In Case You Missed It: Literary Orange 2014, Part 8

What: Literary Orange
Where: Marriott, Irvine
When: Friday, April 5, 2014

Final Thoughts

How wide, how deep the pool of writers, how small I feel in the middle of it...

There are less tiny oranges in the glass squares than there were this morning.  I notice this as I pass by the tables on my way back to the parking lot and smile to think of people eating them throughout the day.

As the elation of the event wears off, I find myself feeling incredibly humbled and a little depressed.  Are these strange emotions to have?  But I do have them.  Because I compare myself to the authors I've seen--these talented, articulate women, all with agents, most with several books to their name... and I've never even heard of them until I came to this conference.

How wide, how deep the pool of writers, how small I feel in the middle of it, with my weak voice, and my imperfect, unpublished manuscripts.  It's such a long, uphill climb.

Plus, I've got 12--count 'em, 12--pages of notes to convert into something intelligible, and that too is a long, uphill climb.  What was I thinking, agreeing to blog about this conference?  I have one week, maybe two, to try to capture, in my own words, the essence of Literary Orange.

Impossible!

But I have to try.  I open my green spiral notebook (already it looks worn and fatigued), squint at my lead scribbles, and begin my chronicle.

THE END