I am a writer. Imagination is my garden. I pluck succulent images from it and wrap them in sensual words for readers to savor. If I do it well, they experience things they might not otherwise experience. Hopefully, they are satisfied but at the same time, hungry for more of my fruits.
Where, then, do I seek sustenance? What feeds me as a writer?
This past weekend, it was the
La Jolla Writers Conference. I will be rolling its many flavors around on my tongue for quite some time. No other conference or convention provides such a comprehensive menu.
The
Romantic Times BOOKLOVERS Convention is a promo salad and raucous party dessert.
EPICon is an appetizer of craft followed by an e-publishing buffet.
But the
La Jolla Writers Conference is a full-spread banquet prepared by some of the top word chefs in the world from a wide variety of cuisines. Wildly successful authors of many genres, publicists, screenwriters, editors, agents, booksellers all add their specialties to create a feast of art and craft. Then, they sit at the table and chow down with you.
They share their favorite recipes as well as taste your fare and offer constructive advice on how to improve your cooking or presentation. There is more food than any one author, no matter how big her creative appetite, can consume in one weekend.
Decisions on which dish to sample are downright agonizing. There is no way to stop, even when full to the point of bursting with fresh ideas. You simply must keep eating, stuffing everything you can possibly fit into your mind-mouth.
I'm home now, trying to digest everything I ate. I feel both gluttonously full... and ravenously hungry. Going through my notes (sparse, because I was too involved in the interactive meals to put pen to paper), I am overwhelmed and empowered. It's beyond invigorating. I can't wait to do it again next year!
...
.jpg)
