Writers Conference Edition

So I was away at the San Francisco Writers Conference, which is why I've been scarce online. I'll admit I wasn't keen to go, but I'd already paid an insane amount of money for the privilege, so... I went. And I'm glad I did. While it wasn't quite as thrilling as previous conferences (maybe I've gone to enough of them to become jaded), I still had a very good time. My friend Kristen went with me, too, so that was nice. Good things included:

• Meeting new people. (Though I'll say the other writers were more reserved than in past years.)
• One particularly interesting dinner out with newly met fellows that included deep discussions of religion.
• Encouragement. I got good market information from an agent, and I had some well-known authors also advise me. That felt really nice.
• At least two fabulous keynotes.
• Decent food.
• News that the venue next year (if I decide to go) will be in a hotel that won't require me to trudge up a steep hill.
• Having another author friend come into town for dinner one night.
• Hotel room upgrade.

So yeah, it was a good time overall and worth the trip. I have some ideas about what to do next and where to put my energy.