As I may have mentioned, I went to a writers conference yesterday. I’d never actually been to one before, so to start out by attending as a speaker instead of just a writer was, shall we say, interesting. Sitting in a small conference room for lunch with the invited agents and other speakers left me with the most acute case of The Impostor Syndrome I’ve had since the first time someone called me “Doctor” during the third year of medical school.
In addition to presenting my workshop, my other mission was to locate and meet Suzie Townsend, one of the remarkable agents at FinePrint Literary, as is my agent, Janet Reid. I’ve never met Janet face to face, and I’ve noticed that pictures of her do not exist. When an avatar or image is absolutely required, her aura appears as a shark. I believe that because Janet is a force of nature, relativistic fear causes photons to bend around her, thus making it impossible to render her image on film or digital media. Suzie, on the other hand, attracts those same photons like unicorns attract glitter, which partially explains why she is so lovely:
The other reason she is so lovely is because she is preternaturally sweet. As I cautiously approached her to introduce myself, not at all certain she’d have a clue as to who this strange lady in the dinosaur t-shirt might be, she squealed with delight the moment I said my name. She even posed for the above picture. (She’s the pretty one; on the left.)
So aside from the fact that Suzie is just as warm and wonderful in real life as Janet describes her on her blog, what did I learn at my first writers conference?
I learned that writing is a force of nature. Truly, the definition of a writer is someone who is compelled to write. Publication may be the stated goal, but is in many ways irrelevant. Cutting through all the workshop, keynote, and Q&A verbiage, the simple truth remains, central and unvarnished: writers write (and read). As awkward and out of place as I may have felt at the beginning, the fact is inescapable: I am a writer.
(Many thanks to HH for this remarkable opportunity.)
I have met Janet Reid. She does indeed exist, and does not resemble a shark in real life. She is very funny. Someday I may finish that novel and actually write queries. Glad you had fun, Dino!
By: Jon on November 8, 2010
at 4:25 pm
Excellent! Looks like you had a great time after all. It is so true about writing. I have (in and around medical training and practice) written three novels (just for fun, if you can believe that) numerous short pieces, and now am thoroughly enjoying writing a blog (referenced to the left). AS Dr. V says, this is now my sandbox, and I can experiment with sad stuff, serious stuff, funny stuff, educational stuff–anything I choose to do! It’s so much fun to have an avenue like that to discharge the thoughts, ideas and emotions that are constantly swirling in the writer’s mind. I am enjoying your blog and will continue to follow. Thanks for this post!
Greg
By: Greg Smith MD on November 8, 2010
at 8:39 pm
Janet…nice? Nah, don’t believe it. She’s a shark and her drippy fangs tear the hearts out of unsuspecting authors all the time. It’s what sustains her.
But good for you and your first con! The more you do, the easier it gets. Really.
By: lynnpricewrites on November 11, 2010
at 6:52 pm
Is she single? How old? Didn’t really read your post this time – just looked at the picture (((ahem))looking pretty foxy yourself these days, Dino. Congrats on shedding the lbs).
By: Mellow Med Stud(ent) on November 14, 2010
at 3:29 pm