By: Dawn Sooy – GLVWG Conference Chair
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Another year, another conference for the Writers Group has ended. I think back to the beginning of 2017 when the committee started making plans for the keynote, presenters, agents, and all of the odds and ends necessary. Remember the moving staircases in the Harry Potter movies? This is the best analogy I can think of that’s close to the ‘behind the scenes.’ Someone once told me “there are so many moving parts to the conference, it’s hard for one person to know them all.” After spending a year as chairperson, I wholeheartedly agree.
For the first few months, I drove the team crazy insisting no one would show. But then, registration opened in December and people signed up. I was giddy when the emails would appear in my inbox indicating so-and-so choose to attend.
But, as the fates have it, we began our conference with a ‘Noreaster the day before it started. The picture donated by Jon Gibbs was taken Wednesday afternoon, and it looks like the outside chairs have nice, fluffy, white cushions, eight inches thick.
When I contacted our keynote, Bob Mayer on Tuesday afternoon, I was so relieved to hear him say, he was already en route and would make it to the hotel by that evening. Phew, I’m happy he had the foresight to start earlier than Wednesday.
I woke at 9:30 AM, and we already had three inches outside the door. I shrieked to my husband, “I thought it wasn’t supposed to start until Noon!”.
“No, that’s when the heavy snow starts.”
Two cups of coffee later, showered and dressed, my husband helped me get the Escape packed so I could be on my way to the hotel.
As I drove on Route 22, (I hate this road with a passion), traffic was minimal, and only one driver had me shaking my head, as s/he decided to ride my bumper. Oh, and the car was white, and snow covered both headlights. That was my only adventure for the drive.
The Thursday and Friday sessions were well-presented, and the evenings capped with events such as a Writer’s Café, Page Cuts, a presentation on Pinterest, and finally the “Meet and Greet” as I like to call it. Peggy’s reflections on 24 years of the club had excellent points of interest, and Samuel Clemmens stopped by to regale a story.
As I sit in my “comfort” chair, I think about the conference, and I’d like to say, “Gang, we did it. We put our heads together, worked very hard, and held a conference where folks gave us a multitude of compliments.”
The surveys people filled out are on my list to read through them and note what the attendees have to say. I take this information seriously.
So, now that the snow has mostly melted, my feet no longer hurt, I’m not so tired I could sleep on the floor. To emulate the scene from the movie “Elf”, where the team cheers after another successful Christmas delivery, they immediately begin the process of preparing for the next season.
Oh, I’ve decided to offer my services as conference chair for 2019. See you next year at the 2019 GLVWG Write Stuff Writers Conference™.
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Dawn Sooy is a multitasker with the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group, fulfilling the duties of Secretary and Conference Chair for the 2018 GLVWG Write Stuff Conference™.
A native of Eastern Pennsylvania, and too full of energy to even consider a rocking chair, Dawn published six short stories, the most recent, “Love Knows No Boundaries,” featured in the 2016 GLVWG anthology, Write Here – Write Now. She is currently working on a full-length novel titled, “From The Darkness,” scheduled for publication in early 2018, with plans to publish a horror anthology later in the year.
You can find Dawn on her Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/DawnMSooyAuthor/
Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group 