Writers of the Future: Day 6

More and more, I’m realizing that the most important parts of an event like this aren’t the workshop sessions (though those are great), but the connections and friendships you make. Today, some of those connections included:

— Going to lunch with a group of people including Eric James Stone (a Nebula award winner) and Darci Stone (whose WotF story, Mara’s Shadow, is one of my favorites of all time, and was optioned for Hollywood)

— Doing a three-way podcast interview alongside vol. 36 winners Storm Humbert and Zack Be

— Getting to ask S.M. Stirling and Eric Flint questions about how to write alternate history (yes, that S.M. Stirling and Eric Flint)

After the workshops today, we all drove over to the Taglyan Complex, where tomorrow’s gala and awards ceremony will be held. It’s a glamorous building with a backlit ceiling of stained glass. We all found our seats for tomorrow and practiced going up on stage. Am I nervous about my acceptance speech? A little. But, as stated yesterday, I’m pretty decent at interviews and public speaking. I’m also grateful for the opportunity and excited to celebrate the successes of my fellow authors, which overshadows my anxiety. Plus, I hear the food will be superb. I have my priorities straight.

Another friendship moment happened after the rehearsal. There wasn’t enough space for me in the car taking people back, so one of the other winners, Trent Walters, gave up his seat to wait with me for another to arrive. It turned out to be a slightly longer wait that we expected, but the conversation I had with Trent during that time–about creating art, and our hopes and insecurities–was one of the most genuine and heartfelt of the week.

I’d love it if you’d watch part or all of the awards ceremony tomorrow. You can catch it at writersofthefuture.com; the whole website will convert into a livestream. The stream starts at 7pm PDT.

Have a good night!