This week, R is for RWA

In 1900, the population of Orlando, Florida was about 22,000.

This week, about ten percent of that number — more than TWO THOUSAND people — are going to Orlando just for the annual conference of Romance Writers of America.

If you write romance, you’ve heard of RWA.  If you’re an editor or a bookseller, you’ve heard of RWA.

As a reader, I never had. Until I got a bug in my ear about writing one of my own.  Then I started noticing, as I trolled my favorite authors’ websites, how many of them referred aspiring authors to RWA.

Having now been an RWA member for a whopping 2-1/2 years, I can say:  they were right.  It’s great.  For a writer who wants to turn a dream into a career, you could ask for no better organization. They offer reliable info on the commercial publishing industry, resources for every stage of the process, networks and listserves of fellow writers at every stage…and a booty-kicking conference, every year, in which hundreds of writers sign books for literacy; authors, agents, and editors give two days of fantastic panels; and the whole shebang ends with the RITA and Golden Heart awards ceremony honoring the year’s best in romance fiction.

Can you tell I wish I was at the conference?  I’m not jealous of the Orlando humidity.  But I feel like…well, like I’m missing out, being half a country away from all that coolness (weather joke not intended).  Not to mention the tens of thousands of free books that get given out.

Alas, this year, it wasn’t in the cards. Instead, the cards foretold two new crowns for teeth I broke more than 20 years ago.  (Yes, I have always been clumsy.)  Plus our HVAC system had to be replaced.  DUDE.  That was a big deal.

As you all know, you only get so many cards. So, I can’t have it all.

This week, I’ll stay home. Thank goodness it’s an air-conditioned home, at least. I’ll read books. I’ll stalk Twitter and the RWA site for conference info.  I’ll be so happy for all the RITA and GH winners on Saturday.

And oh, yeah, I’ll get some writing done too.