Rand Golletz, was also featured in.  Kathleen is a fabulous woman, and we connected immediately.  (And, yes, I cried again.  Whatever.)

As I drove to the airport on Sunday (with a sore throat from all the talking), I heard a song on the radio, "A Groovy Kind of Love" by Phil Collins.  I wondered if I had it on my iPod, and I made a mental note to check when I got home.  The first song I heard on my iPod on the plane when we were allowed to turn on our electronic devices was "A Groovy Kind of Love."

To everyone I connected and reconnected with while I was in Dallas, I send you "A Groovy Kind of Love."

(In case you're not caught up, start with eWomen Network Conference - Part I.)

eWomen Network Conference - Part I

I'm in Dallas for the eWomen Network Conference.  I haven't talked much about it, mostly because I don't know what to expect, even more than I didn't know what to expect at BEA.  I don't know if the difference is that BEA was a very personal experience, and the eWomen Network Conference is all about Write Well U. 

It could also be because the conference is in Dallas, where I used to live, and BEA was in Los Angeles, where I had never spent any significant time.  Dallas isn't as scary as Los Angeles (from a known vs. unknown point of view). 

Anyway, part one of this trip concerns my experience flying on AirTran. I had never flown on this airline, and, honestly, I'd never even heard of them.  I chose them because they had the lowest fares AND they traveled nonstop from Baltimore to Dallas.

The flight left on time and arrived twenty minutes early--pretty unheard of.  In addition, they offered free XM radio at every seat, and they gave away headphones (you don't have to pay for them) if you didn't have any. 

Most importantly, they use words well.

Here's what's on the back of their pretzel bag:

Eating Instructions

1.  Think about our wonderful low fares at airtran.com as you open packet.
2.  Place a pretzel in mouth.  With each crunch, be reminded of our low fares.
3.  As you swallow, remember again just how low the fares are.
4.  Repeat until pretzel packet is empty.
5.  Keep empty packet to remind yourself to book at airtran.com, where you'll always find our lowest fares.

What do you know?  A sense of humor and a voice in writing on the back of a pretzel bag!

BEA and Me - Part Four

Geez.  Isn't the conference (or at least Dawn's ramblings on about ) over?  No wonder I'm so tired.  I was there forever!

So it's no wonder that I took things pretty easy on the last day of BEA.  I wasn't the only one taking it easy.  I had more, deeper conversations with people on Sunday than I did any other day.  Vendors were tired and ready to go home.  It wasn't unusual to see someone looking wan and sitting down at his or her booth.  It was a great opportunity to strike up a conversation.  "Oh, you look ready to go home!  How's the show been for you?" and so on.

I picked up yet more books.  Oh!  I haven't even talked about the books!  (Or have I?)  Well, anyway, all these publishers are giving out ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies or galleys) of books that are coming out this fall.  The idea is that book buyers pick up the books and figure out if they want to order any.  There are just stacks and stacks and stacks of books free for the taking.  I've shipped home SIX boxes of books.  Once they arrive, it will be like Christmas! 

I wandered around and stopped at some booths I didn't get to before.  I said good-bye to my new friends as they all started scurrying back to their homes.

I'd given myself enough margin to spend time with some AssistU friends.  Lovely Mia picked me up at my hotel and toured me around Venice Beach.  I was starting to drag, and I worried that I'd be poor company for Mia (especially since I was faded when she picked me up from the airport on Tuesday).  We got to Venice Beach, parked in the safest parking lot around (as told to us by the attendant), and I changed in the back of her car.  For some reason, Mia thought that was quite hilarious.  I still don't see the humor.  :)

Hilarious or not, just changing out of business attire from the conference into a casual shirt and shorts completely shifted my energy.  I wasn't tired any longer, and I was quite perky seeing what Venice Beach had to offer (and it offers quite a bit, I tell you.  I haven't seen so much sun bathing, bikinis, and dancing roller bladers in, well, ever).

