Life Cycle of a Conference Goer

I realized something last night.  There is always a bit of chatter before our romance writing group settles down to write each week.  Last night, we discussed our RWA chapter’s upcoming conference.  A thought occurred to me while we were talking last night.
 
First, some backstory.  I have attended our chapter’s annual event every year since I joined, save for last year.  The first several years, I attended every workshop and wrote down nearly every word said.  I knew next to nothing about writing and was trying to absorb every bit of knowledge I could.
 
After the first few years, I still attended the workshops, but my notes, while still lengthy, were not as copious as before.  More and more of what I heard made enough sense that notes weren’t needed.  Some of it was timely reminders of things I realized I already knew.
 
Then came the years I was too busy running around helping to run the conference to attend all of the workshops.  While I regretted missed opportunities, I discovered the world didn’t end.
 
This year, I am going as a simple guest.  I anticipate much, much less stress.  Beyond that, my epiphany last night was about my purpose for going.  I primarily want to socialize and see people I haven’t seen for a year or two.  In prior years, I noticed many “old guard” writers found comfortable chairs to chat and catch up.  I guess I’m becoming part of the old guard.
 
We do have some great speakers lined up, and great agents & editors taking pitches.  I won’t ignore them.  I’ll share more thoughts on conference when I return from it in a few weeks.  Until then, I’ll focus on other topics to blog about.  I hope you’ll come back next week!