I'm going it alone this time, no friends there to coddle me, so the big challenge will be not hiding in my room between workshops. Also, the last (and only) conference I attended was great about feeding everyone, which provides ample opportunity to make chit-chat with strangers. Not so this one. I'll have to approach people. In the wild! Gah!
I'm working on it.
You know what's really strange? I don't react this way when I have specific obligations. I've held jobs that required me to interact with the public, often in an authoritative manner. No problemo. I've had jobs that required me to speak in front of crowds on a regular basis. Easy peasy. I'm killer when I'm in charge. It's the whole getting to know people personally thing where I come up short. Sad, that.
Anyway, I've got lots of work to do to get my materials ready, which ought to keep me busy. Hopefully, this will distract me from idleness and fretting. And then when I get there, my nerves will take over and I'll babble incessantly at people and they'll be all, "Oh dear God, get me away from this woman!" Or, if I'm lucky, "I like her. She's friendly." I'll shoot for the latter.
To sum it up: I'm excited. I'm nervous. Most of all, I'm extraordinarily grateful that I get to go.
Resolutionary Updates!
- With the exception of The Week of the Walking Plague, for which I give myself a pass, I have kept up with my writing goals. Just as I suspected, one paragraph quite often leads to much, much more, which leads to me being on track to finish my MS. A nice beginning.
- Dude. I cannot seem to remember to get my butt out of the chair once my butt is in the chair. I'm still working on the whole moving around thing. (Note: This does not mean I have blown the resolution and will now be giving up. It just means I haven't hit my stride yet.)
I'm betting they'll go with "I like her. She's friendly." :)
ReplyDeleteTip for getting your butt out of the chair: drink lots and lots of water. You will have to get up to pee. (Hey, it works for me.)
I've tried the water thing. It never works for me because I get stuck inside my own head and forget to drink. So I guess my resolution should have been: be more conscious of my surroundings. Which doesn't sound like fun.
Deletework it gurl. you got this. and also, if i were going i would DEF. be room hiding in between :) we have so much in common! all my work has always been dealing with people, and i think i am good at it....but left to my own crowds and stranger scare me. STRANGER DANGER!
ReplyDeletei am workin my tail off for my resolutions. going pretty good i think. i mean Jan. isn't even over yet...and look how far you've come :D u go!
Go you and your resolutions! Hey, do you think they'd kick me out of the conference if every time someone approached me I yelled STRANGER DANGER!? Hehehe
DeleteAlso, it's true, we do have a lot in common. I have a feeling that if we ever met, it would be like Geekazoid vs. The Nerd Monster. You know, like Godzilla vs. Mothra? Only cooler because there'd be Volkswagens and freakish hair colors involved. ;)
Volkswagens?! Hell yeah.
DeleteMagoo is a Volkswagen connaisseur.
DeleteI met you (accosted you/made you hug me) and you were great! I don't think you have to go up and hug, but your wit and warmth will work just fine. You're all there for the same thing, so conversation starters are easy.
ReplyDeleteI've kept to the writing resolution about 80% of the time. I started a small movement initiative. No, I'm not just moving my fingers, but my entire body. A bit. And I'm trying to eat better. We'll see.
The Captain has inventory, and then inventory reconciliation, for almost the entire month of January. This is difficult on both of us, especially when we're trying to be vigilant! So that plan has had mild success, but needs more oversight. Things for February...
"...conversation starters are easy."
DeleteThis is how I know you're not an introvert. :)
I remember inventory when I was in retail. It sucked. Hang in there.
The starting is easy. The continuing is trickier. But true: I would not describe myself as introverted.
DeleteI'm the opposite with the starting and the continuing. I always feel like I'm interrupting people when I say hi. Once I get past that, my natural tendency to babble carries me through. ;)
DeleteYou are very brave!! You can do this!!
ReplyDeleteI am 'technically' behind in my writing goals. But I think it will all work out. I built in room for snags.
Exercise and eating goals are going well, but the lose weight goal is not happening. I've never hit a plateau after one week before. But I keep eating healthy and working out...something's gotta give.
See? That's what I need to start doing, building in room for snags. I actually lost room for snags when I signed up for the conference. But, really, I work better under deadlines. I find I'm more ruthless in my prioritizing.
DeleteEating healthy and working out leads to feeling better, which is far more important than the number on the scale, right?
Heck, I'm perpetually behind in my writing goals. Both these books were supposed to be done nine months ago... but as they say "'shit happens."
DeleteI feel ya.
DeleteI'm not doing so well resolution wise considering it's 1/24 & I still can't decide what to resolve yet. Last year was sooo different.
ReplyDeleteI bet you kill at the conference. Your natural edgy wit goes a long way towards endearing you to people! Witness me, for one. I adore you.
Oh my. Now I'm blushing. (Also, I hate to blow my own cover, but my "natural edgy wit" takes hours of editing. In person, I yammer.)
DeleteYou ARE beloved, by so many more than you realize too. (Hey, she's friendly!) Have fun, and think of all the blog posts you can get out of this.
ReplyDelete(Seriously, I'm so excited for you!)
Uh, no goals or resolutions for me. I do need to echo Judie though, getting to a plateau sucks, but I'm not changing anything (else), for now.
Julie
You're right! This will be excellent blog fodder. ;)
DeleteI'm excited, too. I really am. The workshops look amazing (I get to take one with Cinda Williams Chima!) and the intensive workshop on my MS will be invaluable. I'm really really really seriously wicked really hoping to come out of this with a fantastic critique partner or two. I'm also determined to kick myself in the ass and say hello to people. I will remove my chubby ass from its comfort zone!
And yes, plateaus do suck. Unless it's going the other way. I, for instance, hit a plateau on my weight gain a few years ago. It would have been nicer for that plateau to be at a lower altitude, but still...
It's wicked fun when you get all Boston-y. I hope you get a fantastic critique partner too! Your work deserves to be read.
DeleteLOL I don't even have a Boston accent. I do have the NE tendency toward fast talking, which my southern friends find wicked frickin hilarious.
DeleteWhich con are you going to?
DeleteI'm going to the NESCBWI con. All my ideas seem to work best as YA, so I'm directing my energy at that. After my convo with an agent last year regarding my writing voice, it just seemed to make the most sense. Plus, I love it. :)
DeleteIf you feel nervous at the conference, just think how much more fun it is to be at the conference than at the gynecologist's office... Try pretending that the people you need to talk to are all secretly Betties, that they all visit our blogs, that they all know you are awesome. Cause you are. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteHeehee! It's true, much more fun. And thanks. :)
ReplyDeleteYou will be great. All the betties will be cheering you on, you can't see us but you will feel our presence. ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carol!
DeleteNo plague, not going anywhere, just getting the writing back on track.
ReplyDeleteFor you: GO GADGET GOOOO! I'm sure there will be lovely easy to talk to peeps. :-)
Good for you with the writing! (Now I have the Inspector Gadget theme in my head.)
Delete