After our tour, we met up with some other AssistU VAs and had a 3 1/2-hour lunch.  What a perfect ending!  Another group of fabulous ladies, another experience of feeling supported and loved, and an all-around incredible trip.  (Left to right:  Lil ol' me - funny how I keep popping up in these pictures, Therese Hall, Laura Jo Richins, Rachael Davila, Mia Chambers, and Gillian Zali (she's working on a website!)

Then it was to the airport for my first red-eye trip back to Maryland.  ::::cross-eyed::::: I don't recommend red-eyes.

Now that I'm home with my camera, and I can add some pictures from the beginning of my trip (so you don't have to put up with any more cell phone shots).


I told you the LA Convention Center was huge.

Another inside look at BEA.

The sweet and wonderful Laurie Perry with me.

Louise Hay and Dawn.  (How cool is that?)

The minute I walked in the door, Anastasia forced me to find this picture of Jane Yolen on my camera.

(To catch up on my BEA adventure, see BEA and Me, BEA and Me Part Two, BEA and Me - Part Two and a Half, and BEA and Me - Part Three.) 

BEA and Me - Part Three

Saturday - the most amazing day ever!

During the prep session on Thursday, the expert panelists suggested we use Friday to scope out the publishers, grab catalogs, and see which publishers were great fits for the books we're writing.  Saturday morning, they said, was the time to pitch the publishers.  Mornings aren't so crazy, and the people in the booth aren't tired of being here - yet.

I had my list, and I was ready to go.  It was a little harder than I thought to go up to people and talk about my book.  What I ended up doing was talking to them about what they were publishing and if my book was a fit.  It wasn't a pitch per se, but it was my finding out which publishing houses are likely candidates to publish my book. 

I got that out of the way :) and went back to the big author signing area to see the top author on my book-signing list, Kim Harrison.  When I got up to Kim, I told her that of all the 530+ authors, she was at the top of my list to see.  She graciously smiled and then pointed to a hand-written sign advertising her video Q&A later that afternoon at 2:00.  "I'd much rather handle questions from real people than the canned questions they give me," she said.  I told her I'd try to come, and I went to stand in Philippa Gregory's line (because I love Stacy, and Gregory is Stacy's fave author).

I wandered around the downstairs area, and got an appointment with a distribution company.  They don't publish; they distribute, so they're not a great match for me.  It was still a good opportunity for me to practice my pitch and learn even more about the publishing industry.

More wandering led me back to the AuthorSmart booth.  My energy and blood sugar levels were low, and I was looking forward to lunch.  Lo and behold, the food workers walked out on strike at 11:45 a.m. that day.  Sigh. 

Lucky for me (and for them--I hope they got what they needed out of the strike), they opened back up around 1:30.  What to do?  Eat lunch and get my energy and blood sugar levels back up, or hoof it back over to the other end of the convention center for the video Q&A with Kim Harrison?  Decisions, decisions.  I ate and enjoyed conversations with a wonderful group of women.  Again, decisions, decisions.  What clinched it for me was that almost all of the women at the table had nonfiction books.  Since I'm a fiction writer, I figured the best place to be was at Kim Harrison's Q&A.  Off I went.

I showed up, expecting a room full of fans.  Nope.  I was the only one who showed up.  Kim and her publicist explained that the video Q&A was last minute and they hadn't had much chance to publicize it.  I gave them my list of questions consisting of typical writing questions ("How did you get started?") and specific questions about her book series.  The publicist told me that they wanted to keep the questions strictly to the book series and the characters.  Okie fine with me.

Since I was the only one who showed up, they put us in director chairs opposite each other.  The idea was that I'd ask the questions, they'd get the audio, they'd film video, they'd film video again, do some editing, etc.  As they were setting up lights and cameras, Kim took the time to answer my writing questions.  We talked back and forth, and the camera guy said, "Stop! Not yet!  Don't talk yet!  You guys are great!"  We explained that we weren't allowed to talk about writing, so we were getting it out of the way there.  Kim was very gracious about answering my questions.

