The Girl Who Cried "Turtle."

I went to a writing retreat sponsored by the Southern Magic RWA Chapter at a lake house this past weekend.  Not only did I have a fabulous time with new and old writing peeps, I learned a great deal about myself and my writing abilities in the process.

There are no Marquess of Queensbury rules.

1. While I don't like being lost, and not being able to locate GPS on my smart phone, I was especially pleased to have Mary Freeman aboard who kept me calm as we traveled through unknown waters.

2. Sadly, I'm compassionate nearly to the detriment of my safety and others, at times.

Tip: When there's a turtle in the road, don't yell "Turtle" then swerve to avoid hitting said turtle, nearly flipping the car off the road.  Hit the poor dear, if necessary.  Reflexes aside, we survived nearly going up on two tires and I found myself promising my navigator, (cue Cap'n Jack) "Did you see that, bird?  Because you won't be seeing it again."

What happens when networking writers meet the dead zone?

3. Isolation from pinterest, twitter, facebook, e-mail, and LinkedIn makes me edgy.  But without distractions, I found out I could write up to 5,321 words in 24 hours!  Woot!  Let's hope I WILL be seeing that again.  ;)

4. Writing 14 hours straight and sleeping 4-5 hours for two nights drains the brains.  It's a good thing I have a compass pointing to what I want most to help me get through the day.  I shutter to think where I would be without it.

5. Who knew getting ready to write The End again would be the best feeling in the world?  It's like I've just won the Superbowl or something.  (Where are you going to go, Kathy?  Bring me that horizon.  Da da daaa... and really bad eggs!)

Retreat - no interruptions + Finishing a book = priceless.

Oh!  And did I mention I won the top prize for most words written?

Going to a writing retreat this past weekend made all the difference in the world to me. Have you cried "turtle?"  What kinds of treats do you favor?

Swim Like Nobody's Business

Once I had the privilage of hearing Nora Roberts speak at a conference.  This past Sunday, my pastor preached about something similiar to what Nora had to say back then about swimming pools.  Both topics resonated with me in a profound way, especially since we just took our pool cover off.  And so, I got to pondering, like I always do, about Nora's speech, my pastor's sermon, swimming pools, my life and where I see myself yesterday, today and tomorrow.

First, before you jump into a pool, make sure there's plenty of water!

Second, now that your pool is full, DIVE or JUMP into the water!  That's the first step in bringing your dreams to life. 

Can't swim?  Invest in a buoy or an innertube.  Be careful, intertubes have a tendency to spin you round and round until you're so dizzy you don't know where the deep end is.  Want a body-length float to ease your weary bones and take in some sun, complete with drink cozy?  Be careful not to get so comfortable you fall asleep and drift off course.

How does someone achieve their dreams in a swimming pool metaphor?  As Nora says, you must JUMP in and paddle yourself to the other side or chance getting nowhere fast.  You can tread water, doggie paddle, or swim like a fish, whichever methods you choose.  But first, you have to get into the pool and then, you must move forward.  Nevermind the pool can be a scary place, especially when it's filled with other writers trying not to drown, kicking and slapping the surface to reach the other side.  Magnify that image by thousands and you've got a tsunami headed near you.

So how can you swim the vast pool without losing sight of your goals?

Rule #1: JUMP in the water. 

You can slide in, JUMP in or step down the ladder one run at a time, but you MUST be in the water at some point.  Forty feet of water or more rests between you and your goal - the deep end.  Some writers never make it.  Fear overwhelms them and makes them sink like a rock.  Fear of failure, of success cramps others calves.  Whatever your fears, whatever obsticles you face, don't EVER give up!  The deep end of a pool shouldn't be feared.  In it's depths can be found strength, endurance, and gumption to survive when life-guards have been called and all others have turned around and gone back to the shallow end in order to stand on their feet. 

Rule #2: TRUST your limbs, your intuition, your talent, your ability to make it to the other side. 

Within each of us is a dream, a goal the Creator has nourished for a purpose.  If we give in to exhaustion.  If we call out for a buoy.  If we turn back before reaching the other side, we cheat ourselves and will never know what could have been.

Rule #3: Never lose sight of your TARGET goal.

