IWSG~Conferences & Seesawing Emotions

You guys...I attended my first writer's conference this past weekend. FINALLY! NESCBWI to be exact. 
(And this fella right here was my co-pilot. His name is Rufus. Yes, I named him. It's only right, being a writer and all.) 
The organizers were amazing. The workshops were incredibly insightful. And the entire conference was run so smoothly that if any hitches arose no one noticed. I even volunteered, which was really helpful in meeting other writers, and I went out to dinner on Friday night with a few other @sweet16s/@swanky17s - MonicaTesler, Ruth Lehrer, Jen Petro-Roy, Ronni Arno, Lee Gjertsen Malone, & Melissa Schorr. You really must check out these fabulous MG & YA authors. Go follow them now.
So why was my stomach in knots when I returned home?
The biggest reason I've come up with is because I went alone. And with it being my first time that made finding any sense of calm a bit more challenging. I'm kind of a pack animal, so without a pack I felt exposed. Natural, I supposed though. Then there was all the crazy talent in attendance. Seriously folks, we have some uber creativity up here in the New England states. Talk about intimidating - which made me want to hide. But then there was the only element to surpass the elevated brightness and wit of these people - their kindness, which made me all warm and fuzzy. 
You're asking yourself: so what's her insecurity? I guess it's kind of a seesawing of confidence and inferiority, how to balance that, and how to use it to fuel my writing. 
Ever struggle with this? How have you handled it?
The purpose of the IWSG is to share and encourage, posting on the first Wednesday of each month. You'll find writer doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Support and a common understanding spread throughout the group as many fellow writers can relate. Feel free to JOIN in anytime.

Muse Online Conference 2010

I've never been to a writer's conference. *hangs head, shame shadowed disgracefully* I've only been involved with one writer's group that could meet in person. I live in the freaking willywacks luscious fields with all the Fall foliage and deer prancing in the backyard, my friends.

(Really, I do. My house sits in a nice neighborhood, but our lot has a wooded area behind it. Yeah, the deer like it.)

Over the past eight months, I've had a way cool crit partner, and a few who weren't so cool ~ not that I'm any prize. :( I've become involved with awesome organizations like SCBWI and writing communities such as YAlitchat, Teenfire, and Inkwell.

But I still haven't made it to an illustrious writer's conference. I've heard about BEA and SCBWI Summer & Winter conferences. And then there was all that talk about ComicCon and God knows what else. I actually was registered for the awesomesauecesome WriteOnCon--it's initial unveiling. Yeah, life happened and I had to miss the entire week. Blah.

But guess what???? Guess, guess, guess!!

I'm FINALLY attending a conference. Yay!! Online at bat. The Muse Online Writers Conference. I hear it's been running for a few years now,  *winky* and that it's pretty sweet.

I registered like, um...forever ago. I'd almost forgotten about it until the gracious lead moderator emailed me some info and a password I guess I need to 'get in'.

Yeah, I'm thinking online is a good thing for me. At least the presenters and my other class hordes won't have to see my paling face. Hey, I can pass-out because of my skittish nerves and no one will be the wiser. *teeheeing*

So, wish me luck this week and if you don't see me around this is the reason. I'll miss you all. I have a great book review I wrote for Sourcebooks, coming out on Wednesday, and another post on Friday. We're taking another week off for our Q & A with a YA.

Have you been to a writers conference? In person or online? What was your favor element about it?