The Cascade Writers Weekend was writerlicious!

I chatted a bit with Ken Scholes, and experienced his interpretation of U2′s “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” as performed by the Queen of England and Bob Dylan.

David Levine revealed that he is in fact as wealthy as Bill Gates (not the Microsoft guy, but some guy named Bill Gates who is, coincidentally, as wealthy as David Levine).  He wouldn’t tell us his secret, but I got the impression it had something to do with putting all his money into Asian stocks, freezing himself in carbonite to remove any need for expenditures, thawing himself out once time travel becomes real and affordable, trading his stocks for unobtanium (the most valuable element in the universe), and then travelling back to the present with it.  Or he invested in a 401k.  One of the two, I’m pretty certain.  Oh, and he also shared how his character stories get layered onto his idea stories late in his rewriting process, which you’d never guess.

Tor editor Beth Meacham gave me some excellent feedback on the opening of my YA fantasy novel (as did the other wonderful writers in her group).   We also chatted about other topics writerly and not, and she was very generous with her time and feedback in general.  She managed a perfect balance of blunt and gracious.  However, while she is indeed bionic, the rumors of her extendable fingernails that bleed red ink as they shred your manuscript are greatly exaggerated.

I learned that Spencer Ellsworth wants to be just like me, right down to writing a Persian fantasy with poetry, and the weekend was only slightly marred by my need to get and apply a restraining order, and the daily inventory of my clothing to make sure nothing had gone missing.  But boy, could he play guitar.

Spencer Dreams he is Randy

Bob Mayer gave a series of presentations over the weekend from which I gleaned a few pearls of “huh, maybe I’ll try that.”

I also gave a presentation (kicking off the workshop) on the Evolution of a Genre Writer in Six Stages that seemed very well-received.

Writing, chatting, wine, chatting, live music, chatting, dodging idiots driving their cars on the beach, chatting, playing “Once Upon a Time”, chatting.  All in all, a great time.  Thanks to Karen Junker and family, our upstairs neighbors and party hostesses Shannon Page and Elizabeth Colemen, and to everyone else who helped make it so.

2012 will be held in Vancouver, Washington.  You can register now.