Time To Get Real

My weekend in a nutshell

So I'm back from my first writer's conference. I have to say, it was so stressful critiquing everyone else's work that by the time it came around for a draft of "Visionary" to be critiqued, I was too exhausted to care. Spending two days breaking down manuscripts to their bare essences is not something I'd recommend for the weak of heart. And I'm pretty sure the hearts of the vast majority of people in my writer's group were broken.

I got a decent review from the critique leader and my fellow workshop attendees, which is what I expected. There were some things pointed out to me that I can definitely fix. As for some other comments made about the subject matter involved...meh. I'll chalk that up to general ignorance of magical realism and lack of personal imagination. Overall, I had a constructive weekend.

It was good getting away. I stayed at a great hotel, with great customer service, and free brew-it-yourself coffee/tea in my room. The Sleep Number bed that I slept on left a lot to be desired. I can understand that different hotel chains want a great gimmick to get travelers to stay at their hotel, but The Sleep Number bed has got to be one of the most overrated mattresses ever made. No matter how soft or firm it was, it just felt hard to me. I guess I'll have to make sure the next hotel I stay in offers regular mattresses.

I am definitely looking for another writer's conference to attend, hopefully one that's longer than a weekend, and with more of a concentration on scifi/fantasy elements. Until then, I will continue to write on!