Pikes Peak Writers' Conference...

You know how it feels when you've actually completed a major writing project that you love? Or what it feels like when you've finished a really good book? This whole weekend was filled with the sense of "I can do this." Maybe not, "I can make a living off this and quit my job in six weeks" but "I can do this." ...And now I have to come back to the daily slog. Except Ray has the day off, and I'm working from home, so I get to hang onto it for just a little longer.

To Sum Up:

A professional business writer's conference with a good focus on genre, rather than purely literary, fiction. Let me caveat here that by genre, I mean anything that could be marketed as other than purely mainstream fiction (although that was included). This includes the "standard" genres of horror, SF/F, and mystery as well as thrillers and Christian/inspirational fiction.

Recommend for beginning writers as well as those looking to move in a professional direction.

Included info on several formats, including comics and screenwriting.

Did not include anything on paying bills by doing freelancing. People were not as knowledgeable about online publishing as I would have liked, although several (including one of the agents) did mention the advantages of blogging/webcomics.

It really is a business conference. The venue was nice if gastronomically bland. Fifty percent of the not-insignificant overall benefit was in schmoozing with other people in the business. I found other people that I work with but haven't met who do SF/F (big place), and I'm planning to bug them then I get back to my address book at work, and several people I don't work with that share my sense of humor and I can't wait to get stuff from them to read. I met agents. I...have networked!