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| Stacy Jensen and I |
In the virtual world of writing, we make lots of friends. Fellow bloggers, Twitter followers, forum members, and many more. But what's really fun is when you get to meet some of them in person.
This past weekend I attended the Pikes Peak Writers Conference(which I'm now recovering from). It's a great conference, even if you're from out of state. Agents and editors vie for invites to this conference, since it has a reputation for collecting good writing in one place.
One top agent, with 35 years of experience in the business, said that out of all the conferences she's attended over the years, this one produces the best writing. And PPW runs a fantastic contest each year (deadline in early November) that gives writers fantastic feedback on their submissions. This year I was thrilled to place second in the YA category.
One of the highlights at the conference was meeting Stacy Jensen. We "met" on our blogs by commenting back and forth, and it was so nice to be able to visit in person. When I waited to do my pitch to an agent, Stacy was there, offering wonderful calmness and support. Check out her blog, Writing Through My Life.
I also happened across another reader, though we had never "met" online. When talking with fellow contest finalist Amanda Hosch, I gave her one of my business cards. She took a look at it and said, "Writing While the Rice Boils! I've read your blog!" Amanda has a blog of her own, which I'm looking forward to reading.
Both of these mom writers are working hard at finding time to write, even though they have small children. It's amazing to see how to find time in the middle of crazy days.
Have you ever met an online friend in person?
Not yet! I hope to, though.
ReplyDeleteOne of us would have to travel quite a bit to attend a conference together! Maybe someday . . .
ReplyDelete~Debbie
So happy to meet you in person too. (Had to wait until Enzo took a nap to comment :) )
ReplyDeleteIt was easy for me to be calm — I wasn't pitching. Plus, I promised a woman in the GMC workshop that I would refrain from giggling.
And, congrats again on the contest win.
Who knows? Maybe next year it will be you pitching!
ReplyDelete~Debbie
It looks like you had an awesome time. I really do like your blog, so I've passed along an award. Check it out here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.smcarriere.com/2011/05/so-much-political-rage.html
It's about 2/3 of the way down, in case you want to skip my angry political ranting.
Thank you so much! And I don't mind the rant. That's just the way politics are.
ReplyDelete~Debbie
Congrats on the prize! I would love to attend a conference like that where I live (AZ). How do you find out about things like that?
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, you can check with writers groups in your area, or you can click the link in this post ( bit.ly/f9kxdJ )for "Shaw Guides", an online database of writer's conferences. I know there are some in AZ, but if you ever decide to come up to Colorado for the PPW, I'd love to meet you!
ReplyDelete~Debbie
I've actually met quite a few friends from an online forum I belonged to about parenting March 2005 babies. It's funny, because it is often like you've met before and is completely comfortable. I think you can really get to know a person online, because you don't have to use small talk filler and often speak about things that truly matter.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great observation, Shannon. I was trying to put my finger on what made these connections so smooth in person.
ReplyDelete~Debbie