Post Toolbox

I am still a bit rocky from the two weeks of Taos Toolbox, and remain very much sleep-deprived. I came down from the comfortable temperatures of the mountains to the 100-degree heat of the Middle Rio Grande Valley, so all I've wanted to do is cower under the air conditioner and sleep.

Not that my schedule permits this, of course.

But what a terrific workshop we had! For two weeks the participants ate, slept, and breathed writing, critiques, exercises, plot points, worksheets, character arcs, and the necessity of killing one's darlings.

Carrie Vaughn was an excellent speaker, and talked for 90 minutes without losing the enthusiasm of her audience. And Nancy Kress was just, like, totally amazingly great! She's an absolutely fabulous teacher. If you ever see that she's teaching something, sign up! (I will.)

The workshop also featured movies, beer, wine, margaritas, a hot tub, hikes through the wilderness, and a special surprise guest appearance by a bear.

Here's a photo taken just after our last dinner together, as sunset was touching the Sangre de Cristos.

From L to R, Eric Kelley, Barbara Webb, Lawrence Schoen, Nancy Kress, Walter Jon Williams, Danielle Lefevre, Sean Craven, Jason Musgrave, George Galuschak, Rich Baldwin, Ada Milenkovic Brown, Hallie Rulnick, Oz Drummond, Amy Sundberg, Lou Berger.

Christian Walter, who flew all the way from Switzerland to attend but had to leave early, is not pictured.