It's sort of like summer camp, with lots of alcohol!

Last weekend I did something that took me way out of my comfort zone.  I attended the Indiana Romance Writers of America fall retreat at Bradford Woods.  There were about 20 women who spent the weekend together.   All of the others were published romance authors.  I was the newbie in the group. 

For me this was something that was a huge step in my process to become a romance writer.  I had met some of the women at meetings and events.  The thought of spending a weekend with a group of people I hardly knew was daunting and a little overwhelming.  Being the introvert that I am joining a group of people I do not know for a weekend retreat was not something I would usually do. 

So I arrived there on Friday evening.  Many of the women were already there and were gathered in the living room, laptops in hand.  I introduced myself to the group and got a big hug from Nan Reinhardt (one of my favorite authors).  Trying to act cool and not go all "fan girl" on her I hugged her back and was told the names of the others in the group.  Many of the women there were authors I had read recently or whose books are in my to be read list on my Kindle. 

I was staying in a room with five other women.  In the bed next to me was Jillian Jacobs (author of the O-Line series, I had just downloaded her book, Ember's Center).  I did not put all this together until later in the weekend but I was in the presence of many women who had successfully navigated the publishing process.  Here I am joking and laughing with them, being accepted and I have not even finished my first book! 

We spent the weekend learning about the craft of writing and how to present a great finished product for publication.  Others read excerpts from their books and we talked about how to handle safe sex during a first sexual encounter.  We also critiqued some of the read sexual encounters and how they could be done and described in a way that was anatomically realistic.  They talked about the changes in publishing and Amazon and how it has seriously impacted their income from the sales of books.  The final night many of them threw rejection letters, disappointments and other barriers to success in the living room fire in a communal experience of moving on.  The entire weekend was littered with lots of alcohol and everyone attached to their laptops writing their next books. 

Personally I got lots of writing done.  More than that I spent the weekend soaking up the fellowship of a group of women who accepted and encouraged me in my journey to become a romance novelist.  The weekend ended with us all saying we would meet again next year.  My commitment was that I would have a finished novel for critique and sharing at the next retreat.

I attended that weekend not knowing what to expect except that I was stepping outside of my "known".  I left that weekend having made friends with a group of women who I admire and also know that I want to, and can be, like them.  I can finish a romance novel and bring it to publication. 

It was a wonderful experience for me.