Failure to Meet Expectations

The title of this post came to me for two reasons:

1. I know you were expecting Erica today, but instead you get me. Sorry 'bout that, but Erica and I decided to swap days this week because I was ready to post and she wasn't. (Of course, then it took me until mid-afternoon to get around to it, so maybe I wasn't that ready after all!)

2. The RWA conference totally failed to live up to every one of my expectations. And in the most spectacular, wonderful way possible.

Obviously, I'm not going to spend the rest of the blog talking about the first one. Those of you who clicked over here for Erica's wisdom and insights are just going to have to suck it up and wait for tomorrow :>!

But on the second one...ah, lots of fodder!

Before I can explain why I was so surprised, I probably have to explain what I expected before I got there. And I'm honestly not completely sure I can articulate (especially not on the little sleep I've had this week), but I know I didn't expect to walk away with such ebullience and optimism about how we are all going to be published if only we'll never, ever give up.

A big part of the reason I expected a "downer" was probably because I'd gotten some very disheartening contest feedback right before I left on my family vacation at the end of June (check out my blog for some photos of our trip). I didn't really have time to digest that information nor to do anything about it before I left, but I was really feeling that I'd spent a lot of time writing a book that was just never, ever going to work. (And that still might be true, but I digress...)

Anyway, the point of that information is that I figured going to the conference would just convince me even further that I'm a talentless hack who'll never sell anything beyond my one, tiny novellla which was obviously just a fluke. Because, after all, I was going to a place where at least 1,200 other authors and aspiring authors would be, vying for the very few and very coveted slots that publishers have to offer. How could that be anything but a competitive and depressing environment? Yes, the Mavens would be there to keep my chin up and I was looking forward to spending time with them, but I wasn't looking much beyond that for a positive experience.

Needless to say, my expectations were entirely controverted. To a person (and I don't say "to a woman" because a few of the writers as well as industry professionals in attendance were men), everyone I met was friendly, encouraging, and supportive. Even (get this) the industry professionals made me feel positive and hopeful about pursuing publication, and I figured they'd be the first ones to slap us all down by pointing out just how poor the odds for succeeding actuaally are. None of them did. Instead, they all emphasized over and over again that it's mostly a matter of finding the right person who'll love and fight for your story, more about timing and perseverance than about luck. And whether they were just saying that to be nice or not doesn't matter, because I believed them!

The other thing that struck me was just how many of the writers I met turned out to be published. I'd guess that at least a third or maybe even three-fifths of the authors I met were wearing the red "PAN" badges. Maybe that should have depressed me. After all, if there are thaat many published authors, how can there be room left for the unwashed and unpublished folks like me? But somehow, I had the opposite reaction. Look how many people are published! Maybe it's not quite as impossible as it somehow seems when I can go to a conference like this and meet not tens of them, but hundreds of them, most of whom I've never even heard of.

I think the fact that I didn't recognize the names of the vast majority of published authors I met made me realize what a small sliver of the romance publishing industry I actually pay attention to. I didn't meet many published authors of historical romances that I'd never heard of (though I shared a bus and then a cab ride with Pamela Clare, whose Colonial-set Surrender was up for a RITA in long historical; I admit, I'd never heard of her or the book, though I plan to buy it now that I know about it), but even so, I got a warm, fuzzy feeling from the fact that so many people are published. They were first-time authors once, too, after all. Everyone who's published had to make a first sale. Had to convince an agent, an editor, or both that her work was worth taking a chance on. And so many of them did, it boggles my mind a little!

So it's not impossible, my friends. Difficult as hell, yes. But not such a long-shot as to be wholly outside the realm of possibility. And I have to admit, before the conference, I was leaning toward the "beyond the realm of possibility" side of the equation.

Of course, I also had a blast because I spent most of my time with the Mavens (and this was actually the first time I've met Erica in person, and she's every bit as much fun in real life as she is online!) and a whole bunch of other folks I've known only online since Avon's FanLit contest last year but had never met in person. I hope nobody takes the order of the following list as significant in any way, because it's not, but I so enjoyed hanging out with Beverley, TessaD, Courtney, India, Sara, Santa (who doesn't seem to have a blog or website!), Chris, Cynthia, Amanda (of Romance Vagabonds), and J. Perry Stone (who I'm not sure was a FanLitter but I know I've run into at Squawk and elsewhere online). I also had a ton of fun on Saturday night with some of Lacey's friends from last year's conference, including Shannon Greenland, Tara Greenbaum, and Delilah Ahrendt (who was up for a Golden Heart in long historical this year) and her husband. So much fun, in fact, that I darned near forgot to go to bed (and when I did, failed to sleep!).

Meeting Tessa Woodward and Esi Sogah from Avon after the Golden Heart and RITA ceremony was also quite a kick. Turns out, they're just real people like the rest of us ;->.

So, all in all, it was just a fabulous experience. There's still lots more industry dish and insight to share, but I'm way too exhausted at this point to ananlyze much of anything past the fun parts and the amazing amount of joy and support I felt. I was surrounded by a bunch of people who love romance--reading it and writing it. And that, my friends, is what's priceless!

YOUR TURN: Did you make it to Dallas? What did you come away with? What was your best (or worst) moment? (And no, Darcy, this doesn't mean you get to tell the cockroach story a second time!) And if you didn't make it, have I convinced you to come hang out in San Francisco with us next year?