Gulp moment?  When Kim asked what I was doing at BEA, and I told her I was a writer.  She smiled big and said, "Oh, really?  I thought you were a book buyer or something."  Uh, no.  :)

Then came the next gulp moment.  "What's your book about?"

First thing out of my mouth?  "I didn't think I'd have to tell you!"

Yeah, Dawn's looking quite the professional.  I gathered my wits and told her the synopsis.  Unlike some of the publishers I talked to, her eyes didn't glaze over when I described the fantasy substory.  I then told her, "Because of you and other authors, my next book will be the beginning of a series.  What you've done with your characters is amazing, and I want to have that same effect."

Again, Kim was very nice and gracious as I gushed on and on like schoolgirl.

We got started, and the producer and publicist decided that they liked us interacting so much that they were going to do the Q&A differently.  They put us next to each other, and we just started in.  I asked my questions about her characters and her books, and frantically searched for more on the spur of the moment.  Finally, I ran out of questions, and I just kind of gave a "cut" motion.  Nobody said or did anything, so I wrapped up:  "Thanks, Kim, for all you that you've brought to the world with your books.  I'm honored to have been here with you, and thank you for spending time with me."  THEN, they kindly wrapped it up.

The producer (from Harper-Collins) told me that I was wonderful.  Kim's publicist told me I should have my own talk show.  :)  I'll let you know if ABC comes calling.

As you can imagine, I was floating on air.  Kim's general manager asked me to write down my information, and I could barely remember my name.  (Amazing how I could be so calm and collected on camera, and the minute it's over I become a true babbling idiot.)  Before they went on to do some of those canned questions, they took a break to take a picture of the two of us.  Kim is stunningly beautiful! All in all, I spent a wonderful hour with Kim and had an experience I will never, ever forget. 

I immediately called Chris and gushed on about 5 million miles a minute.  He was excited, and he got how big this was for me.

Back to the AuthorSmart booth, and Trish Avery of The Write Woman Speaks recorded my slightly less manic (but not much) retelling of the experience.   I'll have that for you as soon as I get it from Trish.  (Thank you, Trish!)

Back at the ranch we toured the area (thanks, Jan!), and we ate dinner in Malibu.  I finally got to see the beach!  That night I fell into bed.  I talked with Stacy and told her about my day, but my retelling was not up to snuff.  She'll have to wait for Trish's recording to get the full impact.  :)

(To catch up on my BEA adventure, see BEA and Me, BEA and Me Part Two, and BEA and Me - Part Two and a Half.)

BEA and Me - Part Two and a Half

Things got so busy at BEA that I didn't have a chance to finish Part Two!  Heck, so much has happened, I'm hoping I can get Parts Three and Four done.

Back to Friday.... Friday, Friday, Friday.  Hmm. 

Oh yeah!  Now that I think about it, my BEA excursions were pretty much over after the Jane Yolen book signing.  As I was walking back to the AuthorSmart booth, I ran into them.  Departure time was 4:00, not 5:00 like I'd thought.  Good thing I ran into them!  (And what are the odds of that?  Thousands of people here, and I run into my group on the escalator.  Thank you, Universe!)

As we got back to the hotel, a few gals wanted to go to the yacht club for a drink.  The instant camaraderie we developed was absolutely amazing.  We formed instant friendships, and many of us felt we had found kindred souls in each other.  My tendency in a big group is to sit back and observe for a while.  I stay pretty quiet.  (Okay, I know there are many of you out there that just can't believe that.  Really, I do.  I can chat up a storm with a stranger one-on-one, or chat up a storm in front of a group I'm very comfortable with.  A group where I'm not so familiar?  I hang back and get the lay of the land first.)  At one point during cocktail hour, Carol turned to me and said, "You have an amazing sense of warmth that just envelops us all." Pretty cool considering I thought I was being quiet as a mouse.  :)

After cocktails, we met back at the hotel with the whole group for a debriefing.  Some women had had some phenomenal successes with publishers asking for their proposals.  Others of us were doing reconnaissance.  All in all, it was a successful day, as you can see from the tired, happy smiles. 