When you're in the pool, focus on what you believe, what you know, the goal that's worth swimming your butt off for.  Winston Churchill said, "Never give up!"  Don't watch the other swimmers or compare yourself.  That's a waste of time.  Some flail about like drowning rats, clawing in a panic to use you to keep them afloat.  Some prefer to dunk you under the water when you get too close,rather than see you succeed.  And then there are those - I love these the most! - who cheer you on from the sidelines, and even within the pool itself, urging you to stroke, stroke, stroke the water until you grasp onto the opposite edge in rapturous glee.  It is there and only there, success, like a waterfall, soothes with ten-thousand delights.

If you jumped into the water late last year, entered the Golden Heart and finaled, you're enjoying the cooling effects of that waterfall now.  If you didn't final, like me, take heart.  We jumped in the water when so many others didn't.  We kicked our feet and swam with the best as far as we could go.  We didn't turn back.  Remember, the prize isn't a contest final.  The prize is the ultimate goal - the deep end.  We reached it simply by submitting our manuscripts for the contest.

Rule #4: Swim like nobody's business!

Share your sink or swim stories with us today.

Give A Little

I was thinking yesterday about how many people enrich my life.  Of course, this led to wondering if I do anything that makes life better for others.  The obvious answer here is that, as an elementary school teacher, I enrich the lives of some children.  I even had a child tell me a few weeks ago that I was a "Precious Light from Heaven." 

This was very sweet but also sort of  made me wonder about the teachers in her previous experience because I run a pretty tough classroom this time of year.  But hey, I will take the love where I find it. 

I also thought about the professional organizations that I am in with other writers.  I have had the wonderful opportunity this past year to give back to the Romance Writers of America by serving on a national committee and helping shape the future leaders of our organization.  I have gotten to work along side of some great folks who have taught me a lot. I have been an officer in my local writers' group, Heart of Dixie, and have been able to be a part of many fun tasks such as planning programs and re-working the chapter by-laws and the policies and procedures manual.  I think we have worked to help our chapter grow and adapt to whatever changes the future holds. 

I thought about the volunteer work that I do at my church and in my community.  I pitch in to help with youth events, children's events, and tutor in the community.

I think this sort of thing makes our world a better place. But was I really helping others or  just selfishly trying to make sure that my world is as nice as I can make it?  And that is when I realized that at each  place where that I give a little of myself that there are always many other people whose gift is enriching my life!

I think that giving back to our world is an important element of being happy and content.  Do you agree?  If so, how do you give back to the people or groups in your life?

Stick To The Code or Get Swabbed

RWA conference was such a blast! Special thanks to the staff of Romance Writers of America for putting on such a uber awesome weeklong writer fest, and a hearty thank you to The Guy for watching over the blog while Jean, Stephanie, and I were gone. ;)

Getting ready for conference is always a whirlwind affair. Of course, the ever needed packing list comes into play. You can always find a great one listed in the archives of The Writing Playground. Once an attendee prepares/purchases his/her wardrobe, pitches are readied, and bags are packed and loaded into the car for a quick, or long ride to the airport. Expectations abound and hearts begin to race. Bags are checked, tickets approved, and the scanners and tuperware bins, though a tedious affair, remind the eager traveler that the journey is underway.

I adore airport personel who monitor the scanners and screens that x-ray our belongings, and our bodies, ensuring that we arrive safely to our destinations. I'm just as eager as the next person to get through the line and to my gate. What I never expect to get is swabbed. Yes, my deck got swabbed.

Who would have known that after walking through scanners for almost all my airline travels to date, I would be taken out of line, told to extend my hands and get swabbed. Arrr! The ironic part is, though there was something detected on my hands, I had just washed them before coming out of the bathroom and getting into line. Powdery substance on hands after washing them? Who knew? (Notice I do not claim 'pirate' here. That would be very bad timing. ;)

Being a good sport and not wanting to hang from Tilbury Point until I rot, I stepped where I was told to go and offered my belongings for a thorough swabbing. The inspectors rose to the task.

"Would you prefer that we did this in an enclosed room," they asked.

Having nothing to hide, I exclaimed, "You can check anything you want to right here."

