My First Writer's Conference, Part Four: That's What Friends Are For

This is my last little reflection on my first writer's conference, and it’s shameful that it's taken me this many segments to get to the heart of the matter, which is that it's the people and the community that make a conference worthwhile.

I met some really incredible people in Pittsburgh. I'm a fairly shy person in general, but there was something about being among other writers that made it easier to get out there and introduce myself. In the end, I connected with people from a wide variety of genres and found that so many of the processes we go through are universal. There's a drive within writers that gets us through all of the doubt and the fear. And there is so much creativity and talent out there. It's absolutely staggering.

Whether it's the girls I went out to dinner with (and had a fabulous time with), or the random person I talked to in a session for two minutes, or the workshop presenter I didn't even get to introduce myself to – the people were what made the experience what it was. They're the reason I went home buzzing with excitement and renewed in my resolve to pursue this career and to make things happen for myself.

How about you? What amazing people have you met because of your involvement in a writing community?