Left to right:  Kathryn Ullrich, Adrian Ott, Carol Goldsmith, Debbie Oliver, Gail Richards, lil ol' me, and Dodi Cross.

I miss you guys already!

(In case you haven't been following along:  BEA and Me and BEA and Me - Part Two.)

BEA and Me - Part Two

The first day at BEA was amazing.  Imagine:  you walk into the world's biggest bookstore on earth, and you get to see the best-selling titles along with soon-to-be released books that most people haven't even seen yet.  Better yet?  You get advance copies of these books FREE!  And there are slick catalogs, free stuff, chances to win cool prizes.  Oh, oh, oh!  And --- authors are doing book signings.  And you get to see them.  In some cases, if they're nice, hug them and get pictures of them!

So, I was a bit overwhelmed at first, but in a good way.  (Remember, big, big bookstore!)  I did my usual lay low and get a feel for the place.  Some of the gals I was with were really good about chatting up the publishers at the booths.  I can't jump in like that.  It wasn't until a couple of hours later that I made my first pitch (they don't do the kind of books I'm writing.  And that's fine.  Now I know!). 

One of the highlights of the day was getting my Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair book signed by Laurie Perry.  She's been kind enough to correspond with me the past couple of months, and she was just the warmest, friendliest person I'd ever met (read -- Southern).   She invited me to come back after the book signing and chat.  She was just wonderful!

I also got to see Louise Hay and get her DVD You Can Heal Your Life signed.  That was completely unexpected.  I was walking toward the Hay House booth to check it out, and there she was!  Cool!

In the last stop on the see-the-authors-tour, I had to go to the main author signing area.  Both Laurie and Louise had been signing in their publishers' booth.  This author signing area (which was twenty minutes away - in the same building.  I'm telling you; this is the biggest building I've ever been in) was huge.  I stood in line for Jane Yolen at Anastasia's request.  As a matter of fact, while I was walking those twenty minutes, I was chatting with her on the phone.  She kept saying, "Hurry up, Mommy!  Hurry up!  Get to Jane Yolen's table.  Are you there yet?"  I'm so glad I was able to get Jane's new book signed for her!

More later - gotta go for Day Two!

BEA and Me

Next stop on the crazy train--L.A. for BEA! 

The day before I left, I got a case of the don't-wanna-goes.  Don't wanna go. Don't wanna go.  Don't wanna go.  This actually isn't  unusual.   When I was little and got to spend the night with friends, I'd wish I could stay home.  Stupid thoughts, those.  I'd push them away, go, and have a great time.  Heck, even on some of my work weekends with Stacy I can get the don't-wanna-goes.  Chris thinks it's because I've freed up my time to go away, and then I start thinking of all the things I could do with this free time.  While that may be a small part of it, it's not all.  Most of it comes from, no matter how wonderful the event (sleepover, work weekend with my best friend, or trip across the country to BEA), it's a bit unfamiliar.  And a part of me just wants to stay home where it's familiar and comforting.

On the plane out here, I finalized the website for my book.  If all went as planned, I'd be handing my sell sheet to agents and publishers.  Since the sell sheet mentioned the book's website and e-mail address, I figured it needed to go up.  So, before I went out the door, I uploaded the website.  Geez.  Was that ever scary.  Now, people could actually find me on the web - and read about my book - and even read the first chapter.  Can I get another GEEZ?

My first event was the Writer's Workshop on Wednesday, hosted by Writer's Digest.  Oh, my God!  This was incredible.  As someone who teaches writing, it was both inspirational and affirming to be in the student's seat.  Some of what these writers taught, I practice and, in turn, teach to my students and clients. (Yay for me.)  And then there's the stuff I didn't know or hadn't thought of or hadn't been exposed to.  We're always learning, no matter what our craft.   

