[ busy work . . . the award ceremony . . . goodbye ]
October 5, 1998
6:20 a.m.
In the end, I've got to say that the WotF thing is not a bad gig. Saturday was a strange one all around, though. There was supposed to be brunch, then the award ceremony rehearsal, then a bunch of free time, then the awards ceremony. Instead, there was brunch, and waiting for the rehearsal as it got postponed and postponed, seeming each time being another 15-30 minutes at a time. This, of course, was just enough time to get bored but not enough time to really go do anything else. The ceremony itself was pretty incredible. Everyone in Tuxes and evening dress. Heartfelt acceptance speaches by folks who I know were really nervous about the concept of speaking before crowds. Photos. Many photos. Signing books. I even did a quickie interview, which was--I guess--kinda cool.   I sat in the lobby for the last hour of the trip, talking to a couple of the workshoppers and saying goodbye to people as they filtered down. It was a quiet, low key end that was filled with silly story plots and talks about our futures. I think seven people turned in more than one story by the end of the week, so if that's an indicator I think we'll be a productive lot. Personally, my goal coming into the week was to write a pair of stories. By Thursday, I had written eight, and I had my eye on double digits. But then came the events. Still, as Brian Wightman so eloquently stated it Saturday night (as he picked up his gold award), "I'll take it." On the plane ride back, I settled in and began reading the book. I had a total blast getting into stories by these people, smiling at the little stories and insecurities I've heard in the past few days. I'm not done, yet. But I think it's a solid book. So, now it's back to work. Time to move files back and forth from machine to machine. Brush up drafts. Put stuff in the mail. Eat dinner with Lisa. Tell Brigid bedtime stories. Exist on more than 3-4 hours of sleep a night. In otherwords, get to it. Despite it all, it's very good to be back.  Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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 Writers of the Future issue VIII |
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