OK so yes, I've been slacking. If you're an avid reader of the bloggy, then I apologize. Sorry Deb. Ha!

Anywho, to quickly recap, the National Book Festival was held last Saturday, September 29 on the National Mall in our nation's capitol. And it was cool.

Terry Pratchett is a very funny speaker. He's an author of science fiction and fantasy novels and is probably most famous for his Discworld series. Admittedly, I have never read him. Sad, I know. But after hearing him speak and guffawing (that's right, guffawing... look it up) over almost everything he shared with us, I would be out of my mind not to pick him up soon. Here, allow me to share a few of Mr. Pratchett's anecdotes from the day...

"People come up to me all the time and say, 'You know Mr. Pratchett, your books mean so much to me. They get me through bad times.' Well, they get me through bad times, too!" - Pratchett on surviving trials of life through the power of writing.

"Adult books give you money. Children's books give you prestige." - Pratchett on balancing a writer's soul against balancing his checkbook.

"This Book Festival has all sorts of writers that come up here with their note cards and share with you their ideas... They're all very smart writers! Whereas I just sit there in front of a keyboard until my eyes bleed." - Pratchett on his own personal writing pains.

"The way to describe a character in your writing is through mannerisms... not dialogue and not by writing pages and pages of description. Character back stories tend to occur on their own accord. For me, I think about my characters long and hard for a very long time and eventually, they just come out." - Pratchett on intimate relationships with one's characters.

When the Q&A portion came around, one fan asked him if he had any sort of writing process. Pratchett answered, "Yes. I absolutely must have oxygen." The audience laughed, of course, and then he got serious. "No, but you write when you can," he said. "You write against a wall or in a phone booth if you have to. Wherever and whenever you can. ... Although I do have one daily ritual I should tell you about. When I first sit down to write, I feel overwhelming panic. But it eventually goes away."

The National Book Festival was full of such words of wisdom and laughter. Readers got their fill of their favorite authors, live and in-person (isn't that the same thing?). To learn more about the many great writers and artists that were in attendance, check out the web site. Or better yet... see you there next year.