I’ve been reading Neil Gaiman’s blog, and one particular entry really resonated with me. He writes:

I said to Gene Wolfe, when I finished the first draft of American Gods, that I thought I was starting to learn how to write a novel. Gene chortled, and said, “You never learn how to write a novel. You only learn how to write the novel you’re on.”

Yes. Yes. That’s so true. Sometimes the words, the storytelling, and the revision come easily. With other stories, even opening the Word document is difficult. I’m on a difficult one now. I’d love to put it behind me and switch to something else. But I’m determined to finish it and learn how to write this novella.

I’m back home again. I loved the conference and loved San Francisco. What a wonderful city! I could have spent another few weeks there and loved every minute of it. I know I will go back–probably sooner rather than later.

One of my favorite things about the annual RWA conference is the chance I get to see online friends. It’s fabulous.

I also attended a few workshops:

• Dialogue: Writing Between the Lines
• Medical Facts & Fallacies in Popular Fiction
• It’s All about Me: How to Write Successfully in First Person

I also ordered the workshops on MP-3, so I’ll be able to listen to more. I enjoy listening to them; it keeps me motivated for months after the conference. That’s always nice. There’s always so much to do at conference, so getting the MP-3 removes a lot of pressure to try and do everything.