tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post1918566663392221498..comments2023-11-03T07:01:16.104-05:00Comments on C. Hope Clark: There Seems to be a Pecking OrderHope Clarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-75758647247071527062012-05-11T11:45:35.587-05:002012-05-11T11:45:35.587-05:00Great post, Hope! I remember the very first worksh...Great post, Hope! I remember the very first workshop I ever attended. I was nervous and felt self-conscious, but I remembered I had come there to be instructed and learn, so I swallowed my fear and pride, raised my hand, and read my work in front of a room full of people and the published author leading the workshop. It was hard, but so worth it. You never know what wonderful things will happen if you don't put yourself out there! <br /><br />So many writers (including myself) tend to be more introverted, so social situations can be anxiety-producing. We're all in it together, though. The author you're in awe of might be just as nervous as you, and playing cool in the corner is her way of coping with the stress.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706661834677466081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-33432737413454274542012-05-11T11:21:00.380-05:002012-05-11T11:21:00.380-05:00Amen to all of your comments! Ain't it the tru...Amen to all of your comments! Ain't it the truth?Hope Clarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17319310910383413396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-18262177543081037602012-05-11T09:05:04.279-05:002012-05-11T09:05:04.279-05:00As I readthis post, I began to wonder if a fair nu...As I readthis post, I began to wonder if a fair number of people at every conference consciously or subconsciously choose a dysfunctional approach.<br /><br />They remind me of kids who get coerced into going somewhere and then proclaim when they arrive, "I'm not going to have a good time."<br /><br />But, as adults, we can choose to go or not go. If we go, then why not ride the ferris wheel and get some cotton candy and play like we belong there. Maybe we'll convince ourselves (as well as others) that we do.<br /><br />MalcolmMalcolm R. Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07840134761199335243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-85633550737845317762012-05-11T08:42:48.607-05:002012-05-11T08:42:48.607-05:00Lovely post, Hope. I went to the big summer confer...Lovely post, Hope. I went to the big summer conference for SCBWI two years ago, and while I loved it and got so much out of it, I really was too shy to go up and talk to agents and publishers. Your advice is spot on. I didn't have anything to pitch at that time, but I probably could have learned even more than I did about the world of books.Elizabeth Varadan, Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01708206753256682635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-6811349330776821502012-05-11T06:23:45.102-05:002012-05-11T06:23:45.102-05:00I just had a conversation with one of my 3rd grade...I just had a conversation with one of my 3rd grade students last night at a parent event. He had seen one of his favorite professional wrestlers in public. He said, "I didn't go up and say 'hi.' I was too shy."<br /><br />I asked him if he regretted it now. He definitely did. I told him the wrestler probably would have been thrilled to encounter a fan--next time, go up and say hi.<br /><br />If you're a writer and you brush shoulders with an author you know, someone in publishing you can get tips from...go up and introduce yourself and start a conversation. If you don't, you'll regret it.Sioux Roslawskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17924021828536277618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14016238.post-2039575010177840542012-05-11T03:46:19.548-05:002012-05-11T03:46:19.548-05:00Spot on! The whole point of conferences is to ming...Spot on! The whole point of conferences is to mingle and make contacts. I've noticed the pack mentality you've described at other conferences.<br />I'm planning on attending TBEX Europe in Girona this year. It's a huge gathering of travel bloggers and writers. I'm looking forward to meeting lots of new people!Civil War Horror (Sean McLachlan)http://civilwarhorror.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com