Blogger error and Madison

I tried to post an entry to let you guys know I'd be in Madison this week, but Blogger kept giving me an error message. Oh, well. So, I'm back now. And I'd forgotten how much fun I have in Madison, especially at the Writers Institute.

I arrived late on Wednesday, only missing the hotel parking garage once and having to circle back with a minor bit of angst, which is pretty good for me! The hotel--the Madison Concourse--was lovely, right next to the Capitol, which is such a beautiful building. It would have been neat to get a closer look, but I ran out of time.

After getting checked in on Wednesday, I decided to find State Street and get some ice cream. That's always my big challenge to myself whenever I go anywhere alone. My temptation is to hide in my hotel room, but I always make myself go out and eat or walk. I found a Ben and Jerry's only a couple blocks up from my hotel, so that was easy enough. I love UW-Madison and State Street, it's just like being in college again. There are always people out and about, even after dark, and you can be out there eating an ice cream cone by yourself and not have to worry. Plus, the very casual and laid back way the students dress reminds me so much of my college days, back when grunge was very hot. ; )

After the ice cream, I went back to my hotel and prepped for my session the next day and went to bed.

The shuttle to the Union on campus left the hotel at 7:30 a.m. Ugh. But I made it! I got there plenty early, dropped my books off in the bookstore and settled in with a muffin. As always there were about two hundred people attending and everyone was so nice and friendly. I love that! A few people remembered me from last year and came over to say hello. It's amazing to me how many people share this love for writing. And they have so many fascinating ideas to write about.

The keynote speaker was David Maraniss, a Pulitzer-Prize-winning author. Pretty cool, right? And he was an excellent speaker too. After he was finished speaking, we, the instructors, introduced ourselves. That always makes me nervous. It just takes me a few minutes to warm up to speaking in front of a bunch of people and by that time, the introductions are already done!

My session, Elevating Conflict, was in the first group. Talk about a tough act to follow! But I think it went pretty well. It was soooo hot, though, upstairs in the Union. Plus, when I'm talking and moving around, I tend to get even warmer.

After my session, I went out to lunch at Einstein's (where else!) with a gentleman who'd attended my session. (I don't post names here unless someone is a public figure--an author--or has given me permission). We had a fascinating conversation about the non-fiction books he's planning on writing.

After lunch, I attended a couple more sessions, including a round table where we all just got together and talked about various writing issues. J.A. Konrath was there, and he is always so much fun! And a little crazy.

Afterward, J.A., another writer and I went out for dinner and drinks. Linnea would be so proud of me--I had a Cosmo instead of a Fuzzy Navel. Though the bar where we ate didn't serve martinis evidently, so I had my Cosmo in a tumbler, which just cracked me up. My husband and I, often too lazy to drag out the fancy wine glasses for just the two of us, have had wine with dinner in tumblers. So sad!

Anyway, I'll write more about the rest of the conference as soon as I have a chance. Hopefully, tomorrow or so. I'm heading out to Peoria this afternoon to attend my dad's twenty-fifth ordination celebration. : )