I took two workshops by James Scott Bell (whom, I'm sorry to say, I had never heard of before).  He was fantastic, and he really broke fiction writing down into a process (which is good for those who think that way).  He's written two books for the Writer's Digest Write Great Fiction series, and I stood in line between seminars to get his books signed.  His Revision and Self-Editing had just come out, and he told me that my copy was the first one he signed of that book.  He took a moment to let that soak in.  It's pretty cool to see an author who's published over fifteen books to still be touched by signing a book.

As I walked around the L.A. Convention Center (which is freaking huge and must be the largest building I've ever been in), I was amazed at the amount of work it takes to set up a tradeshow of this size.  Workers were putting together wooden bookshelves--wooden bookshelves, people!  Not plastic racks or temporary looking things.  Seminar rooms were transformed into mini bookstores.  The banners for upcoming books lined the rafters.  It's truly an amazing place.  And that's just the prep I saw on Wednesday.  I can't imagine what it will look like tomorrow.

I pitched my book to five agents.  Can we have another Oh, my God! please?  As busy as I had been preparing for this trip, I hadn't looked closely at the agenda for the Writer's Workshop.  As I reviewed the materials that morning, I saw the workshop ended with a pitch slam session in which writers would have three minutes to pitch their book/idea to an agent.  Deep breath.  As I went through the workshops and thought about the pitch slam session later that day, I told myself that I didn't have to do it if I didn't want to.  I could just go back to my hotel.  Just knowing that--that I don't have to do anything I don't want to do--was comforting.  Another deep breath.  But if I went home, knowing that I had had this opportunity to talk to agents AND DIDN'T, I'd always regret it.  So I did it.  (Aren't conversations with ourselves wonderful?)  I talked to five agents, three of whom who said they were interested and to submit to them the final, polished manuscript when I was ready.  Two weren't interested, but gave me good feedback.

Today was a planning, coaching, and educational session put on by AuthorSmart.  Signing up to come to BEA through AuthorSmart was the smartest thing I ever did.  First of all, I have a built-in support group.  Not only are the other women here absolutely fantastic, but AuthorSmart brought with them a panel of experts who will be around all BEA to support us and answer our questions.  Secondly, they're coaching me on how to best pitch my book.  (Which might have been helpful YESTERDAY.)  Finally, they're handling important details like transportation and picking up our registration badges so that we don't have to stand in line.  I'm happy to not have to think of such things right now.

As I said before, I've met some women with whom I've already forged strong bonds.  I know that we'll be connected even after BEA is over.  It's an amazing experience to put yourself out there, be vulnerable, and have other people accept you and even applaud you.  And they don't even really know you.  Yet. 

Lastly, tonight, at least, there's no wonkiness to be found.  I feel so loved, supported, protected, and wrapped up in love that I feel I could do anything.   I've cried a few times, and felt scared a lot of times.  But through it all, I feel an overflowing of love.  The notes, texts, voice mail, e-mail, Groove messages, calls from my loved ones are just amazing.  People are rooting for me.  Here's what Stacy said to me in the accompanying note with a lovely bouquet of flowers that were waiting for me in my hotel room:

Enjoy yourself.  Remember to breathe.  Remember who you are and that you rock!  Every single person there who meets you will be so entirely lucky.  I love you and am proud of you.

 

Welcome to the Crazy Train

On Tuesday I leave for BEA (Book Expo America).  As with any trip, I'm working (too) hard to get everything done before I leave.  While I'm in L.A., I won't be working (not for Write Well U or AssistU at least), and since I'm an organizational zealot, I have this urge to get every possible thing on any of the spinning plates completed. 

Along with the zealous urges, I'm also scared beyond belief.  One of the insane activities I've been partaking in is creating a sell sheet to hand to potential agents and publishers.  Yikes!  Talk about putting myself out there.  It's one thing (and a scary enough thing at that) to tell people you're writing book.  It's completely another to HAND SOMEONE A PIECE OF PAPER WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THAT BOOK.  (Oh, and to send them to a website with info about said book.  Another insane activity - look for a website to magically appear this weekend!)

