7/2/07: This writer's weekend

[davidlevine]

Word count: 50307 | Since last entry: 152 | Days until retirement: 91

Had a great time at the Writer's Weekend conference, despite the fact that I didn't know anyone there except lmarley. But I was on a couple of very nice panels with her and with cmpriest and met a bunch of keen new folks including thecrimsony and Bellinghamsters kaerfel, criada, and the leprechaunish csinman. Hello, peoples! Conference organizer awritersweekend said she heard very good things about me (including from literary agent nephele, whom I don't even know!) and has already invited me back for next year.

The conference was held at the lovely Roosevelt Hotel, just blocks from Pike Place Market and other downtown Seattle wonderfulnesses. We were only slightly affected by the president of Korea's presence at the hotel next door, although motorcades halted vehicular traffic near the hotel on a couple of occasions. We also shared the hotel with delegates to the BMM conference. I have been unable to determine, either by asking around or by reading the conference's web page, what BMM stands for, but I gather it's a conference for US residents who hail from a certain Indian state.

I must admit that it was very strange for me to be playing the role of Big Name Pro (though many of the other BNPs at the conference were substantially younger than I), but I do think I was able to provide some useful advice in my presentations and hallway conversations. This seems to have been my weekend for telling people to get off their duffs and submit something already. I hope that they will follow through. (Yes, I'm looking at you. Do it now.)

Before the conference we attended the weekly Clarion West party at the lovely new home of Kelly Link Eskridge and Nicola Griffith, where we schmoozed with many a Seattle fan and pro and met at least half of the 2007 class. I won't attempt to list them except for lrcutter, who gave me some very good ideas about my novel. And then tonight we started Japanese class (only 8 weeks until we leave for Yokohama, aiee!).

All this means little writing in the last few days. So it goes. I did write every day in June, although most of what I wrote at the conference was outline and notes rather than actual novel. I realize now that what has happened is that I've now written all the scenes I have been holding in my head since the beginning and I need to pause and rethink what comes next. I have a general idea of where I'm going but I need to get more concrete about it.

Comments

[smofbabe.livejournal.com]

We also shared the hotel with delegates to the BMM conference. I have been unable to determine, either by asking around or by reading the conference's web page, what BMM stands for, but I gather it's a conference for US residents who hail from a certain Indian state.

The lack of information about the group itself on their conference web site is so thorough that it is pretty funny, actually. However, if you click their logo in the top right corner, it takes you to the group's web site. Even there it's not that easy to find out what it stands for but just to satisfy your curiosity, your guess was close and it's "Brihan Maharashtra Mandal" (Marathi Folks of America), "people having an interest in the Marathi language, culture and customs. Marathi is the language spoken by 70 million people in Maharashtra, a state in western India."

Glad you have a good time.

[davidlevine]

Thanks! You should have been a librarian.

[smofbabe.livejournal.com]

I have often thought that my ideal job would be to find obscure information on the web :-> (Sorry about the verb tense error - right when I finished typing my phone rang and I hastily hit Post Comment without re-reading the text.)

[kateyule.livejournal.com]

lack of information about the group itself on their conference web site is so thorough that it is pretty funny
Yah, when we asked someone in the elevator what the event was, she said "It's a... gathering... for, um... people." Ohhh-kay then.