Texas 2014 Part Two--The Workshops

Unless you're a writer, you might not have the attention span for me to give you Every. Single. Detail of the workshops I took. They were one to two hours long and I took 14 of them, so I'll condense my story a bit. They were all pretty good...I'll pick the top 5.

First on the list is "Fit to Be Tied...To Your Desk" This class, led by Angela Breidenbach,  focused on the physical health of the Writer. Writer's like myself have a tendency to ignore their health. It's not just because of the writing, but other factors as well that cause us to eat badly and avoid physical activity in favor of chasing our stories. When I quit my full time job as a meat cutter four years ago, I gained three sizes in four years. Now I am a borderline diabetic, which I'm fighting to change.

The first thing Angela told us is how blood pools when we sit too long. That causes our brains to 'stop'. I've been there. You're writing for two hours and suddenly, you just can't write anymore. That happens to me a lot. The solution is to either get up and do something else physical, as we know....or we can do simple YOGA.

Image by: Ambro@FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

And then she had us do it. It works.


The next class I'd like to mention is from Elizabeth Hoyt, and she just saved my bacon...no sarcastic pun intended, you people who don't like cops :P It was called 'Holding out for a Hero'. This workshop is about figuring out what makes your hero a great character. Since my best friend and my husband have been telling me they don't 'feel' my new hero, Sam, I knew I needed this too. She asked us what makes a hero so fascinating...It's days like this I know I don't read enough romance novels. Our heroes need to be HUMAN.  They have FLAWS. They have FEARS. And Sam needs a new backstory. He's boring because he's perfect. That's gonna change. Even as I took notes for this seminar, I scratched constant notes to myself about exactly how Sam is going to evolve.

Then we have "Indie Success with No Experience." There was a panel of three women who self-published with no experience and with the stigma being what it was...they told NO ONE. Now they are successful. They taught me how it's not enough to have one or two offerings on the internet...now I know what I have to do. And I have a lot of gleeful work cut out for me. I can't tell you yet. I refuse to make promises I might not be able to keep. But rest assured, I have a new deadline for myself, and a lot more work to do before the year is out.

Next one was my favorite...It's called 'Excuse Me, Your Muse is Waiting!" It was two hours long, but it didn't feel like it. This class appealed to me, because I was l

ooking for subliminal ways to entice my writing abilities. Well, I found them. I also discovered that I don't hate meditating after all. I just needed a reason to engage in it. It had to be useful to me.

Not only can I FINALLY meditate, but they put us through an exercise in the last twenty minutes that helped find out true muse so we could talk to them. Sort of a hypnosis. To find out who that was for me, you'll have to check this blog next Thursday, because it's unexpected but NOT really unexpected. Stay tuned, for lack of better words...It requires it's own blog.


The fifth I will mention is "How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon."  While some classes offered a beginning to end class of good marketing sites, this one offered SECRETS. Stuff people might not know about...Places we never knew to click on, and what they'll tell us. I arrived too late to get a seat, and had to sit on the floor, but it was worth it!  One of those secrets was so profound, we all reacted with exclaims of wonder and applause. What was it? Not telling! But it was the kind of secret worth spending an hour cross-legged on concrete in a dress  to possess.

So these were my favorite classes. Do you see where I'm going? 'Cause I do. I'm so excited I could burst. I have so much work lined up, and that makes me pretty damned happy. Ecstatic, actually. I met my true muse. Hint: It isn't isn't Bruce Dickinson or Henry Rollins.

Next Thursday is Part Three, the last installment of my convention experience, where I tell you how I found him.

Texas 2014 was Awesome! Part One--Tourist

Mel and me at the Alamo

I'M BACK! I'm home from San Antonio, armed with new knowledge and new plans for my writing career. I had a great time meeting new friends and bonding with my friend Mel and her son. I have so much to tell you, I don't even know where to start. I guess the beginning is good enough...

We checked in to the hotel and promptly went shopping.You know what I like about shopping in the U.S.? Cheap clothes in bigger sizes and easy access to them. Plus sizes are available in most stores, and Macy's refers to them not as PLUS sizes, but as 'Women's' sizes. How politically correct of them! I love that. I'm also a size smaller there. TMI point of amusement: I actually tried on a bra that was too big. Trust me that never happens. I don't think that's EVER happened to me before.

We checked out the Riverwalk downtown. What a great place! It's lush with foliage with a natural AND partially man-made river winding through it. Of course we took the boat tour, and would you believe our pilot, Jake, has family in Alberta? He has dual citizenship and his aunt still lives in Taber, Alberta. Small world! Anyway, it was fun and he was hilarious while pointing out all the interesting sights along the way.

This is Jake, the funny guy with dual citizenship.

We ate there a few times, and I can recommend the following restaurants--Joe's Crab Shack, Landry's Seafood, Chili's, and Casa Rio.

Mai-Tai in a Tiki-Tiki glass I got to keep at Joe's Crab Shack

Casa Rio Deluxe Dinner

Mel chose the hotel, and I think she may have picked the best one in downtown San Antonio. It was decorated in my favorite color, emerald green, which made it already seem cooler temperature wise. I dream of bedrooms like this. Literally. It was a happy place for me. No orange and brown dated decor here! La Quinta is not only decently priced, but their staff are mostly awesome and efficient. Shout out to Rebecca G., who worked like a mule for us...literally. We had a lot of luggage that she willingly helped us lug upstairs, and she handled our shopping bags too. We did a LOT of shopping. She earned every dollar we gave her. Did I mention the free breakfast? I had waffles with strawberries, whipped cream, a side of sausage, plus coffee and orange juice almost every morning. And that was good coffee!

Next day, the Alamo, which was within walking distance. So beautiful. Swarms of people can't steal the quiet grace of this monument to sacrifice. The motto is, "Remember the Alamo" and I understand why now. At first I was disappointed to see huge gardens replacing the dirt and brush I had originally envisioned there. I couldn't picture the battle for myself. But now I see. The garden was constructed for the people who died there, to respect them and bring them peace. At least that's what it feels like.

I went to the substantial giftshop. I purchased coins and maps for my beloved troll, fridge magnets for my sister, a doll for Ashley, and shot glasses for my collection. But don't worry...I'll remember the Alamo too.

Part Two will be more about the convention itself, but I didn't think you'd want to read about the whole trip in one sitting. There's much more to say.