Favorite Enemies
- A Little Sisterly Advice
- Cheeky Reads
- DRD aka Donna's Blog
- Gunner Marnee's Blog
- J.K. Coi: Living with Immortals
- Just Janga
- Killer Fiction
- Kimberly Killion
- Maggie Robinson
- Maureen O. Betita
- Megan Kelly
- Pam Clare
- Renee Lynn Scott
- Romance Bandits
- Romance Dish
- Scapegoat's Blogspot
- Smartass Romance
- Terri Osburn Writes Romance
- Tessa Dare
- Vauxhall Vixens
Blog Archive
Powered by Blogger.
Friday, June 29, 2012
One Month Away!
Our poor Assassin is under the weather so I'm covering a bit
late for her today. "Under the weather" might be code for on assignment, but I'm not at liberty to discuss that. Sorry for the delay, but on with the show.
Exactly four weeks from today, I'll be walking into a giant
room in the Anaheim Marriott with the sole purpose of selling my manuscript to
an editor with St. Martin's Press. Thankfully, I have an agent to hold my hand
(figuratively, not literally) but I'm still scared poopless.
Heck, the entire conference has me a little freaked out.
I've been filling in my schedule though it still seems surreal I even have a
schedule. Retreats and panels and receptions and parties and dinners and
pitching and someone get me a brown paper bag!
I did get a really good idea for the pitch this morning, so
there's a slim chance I won't be panicking about this bad boy the night before.
(Ask Chance about my epic pitch break downs. She's witnessed two.)
Most of you won't be joining us this year, but everyone
experiences this sort of thing. Planning for something big. Packing for a
cruise or a cross-country drive. Heck, even planning for the day you give birth
is an exercise in not running around screaming with your hair on fire.
What do you do to
keep calm? Do you make lists? How early do you start packing? Do you have every
outfit planned in advance or do you wing it? (How do you do that???) Let's talk
prep work and planning and reducing the hyperventilating.
Labels:
Anaheim,
packing,
planning,
RWA Nationals
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Books by the Crew
24 comments:
Ter - I'm *this* close to reaching my final goal and being ready to sign up for RWA. I'm jumping in my seat right now I'm so excited to be able to join you!
Should I admit that I've already created a spreadsheet of each day of conference that shows my 1st-3rd picks of workshops, lunches and book signings? Maybe I should hold back on saying that it's color coded?
Yes, organization and preparation are how I stay calm. But also how I feed my excitement! :)
You know, Scape. If...err....when I publish, I'm going to need an assistant. LOL! Consider yourself at the top of the list of candidates! (Because you need one more job in your life, right???)
I'm going to work on the schedule today. RWA has actually created an Agenda on MyRWA that you can fill in by time and then print out. I totally thought of you when I saw that.
Shut the front door!
Oh how I wish I was already a member and signed up - a spreadsheet play toy!
I forgot to say YAY YOU'RE COMING!!! Though when I think about how much this trip is going to cost you, I cringe.
I don't fight the panic. I mean, I try to be organized, and when it comes to working cons as an author, I'm good. Swag bags planned, etc...room fills with stuff.
I'm going to Nationals sans agent, will be pitching, even signed up to moderate a panel. It will just be one step at a time. Nope, don't have my pitch together...
I'm playing ignorant. In denial.
What con?
I figure my main job is to make sure you don't drop flat from stress and exhaustion. And get you to Disneyland.
Yeah, Scape! Color coded? ;-) Shades of Orlando!
That denial is only going to get you so far, so you better come to terms now, because I am going to be a mess. LOL!
As long as I have some time slots penciled in to be a mess by myself... Will be contacting you in the next few weeks on my pitches...if I can get my brain to start working in the meantime...
I will add "Mo's personal freak out time" to my calendar. But it might be brief. :)
Most of my freaks out are brief, so that will work...
I'll be there (super close to being there) to regulate you two!
