An Aspergirl at a conference

The main problem for me and other Asperger's sufferers is difficulty communicating with others, esp groups. So, imagine me at a writers' conference last weekend. If you have not been to a conference, where there's a room full of writers then you won't know how noisy it can get - v noisy. My first test was getting a cab from the hotel to the campus for the crit night. Thankfully, I decided to wait in the lobby to see if anyone I knew came along. Along came Rita, whom I know from Facebook, and we got a cab together. Hi, Rita. Next text was the crit night. We all sat in groups and critiqued each other's mss. I did try to look at people when I talked but I do know that at times I didn't, either. Then came the meal and I chose to sit in a corner. But I did talk to others who were next to me.

Following day, after breakfast, I saw a few of the others I knew at another table and asked to go with them. I waited for them, then Rita came along, and I said I was going with others, but when I looked they had gone, so I ended up going with Rita again. This was my pattern all weekend. I would wait in the lobby to see who came along and ask to share a cab with them. Or I'd meet up with someone I knew during the day and arrange to go back to the campus/party venue later that day. Thankfully the hotel was just round the corner from the party venue and a few mins walk there and back. My kind of place to have a party.

On Sunday, I was going to get a cab by myself, but another author whom I'd not met v kindly gave me a lift in her car to the campus. At the end of the day, I decided if I had to get a cab to the train station by myself I would, but would see who would come along in the meantime. A few did, and the cab was shared by 6 of us in the end and we all shared the cost, £1 each.

I will blog more about the conference and how I felt on Sunday and during next week. Sunday will be about the crit night and what I learnt and decided to do and first talk I went to.