So I get scared, which leads me to wonky.  I haven't really discussed wonkiness before, although I've alluded to it as "funkiness."  Being wonky (and this is a Dawn definition, by the way.  You won't find this in the OED) is waaaaaay beyond funky.  It's that place I go to when I feel like I'm drowning, reaching my hand up, and there's no one there to save me.  And I continue to sink.  And to feel isolated, alone, and little.

Some people out there have to put up with the wonkiness.  Chris is legally obligated as he signed a document almost fifteen years ago that said he'd save me from wonkiness (and as fair turnabout, I agreed to never root for the Dallas Cowboys).  My friends have gathered around me.   I'm trying hard to reach out for help when I need it (anyone for a bit of wonky today?) in order to stave off wonkiness.

I was talking with a fairly new friend today, and I told him about my wonky day yesterday.  He said, "Hey, I'm right here with you."

"Welcome to the crazy train," I said.

(While it's not "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne, "Crazy Babies" is playing on iTunes as I write this.  Pretty cool, huh?)

Having the Guts to Say It

I enjoy the Bing Blog.  Whenever I'm trying to cut down my blog reading, I always consider axing it.  But I can't get away from Stanley's clear writing style and sense of humor.  While I may not be in corporate America, I enjoy reading Stanley's take on it.

Evidently, Stanley travels a lot, and, like most of us, he gets a little frustrated at things like delays, rude people, and inefficiency.  He posted about the irritations as well as the things he was grateful for during one particular trip.  His post attracted a lot of attention, as well as some rude commenters.

As a blogger, sometimes people post things you don't agree with. So be it.  And then sometimes people write things that they would never say to your face.  And you get pissed off.

Stanley wrote back to them.  I admire his straightforwardness, as well as his logic concerning air travel.  Mostly, I admire his title of his post:  "Now you've made me mad."  Go, Stanley!

Falling or Fallen. Which Is Preferable?

As I was driving back from my creative weekend in Shenandoah, I noticed the signs about rocks placed at various intervals along the 100-mile roadway.

I thought the difference was interesting.  Which sign do you prefer?   Which situation would you rather find yourself in?  :)

   

Living the Dream - Sort Of

Over a week ago, I found myself in Shenandoah National Park, in a cabin, writing.  If you've been keeping up with me for a few months, you know that my dream is to have a cabin in the mountains where I can go and write my novels. 

At the end of April, my What's Next group individually holed up in hotel or house (or, in my case, cabin) to spend the weekend working on their What's Next projects.  I had (and still do, truth be told - just different stuff) a ton of things to do for Write Well U, and a whole weekend to bang out stuff seemed like a good idea.

To top it all off, since I know I want the cabin-in-the-mountains thing, I figured I'd try it out and see if it was really for me.

The verdict?  Yes and no.

The second I drove into the park, I was in love.  :)  Shenandoah has many overlooks, and I wanted to stop at each one.  I did actually have to stop as the What's Next group had our first call-in to share what our goals were.  I wasn't at the cabin yet, and I wasn't sure how my cell phone reception was going to be, so when I found the perfect overlook and had several bars on my cell phone, I stopped.  Here was my view a couple of thousand feet up. 

Not bad, huh?

The call ended, and it was time to check-in and find my cabin.  The cabin wasn't nearly as magnificent as the views.  First, it reminded me of my dorm room in college with the sink right there in the main room.  Rustic, but okay.  I brought my stuff in and went down to dinner at the Lodge, one of the many things I was looking forward to (say it with me, "Blackberry cobbler").  After dinner, back to the cabin to truly unpack.

Hmmm.  Not a three-pronged outlet to save my life, so plugging in my laptop wasn't going to happen.  I also had cords for my cell phone and iPod speakers (the truly important things).  There was only one outlet that fit those, and it was by the aforesaid sink.

