And so we come to a close.
Short day today. Only went to two panels. Again I find myself writing this post way too late (despite finishing the con early today), and so I will be writing only briefly about things. I'll probably do a series of posts during this coming week about some more general observations from the con. But for today (tonight? to-morning?) I'll keep to my pattern of reviewing panels.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
WorldCon 2011 -- Day 4
Networking, I have found, evokes a strange combination of exhilaration and exhaustion in me. Meeting new people and getting to know them and learning how much you have in common and hoping that you've made a new friend...that's all so exciting that it gives me such a thrill to watch it happen (even while participating in it). But putting myself out there, making that initial connection, being honest to total strangers...that all takes a lot of effort and can be emotionally draining.
So, as I said before, networking is this strange combination. I'm draining myself emotionally in order to make these connections with people and, when those connections work out and develop into something, it recharges me with the excitement. So, at the end of a night of networking (like tonight) I find myself on an incomparable high that makes me feel ready for anything...yet as soon as I hit that darkened room and look at the bed and simply have an opportunity to unwind a bit...wow, do I crash.
So, as I said before, networking is this strange combination. I'm draining myself emotionally in order to make these connections with people and, when those connections work out and develop into something, it recharges me with the excitement. So, at the end of a night of networking (like tonight) I find myself on an incomparable high that makes me feel ready for anything...yet as soon as I hit that darkened room and look at the bed and simply have an opportunity to unwind a bit...wow, do I crash.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
WorldCon 2011 -- Day 3
Things are beginning to blur together now. I'm not even really sure of what day it is. I just know that it's the third day of the con, and I'm only ever vaguely aware of what hour it is. I know I go to this panel at this time to start out, and then its go, go, go, go (with a brief pause each day for food). I can't even remember if I've talked about this already (I'm too lazy to go check right now), and I can only barely remember what panels I've gone to if I check my schedule.
Wow. So much to take in.
So today was a bit of a lighter-weight day, but it was by no means absent of awesomeness.
Wow. So much to take in.
So today was a bit of a lighter-weight day, but it was by no means absent of awesomeness.
Friday, August 19, 2011
WorldCon 2011 -- Day 2
Wow, guys. Parties are where it's at!
No, seriously, it has been a day-and-a-half of awesome here at WorldCon, but finishing it off with a Tor books party where I get to brush shoulders with...oh, man, too many people to name, really...was awesome. Really, freaking awesome.
Right, so, the rest of the day.
Went to a bunch of panels. Not as many as I said I would, but that's mostly because I was taking time to talk to people a bit more.
No, seriously, it has been a day-and-a-half of awesome here at WorldCon, but finishing it off with a Tor books party where I get to brush shoulders with...oh, man, too many people to name, really...was awesome. Really, freaking awesome.
Right, so, the rest of the day.
Went to a bunch of panels. Not as many as I said I would, but that's mostly because I was taking time to talk to people a bit more.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
WorldCon 2011 -- Day 1
Hello, officially now, from WorldCon 2011 -- Renovation.
Such a busy day and so many great memories already, it's hard to reign in and talk about any one, focused topic. So I guess I'll just have to throw a bunch of thoughts out there for you to dissect as you please.
Okay, so the first break-my-mind moment of the Con was walking through the door. I found the convention center and I found the entrance and I walked inside...
...and found George R.R. Martin packing up his stuff at a table near the door.
Such a busy day and so many great memories already, it's hard to reign in and talk about any one, focused topic. So I guess I'll just have to throw a bunch of thoughts out there for you to dissect as you please.
Okay, so the first break-my-mind moment of the Con was walking through the door. I found the convention center and I found the entrance and I walked inside...
...and found George R.R. Martin packing up his stuff at a table near the door.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
WorldCon 2011 -- Transition Day
WorldCon starts today!
I will be leaving soon to pick up my membership badge and begin acclimating myself to the services provided by the Con. I'm hoping that the convention center won't be too difficult to navigate, but I'm going to get there early just in case.
Before I do that, though, just a few quick words about yesterday.
I will be leaving soon to pick up my membership badge and begin acclimating myself to the services provided by the Con. I'm hoping that the convention center won't be too difficult to navigate, but I'm going to get there early just in case.
Before I do that, though, just a few quick words about yesterday.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
WorldCon 2011 -- San Francisco Days 3 and 4
...still doesn't feel like America. Especially now that I've been through three days of foreign accents and foreign languages. I realize that San Francisco and the bay area is a major tourist destination for travelers from all over the world -- and seeing the Golden Gate Bridge did help to solidify that, yes, this is San Francisco, California, America -- and that most people in the world do not speak English. I learned this definitively during my Europe travels (which, for those who are wondering, I will return to chronicling soon). But still...it makes this whole trip continue to feel vaguely foreign.
Oh, yeah, and then everywhere around here has vaguely Spanish-sounding names. San Francisco. San Rafael. Point Reyes. Sausalito. Tiburon. Corte Madera. El Cerrito. El Sobrante. Pinole. Etc.
For a Midwesterner like me, where everything is either vaguely French, vaguely German, vaguely Native American, and all very mish-mashed...yeah, it feels a bit foreign.
Oh, yeah, and then everywhere around here has vaguely Spanish-sounding names. San Francisco. San Rafael. Point Reyes. Sausalito. Tiburon. Corte Madera. El Cerrito. El Sobrante. Pinole. Etc.
For a Midwesterner like me, where everything is either vaguely French, vaguely German, vaguely Native American, and all very mish-mashed...yeah, it feels a bit foreign.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
WorldCon 2011 -- San Francisco Days 1 and 2
It's hard to believe that I'm still in America. After doing so much international travel in the past six months, I find it hard to believe that, after riding a plane for a few hours, being dropped in a totally alien landscape, and driving for another few hours through at least three distinct geographic regions, I could not be in a foreign country. There's no way there's this much variety in a single country.
