Great Birthday and Great Conference

Hello! Sheesh, long time no blog, right? Sorry about that, but what with finals, then LDS Storymakers and other things I've just been too darn tired to write this long blog post. But here it goes.

Well, finals went well. I got all A's in my classes! Woot woot! So I am officially done with my first year of college! And I'm still trying to come up with my schedule for next fall, so if any of ya'll have suggestions on classes I could take let me know!

So, the day of my final final was also my birthday and also the day we went down to Provo to check into our hotel. Needless to say it was a busy day. But it was also very fun. We headed off to Provo when my parents got home from work. And guess who the first two people I saw were when we pulled into the hotel parking garage? J. Scott Savage and James Dashner! My two favorite Utah authors! It was a great way to start out the adventure. :)



My parents bought a birthday cake and brought it to the hotel. They sang to me and everything! I love my family!



The next morning I went to the opening ceremonies. There were over 450 people signed up for this years LDS Storymakers Conference.





After going to the first session (How to Avoid Common Mistakes of a Novice Writer By H.B. Moore), I was waiting around for the next session to start. This wonderful gentleman, Robert Johnson Almond, took my picture and told me about his book "Emery's Secret". So I got his picture. Check out his book and find out what Emery's secret is! :)

Then I went to "Sprinting to the Last Page or Savoring the Writing: Pacing Your Story Properly," taught by Candace Salima. It was great and I learned a lot about pacing. Then I went to "Vilainous: Creating Characters We Love to Hate," taught by my very favorite J. Scott Savage! That was awesome too. I had a front row seat and got some great tips on creating villains. And then the last session of the day I went to was "Weaving Chills and Thrills: Techniques for Mystery/Suspense Writers," by Stephanie Black. Now, I'm not technically a mystery or suspense writer, but every novel has elements of that in it, so I figured it would be good to go to.



And then after our keynote speaker (David Farland/Wolverton: He's a big time fantasy writer who has taught a lot of big time fantasy writers, such as Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Brandon Mull) we went to dinner. This is me and my daddy at dinner.

So the next day I went to "Dialogue is More Than Just Talking," by Rachel Ann Nunes, who has written about a gagillion books.



Then, it was off to Aprilynne Pikes "Faeries & Vampires & Werewolves, Oh My! Writing and Selling Fantasy for the Young Adult Market." She was nice enough to let me get a picture. But, you guys, she seriously reminded me of my friend Ash. It was uncanny. I think the two are long lost sisters.

So, then I went to "World Building: Can There Be Pink Trees?" by Jessica Day George. Her books are amazing, I highly recommend you all check them out. After that it was off to Nephele Tempest's "Writing a Synopsis." Nephele is an actual literary agent, which was very exciting. And then, the last class of the conference I attended was "The Dangerous Workshop for Writers: What Every Writer Should Know," taught by none other than J. Scott Savage and James Dashner! I just had to go to that one, obviously.



And after I got my picture with both of them! They're such great guys and such inspirations. It was a great way to end.

Then it was off to the National Agent/Editor Panel where I met this guy:



His name is Donald B. Anderson. He was really nice. His book "Hanging By the Thread" is coming out in May. Check out the book trailer on www.hangingbythethread.com. :)



And with that, it was back home. I didn't want to leave. But alas, I had to.

The LDS Storymakers Conference was amazing. One of the best times I've had for a long time. I met lots of great people and got lots of great advice on writing. Seriously, I feel just so inspired and rejuvinated after that conference. Writing is what I want to do with my life. That's hard for some people to comprehend and it was nice being surrounded by people who understood what I was going through. I can do this. I will do this.

Anyway, that's my adventures in Provo. Next post: Amazing Princess Tea Party surprise Birthday Spectacular! Have a great weekend everybody! :)