Slept off the Jet Lag by Linda S. Glaz

Finally home and slept off the jet lag. Great conference in Montrose with wonderful people. Classes and more classes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this week with many brand new writers. They are why I do what I do. The looks on faces when they “get” a concept is priceless. You can tell they’ve been chewing on it for some time and suddenly the light goes on to use a trite expression.

There is a flair and excitement with a huge conference, and there are plenty of them to attend, but for me, the smaller more intimate conferences are where I love to teach and take appointments. You get to know folks on a completely different level. You make friendships that last for years. And, yes, I’m a George Bailey. I love to meet and make friends who come from all imaginable backgrounds and with stories to tell.

And with so many things to learn…for everyone.

Hopefully new writers leave with a better understanding of the elements of writing. Seasoned writers might pick up that one nugget they’ve been searching for, or an agent, or a contract as one woman did last week. The agents and editors might get a stronger grasp of the fears writers carry with them and how to better help them get over those fears.

For me, it’s a matter of getting to know more folks. Seeing into the human condition and hopefully walking away a better person. I do try.

Can we learn from each other? Yes. Can we help one another over bumps in the road? Yes. Can we strike a chord in someone else’s life? Absolutely.

In a couple months, I’ll head out for another venue very similar to Montrose. I’ll be going to Maranatha on beautiful Lake Michigan close to where I grew up. There, another group of emerging authors will be waiting: to learn, to interact, to get over fears, to show their mettle. And I’ll love every second of it until I come home, collapse in my fave lounge chair, and sleep off some of the jet lag. Or, in this case, car lag.

One thing I’ll never forget is the look on faces when someone finally gets it, and I’ll go back again and again in the hope that I can say or do one thing that will encourage a writer to keep writing until they feel as much an author as they truly are.

Enjoy the conference season, folks. It’s gold!