I’m Ho! for Norwescon* today…after work, that is. Yep, it’s finally that time of year again. Norwescon, for you folks not in the area or who have just never gone, is the biggest Sci-fi/Fantasy convention in the Northwest. Huge numbers of professional authors attend, give lectures and sit on panels. Publishers and agents come as well, meeting with clients and (very quietly) trying to drum up business. And then there are the fans.
Norwescon is very heavily attended, thousands and (I think) tens of thousands of fans attend. It’s a mix of media con and professional con. There is a writing workshop run by the Fairwood writers**, numerous panels on writing and on being a writer. But there are also panels on costuming (there is a lot of cosplay at Norwescon) and ‘why series X is better than series Y’. And don’t get me started on the kinky and alternative sex panels. Yes they’re real. No they are not*** a good place to hook up at.
My goals for this year are more relaxed. In previous year, I was burning to learn as much as I could at the writer’s panels. Then I was burning to meet editors and agents…not that I knew how to do that. This year is different for me. I will be attending some writing panels but I’m not sure how much new stuff I’ll learn. The ‘secret’ to writing is just to…write. Write a lot. Think about stories, read stories, write stories. Then share them with people who also read and write stories. Improvement comes from writing and looking at your own work and seeing how to improve it. It rarely comes from sitting in on a panel.
No, I’m just going to see if I can bump into a few friends I’ve made in the past year or two. I’m going to attend more readings. That lets me show support for writers I like and, to be honest, I’ll learn more about story telling listening to a story than I will listening to a panel. Panels that do pique my interest, I’ll queue up for (there’s always a line, at least until 10pm or so) but I’ll also make time to go to the art show, visit the dealer’s room and spend some money in both places. I’ll go to dinner with friends and just chat and be social.
Conventions are a LOT easier on you if you don’t go in with an agenda. My writing career is going to advance by writing and sending my work out. Not by going to conventions. So why not relax, enjoy the sights (though not the smells, sadly that stereotype is accurate enough) and have fun?
This Norwescon is going to be fun. Not work. :)
*http://www.norwescon.org/
** This will be my second time submitting work here
***unless they are.
Norwescon is very heavily attended, thousands and (I think) tens of thousands of fans attend. It’s a mix of media con and professional con. There is a writing workshop run by the Fairwood writers**, numerous panels on writing and on being a writer. But there are also panels on costuming (there is a lot of cosplay at Norwescon) and ‘why series X is better than series Y’. And don’t get me started on the kinky and alternative sex panels. Yes they’re real. No they are not*** a good place to hook up at.
My goals for this year are more relaxed. In previous year, I was burning to learn as much as I could at the writer’s panels. Then I was burning to meet editors and agents…not that I knew how to do that. This year is different for me. I will be attending some writing panels but I’m not sure how much new stuff I’ll learn. The ‘secret’ to writing is just to…write. Write a lot. Think about stories, read stories, write stories. Then share them with people who also read and write stories. Improvement comes from writing and looking at your own work and seeing how to improve it. It rarely comes from sitting in on a panel.
No, I’m just going to see if I can bump into a few friends I’ve made in the past year or two. I’m going to attend more readings. That lets me show support for writers I like and, to be honest, I’ll learn more about story telling listening to a story than I will listening to a panel. Panels that do pique my interest, I’ll queue up for (there’s always a line, at least until 10pm or so) but I’ll also make time to go to the art show, visit the dealer’s room and spend some money in both places. I’ll go to dinner with friends and just chat and be social.
Conventions are a LOT easier on you if you don’t go in with an agenda. My writing career is going to advance by writing and sending my work out. Not by going to conventions. So why not relax, enjoy the sights (though not the smells, sadly that stereotype is accurate enough) and have fun?
This Norwescon is going to be fun. Not work. :)
*http://www.norwescon.org/
** This will be my second time submitting work here
***unless they are.
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