In Which I Examine the Contents of My Handbasket

Since I was at LTUE last Friday, I didn't get a new post in my blog. So, it's Friday again, and I'm writing. But it's not about just one thing. It's about a whole basket full.

About the writing conference, Life, the Universe, and Everything. I was on 2 panels for the first time in our 5 year attendance. I shared a panel with Dr. Michael Collings and Charlie Harmon about poetry, and felt that I even had a comment or two that either surprised or delighted my fellow panelists.

And I was one of 7 panelists talking about what does an Editor do. I'm not editing right now, except for my own writing, and the things that I'm collaberating on with my husband. I sat between Dave Farland, who is awesome, and Stacy L. Whitman, who is a big-time New York editor. I felt somewhat intimidated, but I think I contributed a little.

I didn't attend very many panels because there were A Lot of People this year. Many of the panels were more than full, and I was having a touch of crowd phobia. So I sat in the hallway near the Schlock Mercenary and Serial Killer tables, and laughed and listened to a lot of people. We discussed our feelings about BYU policy, and I'm not going to talk about that on this blog.

I attended the first half of Tracy Hickman's Killer Breakfast, which is really an improv to demonstrate how to be the best Extreme Dungeon Master. The audience is called up one by one to participate, as the players at the front table are killed. I didn't get to the table until 9:56 am, and I had a panel at 10:00. I had to creatively fall on my sword character sheet as quickly as possible so that I wasn't late for my Editor panel. I think I at least didn't embarrass myself or my family.

I got a front row seat for the Writing Excuses recordings of the podcasts. They actually did 4 episodes while we watched. That was fun, and I learned some things.

But to me, the most important thing about attending LTUE was that I got to see my Utah friends again. I don't get to see them often enough, and it was fun to sit and visit.

The other reason we went to Utah was to see my parents. My father's health is slipping, and I want to spend as much time nearby as I can. My mother and I can sit and discuss almost anything for hours on end, and that's fun too.

Now I'm home, and I have many projects demanding my attention. Some of them are writing. I have a novel that I'm about midway through. I had to back-burner it because we got comments from an editor on 4 of our stories for the Grantville Gazette, and I need to read the changes Kevin made, and make some of my own so that we can send them back in. We haven't gotten a story published in the magazine since August, and we need to fill the pipeline again.

These are stories that we wrote together some time ago, but haven't been published yet. So they aren't as difficult to work with as they would be if I had to make up large portions out of whole cloth. In other words, it's just revision. I've already done 2, and still have 2 to go.

And then there's the problem of motivation. I have interesting things to do, and great books to read right now, but my major feeling is more "I don't Wanna" than anything. I'm fighting Laziness, and not doing a very good job.

I will say that I'm glad to be home after a week away. The air is clear, and the sun is shining, and I'm reminded every day why I love living in New Mexico. Right now, it's because while lots of other people are getting snow and rain and ice, we are having another sunny day. Precipitation is not a common occurrence here. And the sunshine makes me happy.