Last year I had decided that I would start taking at least one vacation a year that was for me. That means not visit friends or family at their homes, or going for some family event. It would be a trip somewhere I wanted to go and do. If friends and family want to come then great. For the most part I've always been big on traveling places to visit family and I'm usually traveling alone. So going doing something different on my own isn't such a big step out of my comfort zone.
Last year I did two trips. Las Vegas for the big 25 and going to LA where they had the RWA National Conference. While my friends were lame and decided not to go with me to Vegas, I flew one of my sisters to join in the fun instead. That wasn't quite the trip I had thought it would be yet had a blast with my big sister instead and was ecstatic that she shared in the fun with me in turning in the quarter century mark in my life. When I had the chance to go to RWA, that was 100% for me. I had no one else to set up expectations, but was able to go and enjoy my first writers conference was something that felt like a risk. One that I will never regret. Going was the first giant leap I took to say "I am a writer."
This year I'm keeping with the tradition of doing a trip that is all about me and something that I enjoy. Instead of going to RWA, I thought I'd try another writers conference that I have heard so much about that I knew would not conflict with potential wedding dates for my sister. RT Booklovers Con is put on Romance Times and from what I've heard is one of the best writers cons that is out there. Not only do you learn a lot, but it's full of parties and costumes. How can I say no to that. I mean costumes and cover models. Sounds like a combo that is to die for.
Not only had I decided to go to the conference that happens to fall on the busiest part of the month at my day job, but I'm going to a writing for publishing boot camp two days before the Con even starts. Eeeek, I'm so excited.
The fact that some of my favorite authors are going to be there, but the teachers for the boot camp have already started on online group to start giving up pointers that we wont have time to cover, but it's a great way for a bunch of us newbies to ease our nerves. The closer this convention gets closer the more excited I am to go. While this is going to be in a new part of the country I've never been in, I'm excited to to learn more from seasoned experts, meet newbie writers like myself, and just enjoy being around people who love the same genre as myself.
It will be a new experience to put myself out of my comfort zone, and will also teach me a lot. Along with all the workshops, I will be pitching to an agent and an editor. It will be my second time pitching in person to an agent and a first to an editor. Rejections I'm ready for, but I'm not going in expecting to get a no. I'm going in expecting to learn from trying. To learn how to change my pitch and to be more comfortable talking about my work in a short amount of time.
Some might wonder why I'm doing a trip that doesn't sound like a vacation. For the most part it's not what you would call a classic vacation, but it's my vacation. Yes there is business involved. A business that I'm passionate about. A business that I am still learning about as it evolves into a new beast that no one ever thought it would become. But it's my vacation where I get to surround myself with people who are living and loving what they do. If you've ever been in a group of people who are as passionate about the same things as you are, it wont feel like work. In fact I can garantee that I will come out of this convention excited to get back to writing. All be it I might be exhausted, but I will be a happy exhausted.
Not sure what my vacation for me will look like. Hopefully I will be able to do another writers con or two, with a trip to my besties place up in Montana. Keeping my fingers crossed on that one. Visiting her is like going to one of these cons. I come back missing her like crazy, but much more happy for the time that I was able to spend with her and her family.
Anyways, I'm off to get some much needed reading in. Have a great upcoming summer all. And if you're going to RT13, I will see you there.
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