Tuesday, July 29, 2008

July 29, 2008

Well somewhere on the West Coast thousands of romance writers are descending upon a hotel in San Francisco. Anyone else feeling left out? Instead of talking about the great workshops, support, and all around fun we're missing let's focus on what we're not missing:

No traveling across the country means no lost luggage, poor customer service, delayed or cancelled flights and all the headaches that come from traveling by plane.

You would have drove? I guess you haven't seen gas prices. EEK!

There isn't a hotel around that can hold that many women (yes I know there are some men but the majority are women) and keep them all happy. I'm all for not being a part of that crowd this year.

Let's talk about all those books! Yes getting the free books is great until you have to get them home. If you're traveling by air, its going to cost you a fortune. With airlines charging over $25 for extra luggage and overweight luggage, your free books just became pretty pricey. Shipping them won't cost much less unfortuantely.

Its great to be in all these cities like San Francisco, but honestly, the last two RWA conferences I attended could have been anywhere in the world. I never got to leave the hotel - not for one hour, not at all. Yes some of my friends went a day or two early to sightsee but who has money for another night at the hotel.

Why do all these conferences take place at hotels that cost so much? Yes I know they need to do it right and have it somewhere that can hold us, but I"m all for beer and pop and a $50 a night room.

Your critique partners are gone? Your writing buddies aren't on AIM this week? Good, maybe you can actually do something different like, you know, WRITE!

Not going to conference means you didn't have to make any decisions about which workshops to attend and which ones you could skip. No sitting through a boring one knowing the one you didn't choose was probably amazig.

No coming home after an exhausting week away (which your husband insists was a vacation) and having to do all the household chores that "somehow" never got done last week when you were on "vacation".

But my biggest reason for being glad I didn't go to Nationals this year is that I can save my money to go to next year's.

Anyone else?

Rhonda

6 comments:

MJFredrick said...

I can sit around in comfortable clothes and don't have to get dressed up (although I have the BEST dress for the Ritas...)

Saving money, saving money, saving money.

Getting to sleep (I never do at conference).

Not needing to be three places at once.

Finishing my book!

aka Mickie said...

I've been to one RWA National Conference and if I never go to another one it won't bother me one bit. It was crowded, expensive, over-rated and pretentious.

MJFredrick said...

I felt the same way after my first conference, Mickie. I swore I'd never go again, but then I had an opportunity in NYC and had a blast. I could have lived without last year's conference, too, but I do love seeing my friends.

Georgiana Daniels said...

Here, here!

Unknown said...

I'm one of those that just absolutely loves national conference. I made the last two (Atlanta and Dallas) and really enjoyed myself. SF was too far away and expensive (given my hubby is in the real estate business...) but I'm starting to save to go to D.C. next year.

And I'm driving up from Atlanta so I'll have a trunkful of books when I get back!

J L said...

This is the first year I haven't gone in about 5 or 6. I just couldn't generate the enthusiasm for it, and why spend all that money (and by the time it's all said and done, it comes in for me at around $2000) when I'm not having a blast? I always leave the books behind and seldom refer back to the worksheets I get, so ...

The last 2 I went to were poorly organized with not-very-good hotels, poor food, and not much for my money. And when I came back, I felt ... depressed? Let down? Not sure how to describe it, but I felt drained of energy for writing.

I do wish I could go to see all my friends from around the country because it's the one time we all get together in one place. But most of them have said this will be the last one they go to for a while. I think I may try every other year from here on in (if that).

As it is, my two WIPs are happy I'm staying home, and so am I. For once I was here on my birthday and got to spend it with friends. And this weekend my 89-year-old mother and my older sister are coming to visit, so they'll help me and DH celebrate 23 years of officially wedded life (we were together for a few years prior to the 'real wedding'). So I'm not missing RWA National at all this year ...