WHC 2006, part 2

Well, with a couple of long nights of sleep under my belt I'm on my way back to normal (or, as normal as I get). The rush from WHC this past weekend had me seeking out other conventions to "get my fix." Unfortunately, WorldCon (scifi) is during the exact days the L-Mates are coming to visit, and HorrorFind is that same month and would tax my already-generously-allocated vacation time for the summer.

Sigh.

I was relieved, however, to see that a) I was not as far behind in my screenplay as I had thought and b) I still liked it. My extra motivation to get it done by the June 23 fellowship deadline is that there are a couple of fiction submission deadlines at the end of June that I just might stress myself out by trying to meet.

What's life without a little drama, right?

One of the other wonderful gifts WHC has given me is a refreshed perspective. And it couldn't have come at a better time. As the people around me have been living in crisis mode for the past few weeks, I felt myself slowly succumbing to the unnecessary and tiring stress of it all. As I've wavered about what I want to do and how I want to divide my time between job and career (writing) and playing competitive ultimate and working on home & garden renovations, I've found myself too dispirited to tackle any of it.

Now that I realize what's important (it's just a day job, writing MUST come first; ultimate will always be around without having to sacrifice every weekend and some week days; and home/garden activities should be viewed on a project basis and not some overwhelming , immediate aesthetic), I can move on with my original goals.

• Finish the screenplay and apply for the fellowship by 6/23.
• Go back to work on the collection of short stories.
• Go back to work on writing and submitting and submitting again while writing some more.

I'm not sure it gets much better than that.

WHC 2006, part 1

It's Day Two of the 2006 World Horror Convention in San Francisco and I am exhausted. The good kind of exhausted, where your head spins with ideas and your mouth won't stop grinning on its own, and you're filled with the excitement of finding just a little bit of time to get to a keyboard.

If only you weren't too tired to write. :)

Actually, I can't believe the "weekend" is half over. I've met some wonderful, welcoming writers--people who are intelligent, talented, and with an acerbic sensibility. It makes me miss my writing group--the GGs--even more than usual (particularly since I'm in our old stomping grounds). Surrounding yourself with this kind of energy can only lead to more inspiration. I only hope I can carry some of it home with me and hold onto it long enough to re-ignite my passion and drive.

This is definitely where I want to be.