Blogging From a Hotel

I am blogging on a laptop in a hotel. I feel so "Neil Gaiman" right now! It would be better if I was simultaneously blogging, writing a new novel, and revising a script for a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion special (that's sort of my Dr. Who, you know?), but oh well. I will have to settle for JUST blogging at the moment.

Where to begin? Let's make a list that is in no way organized but will instead, provide the illusion of order and organization. Shall we?

We shall.

1. Everyone at Bread Loaf insisted I was friendly and outgoing. A woman from my workshop (one of my many new friends!) even insisted that I couldn't be a writer because I was too happy. Ha! On the advice of my mother, I generally let people think this if they want to. But you, Reader, know many of my secrets, including this one. Once she reads this post, she will realize her mistake.

But for the record, I slept ALL DAY on Saturday after the conference. I mean I went to bed at 1 AM and woke up at 1 PM, got up and ate something, went back to bed, moved to the couch, slept for 2 more hours, went for a walk and ate again, and went back to bed. Pretending to be an extrovert is seriously exhausting. Fun, but exhausting.

2. In the hotel in which I am blogging, there is TV (we don't have TV at home. We have A TV but it's used for Netflix and Playstation games). Of course I couldn't resist watching some junk while my husband was at a business meeting. In the span of an hour I watched an infomercial that told me I needed special age-defying cream (the customers who used the product proudly declared their ages and most of them were only 31!!!), and another advertisement for one of those workout DVD sets that promises to give you a brand new body in 60 days.

I am a sucker for those ads. As someone with lifelong body issues, I'm enthralled by the idea of getting a body upgrade in just two months. Two months! However, after two years of reabilitating my ankle and knee, I'm just trying to be grateful for a healthy, working body. Maybe I don't really need perfectly flat abs to be happy. I mean, maybe I do, but I'm just entertaining the possibility that I don't.

3. My reading at Bread Loaf went really well! I made sure to select a short story that wouldn't distract anyone with its weird fantasy aspects--I picked a story about a woman who is haunted by her mother's ghost. Standard Magical Realism stuff. I was happy to read a story that people could understand and enjoy. I read for five minutes and my voice didn't shake. I don't think it did, anyway. And people told me afterwards they liked it. Success!

4. I know I promised you a recap of the top writing lessons I learned at Bread Loaf 2010, and it's coming. I slept through Saturday (see #1), so I couldn't write it then, and I slept through most of Sunday as well. The rest of Sunday was spent catching up on all the cleaning and grocery shopping that did not get done while I was gone and had our one car with me on the mountain. I still want to review my notes first, to make sure I don't leave anything out. I should post it sometime this week.

5. Does anyone know where my husband is? Because I am starving! If you see him, could you let him know? Thanks.