I'll allow some small freak outs and then I'll say it's time to get your shit together and take over the world. :)
Sorry, I'm off work today, so that means I don't get out of bed until the sun is almost setting again. I have the nieces, and I need to gather them up to take to Dad's for a visit. (100+ degrees again today. UGH.)
How do I keep calm? Medication. And a plan. Usually I try to plan for all occasions, or at least have an exit strategy. I love an exit strategy. I love lists; and I don't pack until the night before because I'm a consummate procrastinator. Yes, I sometimes plan outfits, but usually for the only dress up nights. The non dress up nights I would be trying to figure out how to wear shorts and flip flops and be considered professional.
Happy Friday, you all!!
I'm so jealous that you guys are going to be in CA together! :) How much fun is that going to be!?
How do I keep calm? Hmmm... well, there's the endless yoga, massages every other day, and a healthy diet of whole grains, protein, fruits and veggies.
Oh, wait, that's someone else's life.
Me? I use alcohol and chocolate.
And I would totally be planning outfits already. And handbags... and shoes.... LOL!!
Scape said: "...get your shit together and take over the world."
Chance, put that on a button!
You'd be proud of me, Hellie. I bought a pair of flip-flops last night. Purple. I can wear them under my awards dress after the big ceremony is over. Now to find a clutch big enough to carry them.
Marn - I want that life. Wait, you said veggies. Never mind.
I'm planning the outfits in my head and there will likely be more actually coordination going on tonight. Maybe even trying things on. I have one good pair of black slacks, which I'd like to wear twice. But then I think, "What if I spill something on them??" Wonder if the Marriott offers laundry service.
Of course the Marriott offers laundry service! Silly pirate!
I'm still avoiding thinking about it at all. I mean, I just got back from Denver, I'm not ready to think about my third...no, fourth, con in five months.
I ordered a dress to wear to the awards banquet yesterday, hope it fits nice when it arrives. I'll figure out a good pitch outfit and pack a few standards...
But I'm thinking a nice big bottle of rum might help me make it through the week.
OMG! You're going to pitch to St. Martins! *Runs around screaming, arms in the air like Kermit the Frog.* I'm so excited for you!
I plan the shit out of everything because I'm naturally very anxious. Lately, though I'm thinking the correct response might be copious amounts of pot. Kidding, sort of. Wasn't enough of a wild child to do it as a teen...but I've got friends, young and old, who still partake. There are days when I seriously consider calling them and asking if they can hook me up. ;)
LOL! I made this appointment before signing with the agent and when I asked her about canceling my pitches (I so wanted to never pitch again!) she asked who they were with and for the St. Martin's one, she said, "We're keeping that one."
I'd take you up on the partaking idea, but I'm severely allergic to smoke. Even someone holding a cigarette out the window of the car next to me at a light bothers me. So I'm thinking that would just kill me.
There's still time for you to sign up and drive over!
Well. There's always "special" brownies. Chocolate plus dope = winning!
No cons this year but next year, for sure, I'm going to at least one.
Speaking of other conferences - is anyone going to the Emerald City Writers Con or Moonlight & Magnolias this year?
Funny brownies...I wonder if they would work.
Yeah, until her agent opened her big mouth she was gonna give that St. Martina pitch to me.
Dumb agent.
How could I forget the brownies?!
Sorry, Scape. Nationals is wiping me out. I'm practically hawking an internal organ to get there.
Don't call my agent dumb! Thems fightin' words.
All this time I thought RWR had closed down. Nothing updated on my Google Reader. I got to thinking of you, Terri, and decided to call up the blog manually--and here you are.
I'm loading it back on reader and see if it takes. :)
Congrats on pitching. I know you'll do great!
Hey there, Maria! We moved over to Blogger a few months ago and it was a pain. I'm sure that messed up all the RSS stuff. Never imagined people just stopped getting our blogs. That explains a lot.
I'm flattered you thought of me and happy to have you back with us. Not sure about doing great with the pitch, but then the one that landed me my agent was a train wreck. So you just never know.
Post a Comment