The Lessons Only I Got

The 9th Annual LDStorymakers writers conference was this past weekend. And let me just sum it up in one word: awesome!

Let me tell you a little more about this conference: 11 hours were scheduled class time. During which there were too many options available. Being the ADHD person that I am, I get overwhelmed when I sit through that many classes and have to take breaks.

During these "breaks" I learned a lot of information, which was just as valuable as the regular classes.

My first break came for the last conference hour of Friday afternoon. I got to sit and chat with Sarah Eden, the shortest person in attendance of the conference over the age of 18. Really, I didn't learn anything, it was just fun to chat. I guess, if anything, I learned that writers don't always talk about writing. (Okay, I actually knew that.)

I'm gonna skip to the last break I took during the Saturday afternoon sessions and go back to the others. Right after lunch I was so excited to get a front row seat in Annette Lyon's Hero's Journey class. But as I got hit with some social anxiety, I had to take another break. I was bummed because I'd heard it was so good. So I went to the bookstore and spoke with Josi Kilpack for a bit. In so doing, David Wolverton/Farland walked up carrying a heavy box of books as he prepared to leave the conference for his long drive home.

Josi, knowing that Dave was still recovering from some injuries decided he shouldn't be carrying those boxes. I think her words were, "Oh, T.J. can carry those for you." Um...sure. I'd spent the majority of the conference as a lackey for the co-chair Jaime Theler and the MC Sarah Eden. I could add Josi to the list. Well, imagine my gratitude when I got a free hardback copy of David Farland's latest novel, Nightingale. Lesson here: If you do what Josi says, maybe you'll get a free book out of it.

Now, back to the other 2 hours that I took a break, which were consecutive. I had the opportunity to sit and chat with Jeff Savage. (And by opportunity I mean Jeff was near an open outlet and I didn't want to use my battery so I snagged it before someone else could.) But in the small conversation I had with Jeff, I learned something quite interesting. I received an email during this time, which was Twitter alerting me to a new follower I'd never heard of.

This isn't something that annoys me, but it's something I'm confused by. So I ask Jeff what his thoughts were on it. Little did I know I'd get a five-minute lecture on why it was okay for me to have fans and followers even though I do not have a book in e-format or physical copy for others to read. Blogging for my 3 blogs, plus my Twitter interactions give me enough cred.

It's amazing how good I felt about myself after Jeff's comments. Well, that's it for today.

Alien abductions are involuntary, but probings are scheduled.