Thursday, August 03, 2006

What I Learned on My Summer Vacation

1. A cut that appears not to be life-threatening should probably be seen by a doctor if still seeping blood the next day.

2. In the perfect words of SEP, "You don't have to write a perfect book. Write a compelling book."

3. A mother's heart can break at the sound of a crying child she'd can't hold and console.

4. A daddy can make them both feel better.

5. Getting old sucks. I can no longer stay up until the wee hours of the morning and still be able to function the next day.

6. Naps are good and trump almost anything besides an appointment with your dream editor.

7. Six women in two rooms can make a huge mess.

8. Six women in one suburban can pack in a hell of a lot of luggage.

9. Everyone stumbles on the sidewalk of success. The great ones get back up, dust themselves off and keep chugging.

10. There's more to the care and feeding of the big black moment than just opening up a gaping hole of disaster and watching your characters fall in.

11. I can speak in front of a ballroom full of people and not disgrace myself. I count it as practice for future endeavors.

12. I still have a few moves left for the dance floor. They aren't as good as they used to be... But then neither am I.

13. Red is my color. Many people told me so.

14. My hair, while normally flat, can be teased to add about four inches to my height.

15. I'm perfectly happy at my normal height.

16. Hair disasters can bond.

17. Piling your hair on top of your head can make you look inebriated in pictures.

18. Gayle Wilson has wonderful comedic timing and a stage presence that would make any actress proud.

19. I need to seriously study structure and perhaps spend a tiny bit of time plotting my books before I begin to write them.

20. Each conference I learn something new about myself, my writing, my friends and the industry. Every penny, moment away from my family, and lost hour of sleep was worth it.

When can we do it again?

Tell me what you learned on your summer vacation.

Instigator

8 comments:

Problem Child said...

Are you saying my hair made me look drunk?!?

PC

Playground Monitor said...

1. Six women can cover almost any contingency. Didn't we handle everything?

2. Once a year I can stay out later than my younger roommates *g* and still function the next day, powered solely by adrenaline. But boy oh boy do I pay for it when I get home and the adrenaline is gone.

3. I love my new smile. I know, it sounds so vain. But I look at the photos of me and remember that I didn't smile much while I had the braces on.

4. So much of writing is gut instinct.

5. It's all about the characters. No matter how thrilling your plot, how exotic your setting, if the reader doesn't care about the characters the plot and setting won't matter.

6. The South has risen! Southern fiction is hot, hot, hot!

7. There's a lot more to sexual tension than simply not letting the hero and heroine have sex until page 150.

8. I too can speak in front of a group of people and not panic. I wasn't in a ballroom, but a small meeting room with about 75 people. But I did it. Of course, I may re-evaluate that statement when I hear myself on the conference CD's.

9. I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was.

10. Gayle Wilson has wonderful comedic timing and a stage presence that would make any actress proud.

Marilyn

Kira Sinclair - AKA Instigator said...

Nope, I was talking about my hair at the eHarl party :-) DH took one look at the picture on the blog and asked if I was drunk.

Instigator

Andrea Laurence AKA Smarty Pants said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Andrea Laurence AKA Smarty Pants said...

1. Even if you make a list, you can forget stuff if it wasn't on the list to begin with.

2. Great shoes and jewelry are one of the best conversation starters. Every woman wants to hear 'those shoes are SO cute!'

3. Even if you bypass the ER in favor of the Aquarium, the ER has much later hours and you can always go AFTER...

4. It's all about the Manolos.

5. Hanging out a sign that says "free books" is just asking for trouble. It will be a blood bath and even the sweetest of people will knock you down to get what they need.

6. The cargo weight limit on a suburban is just a suggestion.

7. In a sea of 2000 people, you'll see the same 50 faces over and over again.

Katherine Bone said...

1. Hold the handrail as you are getting into the pool. Or else you'll end up sitting on one cheek until the bruising fades.

2. Wear gloves when cleaning the shower so you can deprive others of thinking you tried to slit your wrist.

3. Need luggage space? No problem. Where there is a will, there is a way. :-)

4. I like to help people but sometimes when I'm not looking, I trip them up. :-(

5. I like the look of success and am doubly inspired now to achieve it.

6. The greatest friends are mommies, those with medicinal skills and a vast talent for cosmotology. And those who are constantly watching your back.

7. No matter how old your kids get, you will never be able to put aside your maternal instincts.

Kathy

Angel said...

I agree with most everything already covered, but:

1. Husbands ARE capable of dealing with unexpected issues without our help.

2. You'll miss your children desperately while you are gone, then wonder why after you get back.

3. I am capable of driving in Atlanta, as long as I have Kathy as a navigator.

4. It isn't necessary to see out the back of a suburban while driving, if that's what it takes to get the luggage to fit.

5. A smile will smooth over most situations and introduce you to the unlikeliest of people.

6. Volunteering to be anything but a moderator at Nationals means working you butt off, but it is totally worth it for the people you get to meet.

7. Bond a group of women together, and they will defend one of the group with ferocity when provoked.

8. There's nothing like a road trip with the girls!!!! Can't wait until the next one.

Lucy said...

I'll have to come back with more things I think of later but the first thing I learned was...Burger King does not sell alcohol. (Go figure)