So last night I met Henry Winkler and he gave me amazing advice.

What’s it like to be surrounded by almost 1,400 people who do, or desperately want to do, the same you thing as you?  Exciting!  And totally overwhelming.

Sitting amongst both first-time writers and some of the most famous ever (Hello, Judy Blume), I realized just how large this industry is.  I mean, I knew how big it was, but sitting in a room with pretty much everyone who makes the world of Young Adult and children’s writing go around was staggering. 

Everyone who isn’t an agent or an editor is here for the same reason: To sell a book.  Or maybe two or three.  But we all agree that just one would do.  And oddly, the most common piece of advice I keep hearing is “Finish the manuscript.”  So, I’m feeling really good about having attained that goal.

Beyond that, I’m in total information overload.  I have at least twenty pages of notes. I listened to over ten speakers yesterday.  And I had lunch with an amazing group of women from the Carolinas who run the regional chapter of our society (SCBWI).

I also keep running into Jay Asher, which is totally overwhelming.  His book, Thirteen Reasons Why, is one of my all-time favorites and I have at least thirteen questions I would like to ask him about it.  I’m trying to keep it together.

And on a strange note, I was approached by Henry Winkler last night at the bar.  He is hands down one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.  He asked me an endless number of questions about my books (ALL of them).  He wanted to know how I got into writing.  How confident I was in my stories.  My educational history.  My character’s names.  How I came up with the title of my series.  And then he asked me what dystopian literature is.  It was surreal.

But the most amazing part of our conversation was the advice he gave me.  He told me that before I answered his questions, I always said, “I think” before I launched into my response.  He told me to remove the words, “I think” from my repertoire when it comes to talking about my writing.  He told me to be confident, and simply reply, “Yes.”  Or start with, “I know.”

After about twenty minutes of writing talk with Henry Winkler (Yes, he is also a writer), he encouraged me once more, confirmed my name, and said he would be on the lookout for my breakout book.  Then, the Fonz was gone.

It’s funny how things happen.  Of all the people I thought I might meet here, and all the tips I anticipated from others in the industry, I never imagined Henry Winkler would be the one to boost my confidence and drown out the noise of a very long day.  Happy Days, indeed.