The Long Road Home

Right then, today’s when I start planning what happens at MsLexicon 2019.

I intend to Blog the entire thing in 3 posts: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but not on those days, because I wanna enjoy it and not have it feel like a job. Therefore, there’ll be no more blogs here after this one this week, and all three of next weeks will cover a day: Friday on Monday, Saturday on Wednesday and Sunday on Friday. This allows for copious note-taking and digestion of what has been presented.

However, you can expect a not inconsiderable amount of live-tweeting of said event via the @InternetofWords Twitter feed and on Instagram. I’ll be taking business cards and quite possibly some printed gubbins with me, and am already playing with the idea of haiku-ing ‘in situ’ over the weekend (note to self: take PostIts!) A lot of this will be played by ear once I’m established at the venue. My check-in is 4.30pm but I expect to be established well before that.

After that, I’m pretty much in the lap of the literary gods on this one. I’ve never done anything like this before in my entire life, and as a result it could all get a bit scary. That’s why I’ve decided that this point is going to mark the start of a new chapter of literary evolution (plus why there’s a NEW GRAPHIC for the occasion). Everything that comes from this process will be learning.

Even getting to and from the venue itself has become an exercise in logistics.

What has already been reassuring is that I’m making connections before arrival: people have offered tea and calm if I feel anxious (and in turn I’m happy to do the same!) plus this gives me an idea of who is active on Social media before the event even begins. That’s been a really encouraging positive in all of this: clearly there are those who don’t use this medium in the same way I do. Knowing who does, and therefore who will be receptive to being approached this way is a really important starting point.

I have a day and a bit to get my shit together. This is utterly doable.