I went to my very first Romance Writers
of America Conference! To be honest, ‘thanks
to COVID and everything being locked down’, I didn’t have to go far — it
was a VIRTUAL conference and I only had to make the journey to my den where my
desk and computer reside.
The conference was spectacular! The
virtual aspect was just as new to RWA as the conference was to me. I was truly
greedy and attended sessions non-stop (okay, except for 15 minute bathroom
breaks, lol). Seriously though if one ever needed the encouragement and
inspiration to be a writer, this was the ultimate opportunity. The knowledge
that was imparted, the encouragement, and yes, even some networking, was so
much more than I had expected.
Starting Friday morning, August 28, after
a welcome from the RWA President, Alyssa Day, was a “First-Timers Meet-Up”
which was done by ZOOM so we were truly in a nice group and it was a great
ice-breaker. Following that was a whirlwind of sessions, which we were able to
choose ourselves. Since I told the hubs that he was basically on his own for
the weekend, I stayed GLUED to my computer screen. Several classes were held
along with terrific Key-Note speakers (renowned author Xio Axelrod and past RWA President Shirley Hailstock). Ms. Hailstock’s speech was 150% inspiration and no matter where you are in your
writing process, it was like manna to a starving soul.
There was a wonderful
emphasis on diversity and being able to see, and tell, your story through other
eyes; it was like the world was opening right in front of us. There were talks
that sparked the imagination and prompts to help us use our everyday journeys
in our writing. And of course there were innumerable sessions simply about
CRAFT such as plotting and motivation, copyrights, and dealing with bloggers
and reviews. I am so grateful for an excellent discussion from Win Day about
Computer Management which was appropriately titled Saving Your Sanity; oh, if
I had only known some of these “tricks” a month ago!
While I have been writing for most of my adult life I only began pouring my soul into romance writing since the late 90s. I connected with a small-press (now defunct)
publisher in 2008 and literally felt my way through a lot of things I NEVER
even dreamed of. I joined RWA and a local in-person chapter where I used to
live in New York, but, and this is mostly my own fault, I never made enough use
of the resources available to me. Through the years life changed. Ultimately we
moved and there are no VERY local chapters where I now live and circumstances
aren’t convenient for long journeys — so I found an online chapter (RWAOL) and
recently have gotten in DEEP!
Thanks to the opportunities from RWA, both National and this online chapter, I am finding the inspiration and the confidence once again to write and to pursue a field I love so very much. In some ways I am a newbie and in others I’ve got the battle scars of experience. With the resources available to me, and the support and experience of those around me, I feel literally like I am coming alive again.
I am, once again, a
writer.
