MY Last Conference … sighhh.

Sigh…

So this is one of those lamenting posts. Like, dude, I’m at another conference. The thing about it is that I attended this one last year and swore to myself that not only was I done with this organization but the conference as well. I mean, two of them this year and I’ve concluded that they are just more of the same. And I’m cutting into my writing schedule. Then I have to catch airplanes (I hate flying. Like, sitting on the airplane, flying. I hate it.). I have to pay to get to the airport. Pay for hotels. TIP! Eat out which is very unhealthy. Then the shindig itself is a whole other experience.  I can go into detail but I can’t do so without offending, so I won’t. Let’s just say conferences are NOT for me. At least a couple of non “Conference Group” meetings/events is making this conference worth my time but I’m not sure if it’s worth the couple of thousand plus I spent to make this happen for me. And you know what really pisses me off about this conference???? They didn’t post the workshops months in advance because if they had, then I would’ve given up my dang spot! That was tricky…. Very tricky. Didn’t get the workshop schedule until TODAY. And I mean, how many times can you hear the same old fortune tellers predict the end of this or that. As if they know. They’re never right. Hey, I got an idea. Just do your dang job and don’t worry about what’s going to happen. Nothing’s going to happen! Everything is going to stay just the way it is now or get better because that is what history has taught us!

And I hate panels. I mean… I’ve always hated panels and I promise you, you will NEVER find me sitting on one no matter what. I mean, what arrogance. And they never say anything valuable. It’s very rare that they do. You’re just sitting there looking at and listening to words that you can’t do anything with. Just empty and often arrogant. And I mean, listen, some of these writers you really don’t want to meet. Just enjoy their stories and don’t meet them. I’m including myself in the mix. Because listen… You DO NOT want to meet me. You just don’t. You think you do. But you don’t. LOL!

Anyway…

They’re just going to have to come up with a whole new format to lure me to another one of these things. You know who does good conferences? Creative Screenwriting Magazine in LA. They had a lot of craft workshops, which one needs if he or she is a screenwriter at any level. I encountered one of the most career changing workshops at one of their conferences. There was this guy… I wish I could remember his name but he gave this talk about how readers connect to stories by using the 7 Chakras. That workshop is the reason why you can’t put my book down even if you hate that I’m making you experience something you don’t agree with. Ones humanity/nature likes where I keep the story but the same persons nurturing/social programming rejects it.

So I mean… Maybe the book industry should ask the screenwriting industry for tips on how to put on a conference.

I mean they could’ve done a whole workshop on Point of View, or they could’ve brought people together. Don’t just have a panel on how a writer can use an assistant, have an assistant pitching session. Translators… Um indies are scrambling for good translators. Get us to sign up for one-on-ones with professional marketers who will asses are covers, blurbs and etc. You know, I’m starting to think that maybe you can’t mesh the traditional publishing world with the independent. Like a question came up regarding quantity sacrificing quality and I rolled my eyes. I mean Tradies really have convinced themselves of this. Fine. Who cares what they think but who wants to hear them whine about how our stuff suck because it took them three years to write a book. If I write 10+ hours a day and it takes me 3 years to write a book then I need to find a new line of work. But see that’s the result of mixing the two industries. They have no clue because they have to have day jobs and writing is my day job. And in order to make it in this indie world you have to know how to just point blank tell a story. Say the same thing in 50k less words. And a lot of us, the ones you like, have a screenwriting background so we just understand the concept of plot. Look. We need our own conference so we can really be enriched and they need their conference for the same reason. That’ll be the next conference I attend if I ever attend one–a conference that focuses on Indies.

Anyway…

I digress…

Enough griping and complaining from me. I’m here. I’m just going to focus on finishing Explore Her, More of Her. I do want to check out the workshops on Assistants. I’m so overwhelmed and at some point I’m going to have to hire someone. I want to wait until I move back to LA. And I really need to hire someone with experience and who can easily learn some applications that I use on a daily basis.

Okay, Z. To work lady! Get your behind to work 😉

Love. Happiness. Peace. A plastic cup of pinot grigio

I think you’re going to like Explore Her, More of Her… it’s almost time to go back to page one for the retightening of the story. Yay!!!

Z