Jean and Stephanie's eyes were as big as full moons, and just as white as they waited for me off to the side. I could see the questions riddling their minds... "She's got our pens for the Goody Room. How will we get them back?" "Are we going to make our flight?"

I directed the last question to my airline operatives. A man continued to swab my backpack and carry-on. Two women stood nearby, prepared to take me into the room for further inspection. As I was guided into the room, I reached out to Jean and Stephanie psychically, pleading for them not to stick to the code. (It's more like guidelines anyway.)

Luckily, the two airline operatives were very nice and did their jobs while helping me maintain my dignity fully-clothed. Thank you, swabbettes!

As I stepped out of that room, bless their hearts (and I do mean this in the best possible way, not the way listed on one of Jean's lists), Jean and Stephanie were waiting for me with open arms. Like Joshamee Gibbs, they had used the code as a guideline and were prepared to redirect their journey, if need be, with me aboard. After all that, thank goodness, we were able to meet our gate on time and didn't have to deal with rescheduling issues. :D

Our direct flight with Delta was fantastic. We had the best stewardess you could ever ask for. And after my initial swabbing, I can assure you her eagerness to please was greatly appreciated.

I'll post more about our trip through the next few weeks. But today I want to know, what is your crazy travel story?

My Handy Dandy Conference Scheduler

I just got back from a wonderful trip to the beach. Gulf Shores in southern Alabama was fantastic! The beaches were beautiful this year, the weather was glorious and oh! how I basked in the sun, taking in all the sunshine I could get! There is something about the rhythmic soothing sound of waves, a cooling breeze fluttering a beach umbrella above your head, and a good book, like Lynn Raye Harris' BEHIND THE PALACE WALLS. (If you haven't read it yet, run, don't walk to your nearest bookstore!)

But as with every vacation, the relaxation and laziness must end. So it is that I've returned home, switching my attention to the main event that fills every romance writer with expectant bliss (expecially this one), RWA Conference.

Conference is coming almost a month early this year. I'm sure the date change has everyone running hither and yon. There is so much to do to get ready, packing lists to make, clothing to sort or buy, shoes (the ever incredible staple of life) to match those outfits day and night, shopping for practical things and most of all, referring to my Handy Dandy Conference Spreadsheet to keep me on task.

Yes, I know RWA has a really good agenda page up this year and I'm using it too, but I couldn't help plugging my spreadsheet. For me, there is something very linear about gazing upon the color-coordinated phases and blocked days that helps me figure out where I need to be when. At a glance, I'm able to tell what time an event begins, what that event is, and if there will be a conflict with any of the workshops I've chosen to attend. And, because I know spur of the moment ideas creep into my head, I've also got space for 3 choices of workshops. This always keeps me on task because if I find I really don't need one particular workshop, I can simply look at my spreadsheet and see where else I need to be at that time.

If I want to attend a booksigning or a spotlight on a particular publishing house, that information is on my spreadsheet too. If you'd like to use my spreadsheet at conference this year, I'm more than happy to share it with you. Everything is in Excel. Adjusting the spreadsheet can be easily done by copying the cells in one row and then pasting those copied cells into the right place. After that, you can adjust the typing, add your event, and so forth.

Send me a request at: kathybone@aol.com and I'll make sure you get a copy.

What tips do you have for going to conference or taking a trip to NYC?

Do the Clothes Make the Woman?

I am in the middle of getting ready for the national conference of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) and I am thinking a lot about what type of clothes to wear to different activities and events.  Our local chapter of RWA is know as the "Shoe Chapter", so there is also some pressure in that department.  I have actually had people in the elevator see on my name tag that I am a member of the Heart of Dixie chapter and look down to see what shoes I am wearing.  Luckily for me, I love shoes so this isn't a problem but I digress.

As I was working on my packing list yesterday, I really gave some serious thought to what I need to wear.  Of course, business casual is what everyone always says but how much business and how much casual?.  This year I have more business than casual because I have some "official" stuff to do two days, and on another day Pantster and I will be pitching our book to editors.  I guess I still think that there is some sort of magical outfit and if I wear it, everyone will love me and I will sell a book.

Of course, we know there are no magic clothes but often the clothing we choose does inspire confidence, is almost magical.

Do you have a favorite outfit or article of clothing that makes you feel confident and special?