What I Learned at the Erma Bombeck Writers Conference

I returned yesterday from the Erma Bombeck Writers Conference. Three days focused on humor writing was a fantastic experience and I learned a lot. Here are a few of my lessons from this weekend:

1. My name is on the United Airlines Do Not Fly List. Yikes! After the agent looked at the birth date on my drivers license, she waived me on. I'm guessing the person they are looking for is a bit younger.
2. Humor comes in a lot of different flavors: poignant, silly, laugh-out-loud, exaggerating, outrageous, touching, ironic.
3. A lot of success in life results from having the guts to try something new.
4. Everybody loves to laugh. (Well, I can't really say that was big news. I've always known that.)
5. There are a lot of really funny middle-aged women, and many of them are great at stand-up.
6. If you have a strong interest in just about anything, you can find people who share that interest and meet to study and enjoy that interest.