Well, I’m back from KidLitCon 2010 and still recuperating/recombobulating/reintegrating and, in general, getting myself together again. I’ll post some of the pearls I picked up in a few days–although, in some ways, the best was both self-evident and easily overlooked: know your audience. Understand who you’re writing for.
Now you’d think that, as a writer, I’d have understood that already, but I’m not sure I did. I’ve struggled with this blog because I haven’t been clear of my audience. Other writers? Readers and fans? Who? If a blog falls in the forest, will anyone care or even hear? All fascinating existential questions to be sure, and ones I’ll certainly mull over in the coming days. But today I’m not going to talk about blogs per se.
I’m going to maunder on about boots.
See, I walked away from KidLitCon with a serious case of boot envy. All of a sudden, my perfectly serviceable and lovely pair of chocolate brown Durangos look so . . . hu-hum. So jejune and insipid. So NOT kick-ass.
I blame Maggie Stiefvater.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Maggie is funny, insightful, perceptive, gracious, smart . . . and oh, yes, she writes well.
But what some people might not know? This woman has some seriously good taste when it comes to boots. Jeffrey Campbell Brit Wrap Strap Booties, in distressed brown, to be precise.
To hear her tell it, Maggie decided on these boots prior to going on her big European tour and lucky me, she was wearing them when she gave the keynote at KidLitCon. Yeah, yeah, it was a great talk–it really was–but I zeroed in on her boots, like, immediately. When she talked about how she got them, I was all ears. After the talk, I corralled her and she GRACIOUSLY hiked up a pant leg to show off those puppies.
Oh. My. GAWD.
I fell in love (with the boots, guys, with the boots). You know how sometimes you see things–art, jewelry, a pair of jeans, whatever–and you KNOW it’s fate?
Yah. Total fate.
Now, like I said, I have Durangos: several pairs, in fact, in several different colors and probably a hold-over from my Texas days. Gotchyer red, gotchyer purple and brown. I used to have boots done in a fabulous denim-blue; another pair in rainbow; another in emerald-green lizard that always got second looks. But then my stupid feet got too BIG. All the hiking I have done and still do has taken its toll. So, sadly, some of those really kick-ass Durangos have gone away, and I just haven’t found boots I like. Plus, living in rural Wisconsin, nifty places to try on decent boots just aren’t around. I’m a little finicky when it comes to boots, too, because I really can’t do the whole stiletto-spike thing. For me, boots have to be comfy AND stylish. Clomping around in my hiking boots just doesn’t cut it.
Well, these Jeffrey Campbells are . . . well, nice is too bland. They look great on Maggie. More to the point, they look solid. They look comfy.
They look like boots my feet would enjoy.
So now I’m on a mission aimed at addressing my boot-envy. I’ve looked at a bunch of sites and this morning, I found a place that has my size in the color I want. Now, I’m a little leery of committing to boots without slipping them on first. But that might be the price of greatness–or simply the price one pays for a kick-ass pair of boots.
I’ll keep you posted.
