Category Archives: The Fictorians

Back in 2014 was when I attended my first (and to date) only true convention: Readercon. At the time I just had crossed into the ‘serious’ phase of my fiction writing. It was now something I tried to work on every day and attending a speculative fiction writing convention seemed like a good next step.

Readercon is a Boston-area science-fiction and fantasy convention that is pretty exclusive in its focus on books as opposed to the other forms of media. It is heavily attended by regional writers and readers of the genre, and at the time was being held in Burlington Massachusetts.

So even though I had signed up of my own free will, I was pretty nervous to attend. At that point I had written a grand total of two things: a 130k word fantasy novel and a 8k short story. I had also submitted a grand total of zero things, to say nothing of being published. While I had plans to attend a writing course, that had not happened yet – so I didn’t really even feel like I knew what I was doing. I also knew no one in the writing community.

In every sense of the word I was a neophyte. I suffered from a problem I think many new writers have: I didn’t think I ‘deserved’ to be there. Yet, I was going anyway. Getting myself to do things that make me a little nervous had certainly worked out in the past, and as I’d find it was about to work out well again.

My plan was simple, if lame:

Get in
Learn things
Talk to no one
Get out

I did learn a great deal, much more than I expected.

PANELS

The panels were lively and engaging and I learned a lot from the content. I also learned how different authors behave when they are on a panel. Some were respectful and appreciative, responding kindly to questions and were effusive in their praise of other authors. Others … were not. Both left impressions on me, teaching me what to do and what not to do.

BARCON / HALLWAYS / SELLER’S ROOM

Yes, there was a barcon. I don’t drink and I have pretty bad tinnitus so I can’t hear that well in those environments. I avoided the barcon.

I did see some authors I recognized walking the hallways, but I never approached them. I wanted to be respectful of their privacy and allow them to enjoy the Con too.

In the seller’s room though I found I had a great time. All of the authors there really wanted to talk about their books, but also their process and just speculative fiction in general. I think the big lesson I learned here was that enthusiasm sells. I bought more books from the folks who were excited to be there and excited to talk to me.

“TALK TO NO ONE”

Yeah this didn’t go so well, and that was a good thing! I was at a reading and signing (Brian Staveley and Max Gladstone) and sitting by myself and some of the other attendees just started chatting me up. They were both Viable Paradise graduates and got me to come out of my shell and talk about my writing. It was a really great experience, finally I was with people who I could talk to about my speculative fiction passions and they got it, because they had the same passions!

SUMMARY

It is worth mentioning I have not been back to Readercon since that time, nor have I attended any other conventions. This is not due to having a bad experience, but more to me moving farther north and just being too far away from the Cons I’d like to check in on. Maybe someday.

So in the end I had a great experience and I learned a lot about how I want to act in the future, both as an author and as an attendee. There’s a great community of fans, readers and writers out there – not everyone is nice but the vast majority are. I’m very glad I attended and I am sure it benefitted me greatly.

SLC Comicon – A Feast for the Eyes

September 14, 2017

Frank Morin

Conventions Frank Morin Interacting With Fans Interacting With Professionals The Writing Life No Comments

So far I’ve attended several comicons, and they are all tons of fun. I’ve been to Emerald City in Seattle twice, and loved it. I’ve traveled down to Dallas once, and my only regret is that I haven’t been able to make it back there again. Great people, and they buy hardcovers like candy.

My favorite con though is SLC comicon. Even though I live in Oregon, SLC has always worked well for my schedule. It’s usually in September, and although it’s a fair hike, the trip is always worth it.

Do I make a profit? Not yet. But I love the people we meet there, the other authors and vendors I’ve met, and the fun experiences working the Wordfire Press booth. Plus we have some family and friends in the area, so those visits are extra perks.

When I first considered going to conventions, I’ll admit I was worried. I had never attended one as a fan, so I didn’t know what to expect. And I only had one book released, so getting my own booth space didn’t make much sense.

That’s why joining another group of writers or, in my case, signing up to work the WordFire Press booth, is such a good idea. I got my book on the table with a couple hundred other titles, learned how an effective booth should be run, networked with lots of other authors, and got to experience the convention without tons of up-front expense. Most importantly, working the floor is an unrivaled opportunity to meet new fans and spend a few minutes talking with them. Sean Golden already talked about Working the Floor this month in this post. He’s absolutely right. The experience can be intimidating, but is necessary for every author to understand.

The effort of working the floor is definitely a major part of a con experience, and I highly recommend very comfortable shoes because standing on that hard floor all day can be extremely painful. By the end of each day, not only were my feet hurting, but usually my legs hurt pretty badly. If you’re going to be behind the booth, definitely bring a padded mat to stand on. You’ll thank yourself for it!

Working the floor is not the only part of a con, though. You get to meet tons of great people, from other authors and artists, to fans and vendors. Then there’s the cosplay. People watching is such a fun part of any convention. The work many people put into their costumes is nothing short of amazing, and many of them are jaw-droppingly awesome. There are always a few that make you shudder, but the vast majority are impressive, and it’s fun to meet people and ask them about their favorite fandoms. Here are a few photos of my SLC comicon experience.

[soliloquy id=”13933″]

And of course there are the panels. As a vendor, working a booth, it can be hard to slip away to lots of panels, but I strongly recommend making time to attend at least parts of a couple each day. Seeing authors or celebrities you admire and hearing them in person is a big thrill. Plus, for us it’s a learning experience. Pay attention to how well the moderators manage the panel, and how panelists handle the questions. Are they well prepared? Are they courteous to other panelists? Are they professional?

One major goal in attending cons is to get onto the panelist list so you can sit on panels. It’s a great way to get seen as a professional and to connect with new readers. And it’s usually a lot of fun.

