Conferences, they're all over the place. There's a conference for every profession, hobby, and support group. Don't you wonder what happens at some of these conferences? I've heard that there's a conference for mail men (mail persons?). I can't imagine on what topics their main speakers choose to wax eloquent or what their breakout sessions might include: How To Dress Dog Bite Wounds, Tips for Smooshing Large Packages into Small Mailboxes, or maybe Creative Places to Put Packages that Don't Fit in the Box (even after you've tried smooshing them).
I head out tomorrow for the Missouri Writers' Guild Conference. I don't have a clue what the itinerary of the weekend will be. I just know I'm supposed to register between 3 and 6pm. I attended the Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers' Guild conference back in October. It was my first writers' conference. Typically, writers tend to be introverts rather than extroverts, right? That's part of the strength of being a writer. An extrovert couldn't stand all those hours alone with only his/her computer for company. There's a difference between being shy and being an introvert. I'm an introvert, but I'm not shy. Fortunately, most of the attendees at the October conference weren't shy either, so I had the pleasure of meeting a number of other individuals with the same passion. However, when it came to lunch, I somehow found a seat that was surrounded by shy introverts. I was able to get conversation going here and there, but it was like pushing a ball uphill. I'd give it a push and it appeared to be going somewhere only to stall and then roll backwards right into my lap again.
Another thing I've noticed about writers is that typically, they're not speakers. I've noticed this at conferences other than the writers' conference. It's fairly common to invite someone whose written a cutting edge or dynamic book to speak. Some are multi-talented and can both write and speak. Others stumble around their words or in their speaking, they merely repeat everything that they'd written in the book. I attended one conference where the speaker read his entire speech. He was obviously a writer, not a speaker.
I'm looking forward to this time away: what I'll learn, who I'll meet, and the time alone to read and, of course, write.
I head out tomorrow for the Missouri Writers' Guild Conference. I don't have a clue what the itinerary of the weekend will be. I just know I'm supposed to register between 3 and 6pm. I attended the Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers' Guild conference back in October. It was my first writers' conference. Typically, writers tend to be introverts rather than extroverts, right? That's part of the strength of being a writer. An extrovert couldn't stand all those hours alone with only his/her computer for company. There's a difference between being shy and being an introvert. I'm an introvert, but I'm not shy. Fortunately, most of the attendees at the October conference weren't shy either, so I had the pleasure of meeting a number of other individuals with the same passion. However, when it came to lunch, I somehow found a seat that was surrounded by shy introverts. I was able to get conversation going here and there, but it was like pushing a ball uphill. I'd give it a push and it appeared to be going somewhere only to stall and then roll backwards right into my lap again.
Another thing I've noticed about writers is that typically, they're not speakers. I've noticed this at conferences other than the writers' conference. It's fairly common to invite someone whose written a cutting edge or dynamic book to speak. Some are multi-talented and can both write and speak. Others stumble around their words or in their speaking, they merely repeat everything that they'd written in the book. I attended one conference where the speaker read his entire speech. He was obviously a writer, not a speaker.
I'm looking forward to this time away: what I'll learn, who I'll meet, and the time alone to read and, of course, write.
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