Day 1 of the conference has come and gone, and although I get an F this morning on the “get up by 7am and eat breakfast every day” challenge, yesterday’s A in “act like an extrovert” more than makes up for it.
I met lots of new and very interesting people, who shall remain nameless (at least for the moment), but among them were:
A writer of fantasy who has a unique spin on the paranormal that blends some traditional elements of the genre with some twists I’ve never heard before.
A writer of science fiction (alternate solar system, near-future timeline) who ended up in several sessions with me and who I’m heading over to find on Twitter as soon as I get finished here.
A writer of historical fiction who – like me – hasn’t attended this conference before (and who has the added benefit of her husband along with her – a very nice man who described himself as the “ground support” team).
A writer of science fiction who was brave enough to stand up in a High Concept session and toss his log line to the sharks, having just made it up moments before (and it was fantastic).
I also had dinner with Janet Lane, who writes historical adventure with a romance element and who did an absolutely fabulous job of making everyone at her table feel both welcome and important.
I met many more people I haven’t listed here, but on the whole the day was not only successful, but much more so than I could have believed. If you’re attending a conference this year – as a writer or anything else – try stepping outside your comfort zone and asking someone else to tell you about what they do. You’ll have an interesting conversation, and you might just make a friend in the process.
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