the BYU writers conference–it rocked!

The writing conference at BYU was great this year. There’s just no other way to put this: Writers are cool people. They’re fun to hang around with, they’re fun to teach. And I’m not just saying that because several of my students gave me chocolate (thanks guys!) and tried to set up my single daughter. (Extra credit for Ally and Erin!)

I taught the romance class this year—perhaps because I kept trying to insert romances into all of my students’ novels last year. It was great. Here you can see we were totally getting into the romance theme.

And here again we’re trying to personify the perfect romantic heroine. All of us are murmuring Ben Barnes name at this point. He made an appearance in Stacey’s manuscript and just hung around the class after that.

Here I am, probably pondering my old nemesis: to be verbs.

My lovely assistant, Heather, saw from my blog that I’ve always wanted Mattel to make a Barbie doll out of one of my characters. So Heather created a Chrysanthemum Everstar doll for me. Is that cool, or what?

Now I’m back home, wearing my pajamas while I write and trying to convince the children not to trash the house, flood the backyard,or mindmeld with the Playstation. And no one cooks yummy meals for me. I miss you, writers conference!I miss you, Ben Barnes! Sigh.

20 comments

  1. Melony
    June 23, 2009 at 4:47 pm

    We did have fun didn’t we?? I identify with you in the whole trying to write and not have your house burn down but at least you can say it is your job! I can only dream..LOL You were awesome and I learned so much..THANK YOU!

  2. Sarah M Eden
    June 23, 2009 at 5:05 pm

    And here I always thought that having the kids trash the house, flood the backyard,and mindmeld with the Playstation were all accepted occupational hazards for a writer. Maybe I should make an effort to stop them…

  3. Danyelle
    June 23, 2009 at 6:39 pm

    Sounds like it was a blast! 😀

  4. Shari
    June 23, 2009 at 8:26 pm

    It WAS a blast! But what I’d like to know is when did I miss Prince Caspian at the conference. I know I was on time every day. I never left early. Yet I never saw him. Where was I? How did I miss him? Argh! Nobody knows the sorrow I feel.

  5. Janette Rallison
    June 23, 2009 at 8:38 pm

    That’s because he was there in my very vivid imagination . . .

  6. Melanie J
    June 23, 2009 at 8:47 pm

    This makes me want to write for YA just because it looks so fun.

    And p.s., can you ask The Bow-Tied One to make “Just One Wish” available for the Sony Reader? I wanted to download it for vacation because my husband says we can no longer bring a separate suitcase for my books. Alas, yours wasn’t there yet. I do, however, have a Borders gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket so maybe I’ll get it as PRE vacation reading…

  7. Julie Wright
    June 23, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    Sounds wonderful!!

  8. Giovanna
    June 24, 2009 at 8:42 am

    Mmmm…Ben Barnes. He is my guilty pleasure. That sounds really wrong. Glad you had fun at the conference!

  9. Hannah
    June 24, 2009 at 8:51 am

    Ben Barnes is yummy.

  10. Janette Rallison
    June 24, 2009 at 9:10 am

    Is he ever–which is kinda creepy for me to say since he’s probably closer to my daughter’s age than to mine. So Ben, if you’re reading this: I mean that in only the most professional way . . .

  11. Asenath
    June 24, 2009 at 10:48 am

    you can set me up with Ben Barnes. I’d be fine with that.

    Also, why isn’t Erin hamming it up more in the romantic heroine picture? I’m surprised.

  12. Chantele
    June 24, 2009 at 10:53 am

    I love Ben Barnes… I’m writing for YA, this conference looked like so much fun! I haven’t had any time, or money to go to a conference yet, but I will someday!:)

  13. Piglet de' Erin
    June 24, 2009 at 12:41 pm

    Yeah, so I never had a thing for Ben until now! He just becaame the hunk in my own novel. I am so over Zac Effron. Hello Ben!

    On a side note, Jarom came over the other day…he told me that he saw your daughter on campus and he wanted to talk to her…but she was talking to another guy. so I gave him her number…I hope that’s ok! he he

  14. Heather B. Moore
    June 24, 2009 at 3:18 pm

    I love the pictures 🙂

  15. Kristi Stevens
    June 24, 2009 at 10:03 pm

    Ben Barnes. I’ll add him to the list. Sigh.

  16. Carolyn V.
    June 25, 2009 at 7:15 am

    Oh my gosh, we look so awesomely cool (except for that romance picture. Whose idea was that!?!? I’m totally looking up at the ceiling, maybe checking for spiders or falling lint.)

    Really, this was the best year ever. =)

  17. Kimberly
    June 26, 2009 at 10:09 am

    Looks like such fun! The camaraderie and laughter just leap out of the pictures.

  18. LucindaF
    July 2, 2009 at 8:22 am

    Janette, thanks for coming to the conference, I enjoyed your presentation (very helpful) and my soon to be 12 year old daughter has been devouring your books. She just finished Fair Godmother and is all smiles.

  19. Maureena
    July 7, 2009 at 9:54 am

    Okay, who is Ben Barnes? And where can I find him:) just kidding.
    That conference looked like major fun! Are you coming out with a new book Janette? I totally loved Just One Wish and so did all my nieces!!

  20. Anonymous
    July 22, 2009 at 8:55 pm

    Hey mother this is your biggest fan and her best friend. We were looking at your blog and saw the picture of Ben Barnes!!! 😀
    Oh my he is sooo cute. ~wat?~ lol anyways you should just post his picture all over your blog so more girls would visit. 😀
    (oh my goodness!!) <3 luv u

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