Conference Woes

Went to a writer's conference this weekend and left all depressed-like. It was amazing, do not get me wrong, those of you shaking your heads at me and wondering if I'm on crack. The thing just depressed the snot out of me. Let me explain.

I learned a gazillion and one things. Like literally, a gazillion and one. How to change my middle from muddle to magnificent, how to creep out (and not creep out) an editor, how to make my characters set apart, etc. And it depressed me. Cause now I have so much work to do on my novel! Argh! My friend Beth and I spent Friday night on the way to my aunt's house reworking my novel. Which was great but now I've got a bunch of work to do. Oh well.

Another way the conference depressed me was that I went to this workshop class on your first page, led by an agent who read the first pages and commented on what was good/bad and whether or not she would want to read more. She must have read at least 15 first pages and all of them were good - in her opinion - and she would choose to read more! So if all those good first pages are out there, what makes mine any better? Why should I be the one who gets published? That depressed me to no end - even though I thought some of the first pages were kinda crappy. Anyway.

The conference did have some highlights - I met two wonderful women who were hilarious - Amy and Erin. They were super funny and it was a joy to meet them, even though the conference didn't give us much time for socializing. It was also nice to see that Beth and I weren't the only ones who skipped the morning Keynote and devotion...

So yes, now I see the sheer amount of work ahead of me but I also got some good feedback on my novel and I think I might have finally found my niche. Maybe. So now it's time to put the pedal to the metal, the fingers to the keyboard (insert more cliches here) and fix my novel!

Geez, I love conferences...

Shopper's Guilt

Shopper's guilt is not fun. I am super satisfied with all that I bought - let me tell you what I purchased before I get into my rant on shopper's guilt. Here's a list:

2 pairs of boots from Belk. Regularly $60 each, marked down to $20 each. A DEAL!!
Rubbermaid containers (40 pcs.) for $9
10-frame photo collage for $7
Skinny jeans from Cato - on sale for $15
A white sweater from Cato
Necklace, belt and earrings from Cato
A plaid belted shirt from Cato

And I think that's it, 'cept what I bought at Charlotte Russe - which didn't fit and will be returned tomorrow. All in all, I did really well, creating an outfit out of Black Friday deals and getting a new pair of jeans and boots in the process.

For the past couple of weeks, I've been shopping for boots. I've been to the Greer Cato, the White Horse Rd. Cato, the Woodruff Rd. Cato, Target and Wal-mart looking. Nothing appealed to me. Every pair I saw was $25+ and just didn't do anything for me. I've also been in the market for a new pair of jeans for a couple of months and photo frames. I told my mom a few weeks ago that I wanted one new outfit for winter. Something hot. So I've been shopping around for that for a while now too.

This morning, my Aunt and my cousin, Callie, and I went to the mall and fought hordes of women (there was pushing and shoving and nails involved) for boots. These are designer boots and $40 off. I couldn't decide on one pair and so got two - one with a heel (a very tall heel) for cultural events and church, and one with no heel for everyday casual wear. I figured I could take one back if I needed to but once I got back and tried them on, there was no chance of that. I was in love.

Then, at Cato, I decided to try straight leg jeans (skinny jeans, or sort of). I have always sworn I will never wear straight leg jeans. But I decided to try a pair - they were on clearance - and the first pair I found worked perfectly! The white sweater I tried on with them was quite nice and once I jacked the necklace off the mannequin, I was good to go. I also got matching earrings (I love earrings) and a butterfly belt, also something the mannequin sported. I had my outfit. I got another shirt too just because.

Now, having just returned from making one more purchase at Wal-Mart, I find myself faced with shopper's guilt. I am not rich and how can I afford this? Luckily, talking to my mom and writing this post has cured me of the disease.

My parents are awesome, there is no denying. They are giving me $100 towards clothes that I bought today for when I go to Canada next summer. So that's a relief. Then, when I think about how I've wanted most of what I bought today for a while and yet waited until I found something I really loved and was on sale, I think I did all right. Yeah, my bank account might be weak now but I think I'll be all right.

So shopper's guilt...BE GONE!!