I still sometimes think about how I went to RWA in 2009, and ten minutes after I got there, shy little me worked up SO MUCH COURAGE to walk up to another writer in the hotel bar to ask if they wanted to chat, and she said, "No. Do you mind? I& #39;m working on a pitch right now."

Which is fine! I mean, good for her to set a boundary and stay focused. But I seriously spent those first ten minutes trying to summon the courage to talk to someone. Anyone. And then to get shot down immediately ... I fled. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😂" title="Gesicht mit Freudentränen" aria-label="Emoji: Gesicht mit Freudentränen">

This is also the same RWA where I was trying to pitch my book to an editor, and it had a convoluted plot, so when she frowned a little and asked for clarification, instead of explaining the story better, I burst into tears.