Last week I had the opportunity to present two of my
workshops at the annual conference of the Greater Seattle Chapter of the
Romance Writers of America. This was my second year attending this conference,
and I was again struck by the hospitality, enthusiasm, and general pleasantness
from both the event’s organizers and attendees.
The workshop offerings this year were varied and incredibly
interesting. I spent the majority of my time listening to presenters from a
variety of backgrounds giving valuable insights into their exciting and
sometimes dangerous lives. These included a police officer from New York, an
Air Force veteran, and a state prison corrections officer. Probably the most
fun that I had was while attending a workshop on the history of firearms given by
historical and military consultant Gordon Frye. Mr. Frye’s wry wit and engaging
stories complimented his expansive knowledge of the evolution of guns and
warfare, and fans of The Keltin Moore Online Serial will
definitely see some fun new details as a result.
Speaking of workshops, I had a great time at my own
presentations as well. It seemed like everyone I spoke to at the conference was
interested in either my talk on time management or my world building workshop,
and both were well attended. It felt so good to hear from writers who were finally
excited to write again after struggling for so long with some aspect of their
craft, and I’m glad that I could play a small part in their personal writing
adventure.
While I didn't attend all the special events at the
conference, all the special dinners and luncheons were excellent and a lot of
fun. I especially enjoyed hearing from Terry McLaughlin, the current/outgoing
president of the National RWA organization and a last-minute substitute keynote
speaker at the Sunday luncheon. With less than twenty-four hours to prepare,
she gave what I felt was the most sincere, heartfelt speech of the conference,
and I felt truly inspired by her humble call to follow our writing dreams. It
was a great way to wrap up the event, and I can’t wait for the opportunity to
submit my workshop proposals for next year’s conference!
No comments:
Post a Comment