I’ve finished a novel, am working on my second, update this blog regularly, and write short stories yet hesitate to call myself a writer because I’m not published. I thought I might feel out of place at the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Summer Conference, but I didn’t. I met some really cool people and picked up some new ideas for my toolbox.
I was sitting this afternoon in a workshop on characterization and looked over to see Robert Dugoni sitting several people away, listening and taking notes. He’s a New York Times best selling author and still attends and participates in these conferences. Pretty damn cool! He was also one of the keynote speakers and gave a touching, inspiring presentation. He seems like Mr. Perfect: great speaker, high-achiever, hard worker, wonderful family, best selling author, and comes across to me as one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. I especially liked his dedication to family values, genuine compassion for the people around him, and his obvious high work ethic. Somehow I gotta get me a work ethic like that.