I was at Norwescon this weekend. I was impressed by the level of conversations generated by the panels I attended. I had a great time, met lots of new people.
When I wasn’t attending panels, I was generally in the bar, or in the Green Room, hanging out with people.
The Hills are alive: this was a discussion on setting. The moderator never showed up, but we winged it very well. Kat Richardson was on the panel, and she’s fabulous. One of the things that made this panel so interesting was Larry Lewis, who’s an artist, and who brought such a different point of view to the process. As for setting, it can do so much for your world — from your creation myths to your swear words and curses and everything else.
Non-Western Mythologies: Kevin Radthorne was the moderator. He and I ended up being on several panels together. He was a good moderator, very prepared with lists of interesting questions typed up. Michael Ehart was the other panelist, with several good ideas, including Great Zimbabwe, which I just peeked at and looks fascinating.
Stealing time: Another panel with the fabulous Kat Richardson. Michael Ehart was on this panel as well. And Rhiannon Held, who is an unpublished author, but also a professional archaeologist.
Hell is Gray: The room was packed for this panel. We joked about it at the start — the word “Evil” in the panel was what had done it. If it had had the word “Good” — no one would have showed up. The conversation was lively. I announced at the start that the panel was not about “what is good/evil.” Kudos to Janine Young for helping keep it on track.
Creating Emotion-driven SF: For some reason, people started being afraid of me at this panel. Calling me evil. No idea why. Just because I’ve gotten over the fear of hurting my characters, and instead am cackling with glee when I think of new ways to torture them. . .
Research: Where to do it/When to do it/When to Stop: I was so honored that I got to sit on a panel with not just one but two GoH — Dan Simmons and Naomi Novik. The room was packed (of course). The panel was very fun. Kevin asked a lot of good questions, and maintained flow. Having a good first reader is important when you’re writing, because they can help you figure out where you’re “letting your research show” and where it’s a natural part of the narrative.
Revision: This panel generated a lot of ideas about how to revise, different techniques that worked for different people. That is so much a part of writing — figuring out your process, what works best for you.
Day jobs for a writer: Mark Ferrari was the other panelist who came for this panel. I was surprised that about a dozen people showed up, given that it was at 3 PM on Sunday. The primary advice we came up with — figure out your writing process, then work around it. We both felt that being a manager was the worst job in the world, though for different reasons. We both liked jobs with some kind of physical movement, which left our brains free to create.
In addition to all the panels I was on, I also did two writing critiques, both of which I think went well. I also was at the mass autographing session. Didn’t sign any books, but I didn’t expect to as they’re all out of print. I did talk with people and sign a few program books.
I did a reading of “The Dutiful Daughter”. The people in the audience (of which there were three, none of whom I’d known from beforehand) seemed to like it. I still think it’s a really strange story.
Though I was exhausted out of my skull Sunday evening, I actually started writing up my con report that night. Today I feel recovered enough to think about going to a Qigong class tonight (normally I would take the Sunday class, but as I couldn’t yesterday. . .)
I absolutely will be going back to Norwescon next year. I might get a hotel room, so I can stay later, attend some parties, dance a little as well. Park my car on Thursday and forget about it until it’s time to leave.
Thank you one and all for making this con such a success!