Home Alone
Ok, not quite alone, but it seems like everyone’s gearing up for the RWA National convention in San Francisco this week. And I’m not actually going to be home all week either. We’re going camping with the Cub Scouts again this weekend — only two left! This is going to be more like “extreme picnicking” as we’re going to the Naval base on Coronado Island. It might be 90oF up here where we live, but it’ll be a balmy 70oF on the beach. Seems to easy to be camping.
So what am I doing between now and then? Taking advantage of all the online workshops that have sprung up. I know I’m going to be checking in on The Divas’ “Not Going to Conference Conference” and Lynn Viehl over at Paperback Writer is sponsoring a “Left Behind & Loving It” set of virtual conferences on the presenter’s blogs. Great week to be a craft geek.
So, other than my lame excuse of camping with my family, why am I not going and why haven’t I joined RWA after a year of being a writer wannabe?
Good question. I’ve learned so much this year, but I still feel I’m a long way off from doing this as more than a hobby. I don’t feel justified spending the money on myself that way yet. I regret that I can’t go to meet all the people who have been so great at RD (especially Bria, Jodi and Jen), but I’d rather focus on getting something finished to take in the future rather than to go empty handed.
Also, on Sunday, Suzanne Enoch and Teresa Medeiros are doing a joint signing in town. I don’t want to miss that either. Why does everything have to happen at the same time?
I”m not sure why but I can’t get into writing prompts and online workshops. I think I might be too ADD for them. Plus, I write almost every day of the week anyway, so pushing myself to do one more writing thing doesn’t feel like fun. If I’m not enjoying myself, I can’t write.
Have a great time on Coronado. I was in the Gaslamp district on Saturday and the ocean breezes were cooler than the breezes in OC.
I like the online workshops (at least the ones I’ve found) because I can mostly do them on my own time at my own pace.
Hope you had a good time in the Gaslamp. We’re looking forward to an easy weekend this time around. 🙂
Your second to the last paragraph? I’m with you 100%.
This week (beside work), I want to get errands around the apartment done and appointments made and kept. Doctor. Optometrist. DMV.
Ugh.
Thanks for the linky poos in your entry. I must check-ith them out-ith.
DMV. Ugh. Nasty.
I guess, I really sort of should kind of change my license over. I just hate waiting for hours at the DMV. I think that’s where they got the inspiration for the waiting room in Beetlejuice.
When I first joined RWA, I dropped out after a year. The cost to what I actually got out of it was just a waste of money. It’s not like costco where you can use it everyday on practical things.
It’s simply cheaper to join when you do start going to the conference, because the “non” member price is the same as joining and pay member price, so why not get the magazine too. Although…I dunno, the magazine has seemed kind of flat recently.
I like on-line workshops too. 🙂
But I seem to have grown out of prompts, too.
…and too is my new word, too. *sigh*
That’s just too amazing, Jodi! *ducks* Sorry, couldn’t resist.
I’ve got doctor things that must be taken care of before school starts. Need to arrange for those. Gotta find DH’s renewal so he doesn’t have to go to the DMV and can renew online.
Prompts don’t do much for me either usually. I’m more interested in what’s already bouncing around in my head, although anthology calls often spark ideas.
Andi, I think you know about one of those links 😉 The PBW ones run a gamut. I found the one she did comparing plotting to wiring interesting.
Another one was The Evolution of A Writer blog by Scribere Overview of his Conceive, Develop, Write process and more on Conceive: Story Concepts. That one looks like it’s going to run a bit longer than just this week.
Oh wow, I’m catching up on your blog and it MUST be subconscious how much you miss me —- almost as much as I missed having you at RWA with us! One day…..
Also, Winter – I have a difficult time with online workshops as well. I talked Kaige into taking one with me and it just felt like not my thing….although, the information was great, I’m a face to face girl. I know I’ll take more, and in the long run having the information long term in the “speaker’s” words instead of my own short hand is probably a fantastic thing. I’m going through my third pass on Margie’s notes from Deep Editing (everyone join the Margie Cult Kaige and I are in!)