1. Stop talking long enough to get your picture taken. Nothing’s worse than getting home and realizing you look TUFF (Too Ugly For Facebook) while posing with your heroes.
2. It takes a twelve page hand-out to teach us how to write kissing scenes. Not that I’m complaining. Most interesting notes ever.
3. People on the elevator don’t care that you just realized Liz Curtis Higgs is standing next to you. They expect you to exit when the doors open.
4. Wearing a chicken costume and performing cartwheels under the St. Louis Arch while yelling, “Chicken Cartwheel! Chicken Cartwheel!” is perfectly acceptable behavior.
5. My editor doesn’t like to be hugged.
6. Faking an accent makes you sound adorable and gets you lots of attention. (How do we know Karen Schravemade is really from Australia?)
7. I’m shorter than I thought I was… even in heels.
8. When a man on the shuttle has a bag that says “Ted Dekker” on it… he might not actually be Ted.
9. Just because I’m excited and ready to go at 5:00 a.m. doesn’t mean my roommate is.
10. Even big name authors sneak into the bookstore to see how their books are selling.
What have you discovered that surprised you? Have you ever thought, “If only I would’ve known…?”
Make sure to take pics with your roomie’s fave authors and text them to her when you meet them before she does.
Then hide under the covers/pillows at night so she doesn’t steal your Sharpies and draw on your face.
😉
Great list! So sad I couldn’t be there this year. I’d love to see the “kissing” notes. 🙂
Regina, first of all, you’re never T.U.F.F.! Tough, maybe, but don’t all writers have to be? At ACFW I learned just to stop talking. Other people have lots of interesting things to say, and I already know all the junk in my own head! And, I have to know, was it you wearing the chicken suit?
You do seem short in this pic! You don’t seem that short in person…..:). I want to read those notes. mmmwwwaahhhh!
Carol, you are hilarious. My roomie threatened to throw my banquet dress down the elevator shaft because I told her family the award ceremonies would be streaming live.
Julie & Jennifer – I’ll share notes. They had lots of good examples. 🙂
Robin – I do not own a chicken suit, but if you know where I might get one…
No, that wasn’t Ted Dekker but it was hilarious when you asked him for a picture. And I still want to see our picture. I bet it was cooool. : ) Let’s see. I learned about the moral premise and that there are MANY people who are sweet and waiting for a hug.
Loved this list!
Great list! And yes, I got a bit starstruck myself when I got to check Liz Curtis Higgs into the conference while working registration! So fun to be there!
What a funny list, Regina! Now I’m curious who this Ted Dekker guy was. 🙂
It was great to see you!
Was your Ted-look-a-like Ben Erlichman? He was also at Ted Dekker’s Ragged Edge Conference in August, so that may have been the origin of the bag with Ted Dekker’s name on it. Here’s a picture of him from the awards banquet with Cynthia Ruchti, where she was posing for her sequel to “They Almost Always Come Home” titled “When They Don’t Come Back, Go Out and Hunt Them Down”:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=549106355405&set=a.549106325465.2035637.110400056&type=1
Just kidding!
Sarah and Gary,
Honestly I didn’t know what Ted Dekker looked like before. The bag completely threw me off. I remember you, Gary. You took my ticket for the banquet. Sarah it was nice meeting you!
Yes, Regina, I remember you, too. I’ve got me one of those Ragged Edge Ted Dekker bags, too. It could only carry about 1/4 of the books I got at ACFW, though. Oh, and on Saturday morning of that other conference, I DID run into Ted on his way down to the lobby for coffee—we were both tired. I did laugh when Tracie Peterson referred to him at ACFW as the little goth boy! 🙂
I’m a little late to the party… but Regina, this made me laugh. Next time I might go for a Kazakhstanian accent and see how far that takes me. 🙂