Off To RWA National

In 24 hours I'll be getting on a plane headed to Dallas. At our chapter meeting we discussed the cost of this trip. Give or take a few things, those of us flying from the west coast to Texas are probably putting out $2,000. I sat back a moment. Wow, can I afford this money? Am I worth it? But, stop!! Those are the old me thoughts. Yes, I had to put away money here and there to save that amount, but it is all saved and ready to go. Yes, I'm worth it. This is an opportunity you can't put a price tag on. The friendships made, lessons learned, and networking done are priceless.

As writers we spend so much time alone with just the characters in our heads and putting them on paper. We need time to recharge, to replenish the well of inspiration, to form bands of comraderie to get us through the writers block, dry spells, and frustration of thinking we aren't writing good enough. We are too close to our work. We need to build bridges to other writers with fresh eyes to tell us if we are going in the right direction, if we have a plot hole, or we are good to go, just keep writing.

So, I go to refresh, to be rejuvenated, to see old friends, and make new. I go because I need to be a part of the writing world. I write; therefore, I go.

Jill James, president