N H W P

Three of us from our Thursday night writing group have signed up to attend the 2016 New Hampshire Writer’s Project, an event that will take place exactly three months from today.

Why? What’s the rush? It’s New Hampshire’s largest literary conference for one. For another, if you dally the sessions you want will be filled. And even if it is a two hour drive away from our little boony town, it’s still closer than a long long drive to an airport, a flight, and a subway or taxi or bus ride still further and arriving exhausted and out of sorts.

I would have done just that to attend the Icelandic Writer’s Conference also taking place in April, but it was too darn expensive.

I would have done just that if Jasper Fforde was at the end of the journey, but his speaking engagements are as elusive as Thursday Next’s father’s appearances.

Anyway, I got the two dozen or so conference offerings narrowed down to four and registered this morning. Something to cross off my list today, right before taking down the Christmas tree. Sigh. It’s so much fun putting it up, and so sad taking it down. I could never deal with the sight of much beloved trees littering front yards the day after Christmas. But, even if you don’t agree with my tree ethics I did cross off both items today.

For my first session I’m taking a class called ‘IN THE MIDDLE’ because I happen to be working on a middle grade short story right now. That I’ll have to be finished with the story way before the conference is of no import, really.

Second session is ‘SIGHT ON SCENE’. Sounds good. I like good scenes. I want to make mine better.

Lunch. That was as hard to decide on as the sessions but I finally went with a garden salad with yummy things on top. Also included with lunch is the opportunity to sit at a table with like-genre-minded people. I chose Fantasy. Who knows who I’ll end up eating with. Hope it’s Jasper Fforde.

Third session is about the sentence. See comment on session two, please.

Fourth and last. Short Stories. Ahh. Sounds great.

Busy day. There’s a lot going to happen in all our lives in the next three months, but the day after the conference I’ll be glad that that happened.

See you there?