Over 20 years ago, I was part of a small group of authors called ldsindieauthorpress (or something like that). Then we decided to change the name to LDSStorymakers.
A year later, the group thought it would be great to offer a writing conference to others. And they did. But my work sent me to a museum conference in New Orleans that same week. So I missed being a part of the conference. The next year, the same thing. This time I went to a conference in Cleveland instead of being involved in Storymakers. And from there, my life just didn't mesh with being a part of the conference.
I think I was an attendee for the first time in 2013 (or maybe even later than that). The conference has GROWN and changed and expanded. But somewhere in the back of my mind, this was a bucket list item. Last year, I did present for the first time, but my uncle passed away right before and his funeral was the day I was scheduled to present. I, fortunately, was able to move my presentation to the next day, but it was a surreal weekend and my mind and heart were elsewhere (where they should be).
So this year - 20 years later - I finally had the chance to present at Storymakers. (Oh, somewhere through the years the "LDS" was dropped to accommodate the inclusion of a wider audience).
It feels a bit surreal.
Really grateful for a super fun topic that I loved presenting on, an awesome class that attended, and the support of really wonderful friends (plus new ones since we shared seven emotions together in less than an hour - that kind of bonds us together! )
As an extra bonus, my mom and her new husband Bob just became grandparents (first time together) that morning at 5 am. This placed them in proximity and they were able to be a part of my presentation. So last year I shared the conference with a funeral, this year a birth.
Yep, a very surreal time!
My workshop: The Seven Universal Emotions We Wear: Showing These Expressions in Our Characters
I asked the class to give me their "faces" for these seven expressions.
ANGER
FEAR
DISGUST
HAPPINESS
SADNESS
SURPRISE
CONTEMPT
We shared a lot of great facial expressions in class. Glad they were good sports!
It was a packed room (and I heard several were in line to attend but were turned away due to the packed room.)
A favorite workshop experience for me. I hope to share this topic with more writers at other conferences.
Here is a short video that captures some of the great facial expressions shared and the overall group experience.