The wide range of opinions was both fun to observe and challenging to think upon.

At times—especially when it came to speculative fiction—it reminded me of the Rorschach (ink blot) test.

Translation—be a sponge, but be a discerning sponge. Soak it all in, and expect to sift and winnow your gleanings.

One of the surprises awaiting me was when someone told me my newest work-in-progress, Darkwood, wasn’t a supernatural thriller after all. “It’s clearly YA (Young Adult).”

I have nothing against YA. A lot of incredible speculative fiction can be found there. But I wasn’t aiming for that audience. But hey—I decided I should take in the YA session later that day, and find out more. Just in case.

The YA lecture covered myths and misconceptions about the genre, as well as—super helpful in my case—a list of what YA is and isn’t. And I walked out of that class with a definite answer to my question. (I’m not YA.)

Also turns out calling Darkwood a “supernatural thriller” fits, but not as well as “urban fantasy.”

The Red & Blue Pencil Inquisition consultations were not the bloodletting I was bracing myself for. The insightful (fellow) writers who critiqued my work provided a remarkable combination of pull-no-punches bluntness, no-nonsense diagnosis, and encouraging suggestions. Ditto for my first-ever “pitch” at a conference.

The consistent highlight throughout the Festival was the camaraderie. Attending workshops and keynotes, the slush-pile sessions, Q&A with seasoned authors, hanging out for brews later in the evening—the whole weekend felt like a tribal home-coming. These are my people.

The Creative Ink Festival was like pouring gasoline on a campfire. I’m already looking forward to next year’s Festival. But in the meantime, the writing of more speculative fiction beckons . . .