I trotted myself back to reservations and asked for another room.  I told them I was there to hike and write, and while I didn't see a problem with my ability to hike, I was going to have problems writing if my laptop ran out of batteries.  They were filled up, so there was no chance of me moving to another cabin. Additionally, they told me that if I had been able to plug in my laptop, it might blow a fuse as the wiring in these original cabins were old.  However, they did offer to charge the laptop behind their desk for me.

It wasn't ideal, but it would work.  I moved in, and set up some things to make the space cozier.  In retrospect, this was the smartest thing I did.  I had brought my cabin life map with me, as well as my Oggz Egg, Zena Moon's creative fire candle, a candle that came with my Joyful Business Guide, and a dragon.  The resulting space was colorful and cozy, and I had a constant reminder of the life I was creating.

So I had my creative space, and I was fairly happy.  The next two days I spent hiking and creating.  I didn't get as much work done as some of my fellow What's Nexters, but plugging along for hours on end wasn't my original plan.  I knew I wanted the whole shebang - the environment, the view, the cabin, the creative fire, the writing, the inspiration, the hiking. 

For the most part, I got all I wanted.  The only thing is that my eventual cabin will be a little more essentially equipped.  You know, with things like outlet and enough electricity to power my laptop.

Here's to the dream coming true - soon!

Look How Grown Up I Am!

I'm on my way to Colorado, and I'm scared to death.

Not because Colorado is a scary place (although I've never been there before, so I can't say for sure), but because I've never flown anywhere and rented a car by myself.

I'm on of those people who has never been on her own.  I left home straight for college, and I left college for my fiance's apartment.  I've never lived on my own.  (Being in a dorm doesn't count.  I didn't have to pay for utilities like phone, electricity, water, or gas, and the only meal for which the cafeteria wasn't open was Sunday dinner.  Dorm life, while a far cry from living with one's parents, isn't the full living-on-one's-own experience.)  So there are things I've never experienced.

In this journey of mine, I've decided to grow a bit and do some of those things I've never done before.  Recently, I went to the movies all by myself.  I have never, ever done that.  (For those of you who are interested, I saw Wicker Man, and while it was okay, I don't really recommend it.)  Now, it's time for me to fly somewhere by myself and rent a car.  Eek!

Here are some things I've discovered about doing scary things:

• Make it easy on yourself.  My eyes aren't completely recovered, and I still have double vision.  So, I had a shuttle pick me up to take me to the airport, and Chris will pick me up when I come home.
• Comforts of home are important.  I rented a car (yikes!), and to save money, I rented a compact car.  Now, maybe you'll call me spoiled, but not having things like automatic seats, automatic locks, and automatic windows was a little disconcerting.  It's not just a spoiled diva thing; imagine driving down the highway at 60 mph, realizing your seat isn't quite right, and having to use the bar to adjust the seat, which then ratchets too far back.  Then, imagine getting to your hotel and unloading, and then realizing that you have to go around to each of the four doors to lock them because they're manual  locks.  In a strange place and by myself, I need something I'm used to.
• Ask for directions.  On the advice of Lynn, I got my rental car with GPS.  I named my GPS Betty, and she's been very helpful.  With all the other challenges I'm facing (double vision, different car, new place), Betty was a savior. 

I made it, and I'm having a blast with Lynn and Charlotte.  The purpose of this trip was to get together with my former client, Lynn, and my VA, Charlotte (who is also Lynn's VA).  We've had a great time exploring Boulder and Estes Park and doing fun things like shopping, spa-ing, and elk-watching (more on all that later).

But the big thing right now for me is that I did this trip and did something I've never done before.  I feel like I'm growing up in a way and doing some of those things that people who have been on their own just do naturally.

So I have three questions for you:  1.  What other things should I consider doing that single people on their own do (leaving out things like blind dates)?  2.  What do you need to do to grow up?  3.  How can we make it easier on ourselves when growing up?