This past weekend I was thrilled and delighted to attend the first ever Fall In Love With New England Readers and Writers conference in Manchester, NH. and from the moment I arrived until I got back in the car to head for home I had a non-stop moving, talking, chatting and party-ing few days of fun, laughter, and friendship ( new and old!)
I’m planning a bigger blog post about the events of the weekend itself set for later this week, but for now I just wanted to say the following stuff. Please bear with me..or not; up to you!
I’ve said many times how I’m like a hermit when I’m in writing zen mode. There are actually days that I won’t leave the house, so intent on whatever it is I am working on – be it a first draft, editing, or making sure galleys and edits are correct. During the winter it’s almost as if hibernate, like a new species of bear: Ursus Americanas Writerus. (Grammarly won’t let me BOLD the last two words because they are made up!!) But you get the picture – I don’t leave the house and I don’t talk to anyone, at all, all day long. A quick goodbye to hubby in the a.m. and then nothing until a How was your day? in the evening. This is my life, peeps. And I’m happy – not complaining.
But attending a reader/writer event such as FILNE is such a soul-empowering and enriching occurrence, I have to admit it out loud ( or on the laptop, as it were!) Meeting other romance writers who are at the peak of their careers or just starting the climb, speaking with them, learning from them, giving advice and imparting wisdom to them is such a rewarding and worthwhile experience. Every conference I go to I learn something or make a new writing friend. At this conference, I learned a few new things, but I made DOZENS of new writing friends and readers of romance, too!! And they liked me! They really, really liked me. I’m starting to channel Sally Field, here, so I’ll make this short and sweet…
For a writer – of any genre – getting out and meeting others who are as passionate about writing as you are, or readers who are passionate as you are about what you write (!) is something I would never deny myself. SO for all the hibernators out there, here’s a little tidbit of advice: get out of the house! Go to a conference! Interact with other humans who like what you like to read and write what you like to write.
This has been a Public Service Announcement from your friendly romance writer, Peggy Jaeger. (HeeHee)
Thank you, and good night!