I’ve been on some great panels, from “Removing Blood From a Trunk and other Google Searches that Probably Got me Added to Terrorist Watch Lists”, to “Writing Humor”, to a fun panel on Assassin’s Creed. This year, I’m sitting on a “Magic the Gathering” panel and one on Minecraft. They both should be loads of fun.

The Stats: SLC comicon is one of the big ones.

Attendees – Over 125,000
Dates: September 21-23, 2017
There’s also a second FanX con in the spring. This year it was March 24-26. Attendance was capped at 50,000 for a more exclusive experience.

Working the floor…

September 8, 2017

Sean Golden

Business Conventions Day Jobs Interacting With Fans Interacting With Professionals Making Progress as a Writer Marketing Networking Sean Golden Superstars Writing Seminars The Writing Life 1 Comment

This month I’m afraid I don’t have much experience to draw on for my blog post. I’ve attended exactly one writing related convention in my life. And that was Denver ComicCon in 2015. I was invited to participate because of my Superstars Writing Seminars attendance in February of 2015, and at the time I was living on a separation package from being laid off, so I had time to kill. I agreed, even though I had no books to sell and would mostly be doing the grunt work of hauling books, selling other author’s books and trying to get the public to buy books.

It was also a chance to network with some actual published authors, which is valuable in itself.

There is some work to do pre-convention to set up the booth, but that’s about as interesting as it sounds. So I’ll focus instead on the activities on the actual convention floor.

The first thing I was asked to do was to distribute leaflets directing people to the booth itself. The meant walking the line of incoming attendees as they waited to get inside, and handing out the leaflets. For a natural introvert like me, that was stressful enough, but I managed to get through it.

Then I was back behind the booth, using an iPad with a card-reading device to take orders. That wasn’t too bad either. Then I was asked if I would be willing to “work the floor.” Which meant moving out from behind the booth, into the milling mass of feverish fandom. Right there with the cosplayers and the hardcore fan base.

So I waded in. Again, my natural introversion makes this sort of thing very difficult for me. On top of that, I tend to dislike being approached myself in such situations, so I felt more than a little hypocritical even attempting to engage with the public.

But I try my best to fulfill my obligations, so I buckled down and did my best.

“Excuse me, ma’am, I couldn’t help but notice your Star Wars T-shirt. Are you a fan? You are? That’s great, I remember standing in line for the first one back in 1977. Say, if you like Star Wars, you would probably really enjoy these books set in the Star Wars universe…”

“Hi there, that’s an awesome steampunk outfit you’ve got there. Do you like steampunk novels? You do? Well, come on over here, because I think you’ll like this.”

Over and over, for hours. Sometimes you get the cold shoulder. Sometimes you get the “are you flirting with me” gaze, but mostly people are willing to check things out and over time, the sales accumulated. It was amazing to see how well it worked. But that’s mostly because the product I was selling, was a solid product. In many cases the author of the books I was directing people toward were behind the booth, so I could increase the effectiveness of the pitch with:

“Oh, you like the look of this one? Well, if you have any questions, the author happens to be right here, and I’ll be glad to introduce you.”

That leads to signed versions of books being sold, and that usually makes everyone happier.

I’d like to do more convention work. I’d like to sell my own books at a convention. Unfortunately I still haven’t been able to get away from the reality of a day job that is still paying the bills.

But someday. Hopefully soon. 🙂

I’m Sorry, I’ve Thrown Off My Groove

August 25, 2017

Kim May

Craft & Skills First Drafts Kim May The Writing Process Writing Tools No Comments

Maintaining momentum on your work in progress can be difficult and it’s never more difficult when your own brain gets in the way. All those little doubts that make you question if the scene is any good or if you should throw that outlined plot twist out the window in favor of the new cool idea you just thought of. The indecision is enough to give you that deer in the headlights look, unsure which chattering shoulder angel to listen to.

Do I have the hero kill the villain or do I have them go out for shawarma?

It’s questions and doubts like these that almost always bring my word stampede to a screeching halt. It took me years to figure out that the source of this wasn’t inexperience. It was me. It was my own self-doubt, a.k.a. impostor syndrome, a.k.a. I’m getting in my own way……again.

Now I’ve talked before about WTFS (Write the F-ing Sentence) and while that’s similar, it’s not the same thing. This is more than questioning if their coat should be azure or cerulean. It’s deciding whether or not the romance between two characters that your writer brain suddenly wants to add is going to be a good addition or a distraction from the main plot. It’s deciding if spending the next four pages exploring a character’s backstory is necessary or if it’s better to use that space for a secondary character’s nervous breakdown. The stakes are much higher with these sort of quandaries and it’s that pressure that stops progress. If it were as simple as choosing a hair color then it would be a bad habit that’s easily fixed. However since the root of the problem is a lack of self-trust rather than indecision it’s a lot harder. The only solution I’ve found is a three step process.

Relax. Take a walk or a short breather to let the mental tension and anxiety melt away. The right words will come easier when you’re relaxed.
Take a deep breath and go with the impulse. There’s a reason your subconscious suggested it in the first place. There’s no harm in trusting it…for now.
Re-evulate. After the manuscript is finished, go back and re-read that section. If you hate it you can rewrite that section. Most of the time, when I’ve trusted my subconscious, I’ve really liked the resulting scene(s). But if I ever dislike a spontaneous scene I still won’t regret writing it because I didn’t let indecision stop me from completing the story.

I admit, the first time I tried these steps it felt like I was taking a huge leap of faith. And in some respects I was. But it was only through this that I was able to learn to trust my subconscious and not panic because a chipmunk suddenly wanted me to tell its life story. You’ll never know if the chipmunk’s story will provide the answers you need for later conflicts if you don’t allow it to speak in the first place.