And yet there is. I'm here on the north-California coastal region and I feel like I'm halfway around the world, despite the lack of foreign accents and currency.
And yet there is. I'm here on the north-California coastal region and I feel like I'm halfway around the world, despite the lack of foreign accents and currency.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Welcome Back
Okay. So much for the productive summer.
Between class, work, and various social obligations to family and friends, I have not been able to maintain my writing goals during these summer months.
That's okay. It was all important stuff. I'm closer to graduation, farther from debt, and I've reconnected with those I've been absent from for the past semester (most of them, at least). Overall, it's a net-positive summer, even if it hasn't been productive for writing.
But now the summer is drawing to an end and it's time for me to buckle down to finish out the year strong.
This coming week I will be attending the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon) in Reno, Nevada. It's going to be first con, and I'm really excited. George R.R. Martin will be there, and Brandon Sanderson, and Lou Anders, and Writing Excuses, and Robin Hobb, and Kim Stanley Robinson, and Pat Rothfuss, and so many others. They're going to be presenting on topics of all kinds, from game design, to world-building, to film adaptation, and so on. Oh, and there're also plays, and films, and readings, and signings, and dances, and other shows and stuff.
Wow. I'm excited. Starts wednesday. Goes til Sunday. I return monday; I leave for school on tuesday. Busy couple of weeks here...
Once I return to school, I'll be starting in on three goals, both personal and professional.
On the personal front, I'm going to be reconnecting with the friends I haven't seen since last Fall; and a part of that will be through RPG campaigns. (Side note: I'm really looking forward to these campaigns this year. It's been far too long since I've run a campaign, and they're wonderful social events for me to practice my on-the-fly storytelling.)
On the professional side of things, I need to begin preparing for graduation. Everything should line up for me to finish school on time, and I'm hoping to have a job waiting for me when I'm done.
On both ends, I'm planning to rewrite and revise Runic in order to prepare it for submission to publishers in January. I'm estimating the final length of the book to be between 90k and 120k words. Which means I'll need to write at least 1300 words each day while I'm at school if I'm to get it done at all. If I want time to revise, I'll probably want to write between 2500 and 3000 each day. But we'll see if I have time after fulfilling all of my other daily goals.
I'm confident that I can get Runic ready for submission by January. I just need be consistent in my efforts...again.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like this is going to give me enough to finish my year of words (for those of you who forgot, the goal was 500k words). I'm still going to try for it, but...well, my prospects don't look good. And I don't want to exhaust myself or depress myself by holding myself to a commitment that I can no longer keep. *sigh* It's disappointing, but a likely necessity.
One final note, I'm going to be offering frequent updates from my trip this week. Today and the next few days are going to be spent in the San Francisco area here, and then Wednesday through Sunday will be a flurry of fan excitement streaming forth from WorldCon. (Excitement!) Following that, I'll be back at school and back to work. And hopefully I'll be able to continue offering updates then as well.
Until then, thank you for your time.
Between class, work, and various social obligations to family and friends, I have not been able to maintain my writing goals during these summer months.
That's okay. It was all important stuff. I'm closer to graduation, farther from debt, and I've reconnected with those I've been absent from for the past semester (most of them, at least). Overall, it's a net-positive summer, even if it hasn't been productive for writing.
But now the summer is drawing to an end and it's time for me to buckle down to finish out the year strong.
This coming week I will be attending the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon) in Reno, Nevada. It's going to be first con, and I'm really excited. George R.R. Martin will be there, and Brandon Sanderson, and Lou Anders, and Writing Excuses, and Robin Hobb, and Kim Stanley Robinson, and Pat Rothfuss, and so many others. They're going to be presenting on topics of all kinds, from game design, to world-building, to film adaptation, and so on. Oh, and there're also plays, and films, and readings, and signings, and dances, and other shows and stuff.
Wow. I'm excited. Starts wednesday. Goes til Sunday. I return monday; I leave for school on tuesday. Busy couple of weeks here...
Once I return to school, I'll be starting in on three goals, both personal and professional.
On the personal front, I'm going to be reconnecting with the friends I haven't seen since last Fall; and a part of that will be through RPG campaigns. (Side note: I'm really looking forward to these campaigns this year. It's been far too long since I've run a campaign, and they're wonderful social events for me to practice my on-the-fly storytelling.)
On the professional side of things, I need to begin preparing for graduation. Everything should line up for me to finish school on time, and I'm hoping to have a job waiting for me when I'm done.
On both ends, I'm planning to rewrite and revise Runic in order to prepare it for submission to publishers in January. I'm estimating the final length of the book to be between 90k and 120k words. Which means I'll need to write at least 1300 words each day while I'm at school if I'm to get it done at all. If I want time to revise, I'll probably want to write between 2500 and 3000 each day. But we'll see if I have time after fulfilling all of my other daily goals.
I'm confident that I can get Runic ready for submission by January. I just need be consistent in my efforts...again.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like this is going to give me enough to finish my year of words (for those of you who forgot, the goal was 500k words). I'm still going to try for it, but...well, my prospects don't look good. And I don't want to exhaust myself or depress myself by holding myself to a commitment that I can no longer keep. *sigh* It's disappointing, but a likely necessity.
One final note, I'm going to be offering frequent updates from my trip this week. Today and the next few days are going to be spent in the San Francisco area here, and then Wednesday through Sunday will be a flurry of fan excitement streaming forth from WorldCon. (Excitement!) Following that, I'll be back at school and back to work. And hopefully I'll be able to continue offering updates then as well.
Until then, thank you for your time.
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