WisCon: the Recap

Billed as a feminist science fiction convention, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I walked through the doors to WisCon for the first time. Held at the Concourse hotel in Madison, this was — by far — the best organized event I’ve ever attended. (This includes both the gaming-related and business events I’ve ever visited and spoken at.) I feel that this fact alone demands a certain sort of respect, given that this remains a volunteer-run organization.

As you may recall, I signed up for four panels and ended up moderating two of them. In addition to those panels, I attended several others that seemed interesting to me related to writing and publishing. In my opinion, I felt the audience was fairly responsive and respectful of the opinions that the panel offered. There were panelists from diverse perspectives and backgrounds, which provided for interesting discussions and audience participation. Unlike other panels I’ve spoken on, I also felt that the audience came with a basic understanding or desire to acknowledge the business functionality of both publishing and the entertainment industry. Translation? I had more conversations about online marketing and social media with other writers than I did about any other topic.

The publishing industry as a whole is shifting and changing so rapidly, that many authors I talked to feel that they need to embrace aspects of online marketing to monetize their efforts and sell more books. In an ideal world, a publishing company would allow the writer to simply write and provide the PR for them in order to sell books. Given the reality of today’s market and volume of publishers, I believe that even if an author doesn’t “do” their own marketing, they should at least be aware of what’s going on in the space.

There were a few topics that I’ll cover in later blog posts which I feel warrant further discussion. For example, I had brought up the issue of network neutrality in a panel discussing print vs. e-publishing. Another topic I’ll address is the challenges of establishing a writer’s community, and how the internet truly “seems” to be having an impact on how offline communities are shaped and supported.

Here are a few of the wonderful writers and editors I had the pleasure of speaking on panels with:

  • Lori Devoti – Lori’s new book, Amazon Ink, just debuted a few days ago. She’s a very passionate and energetic writer who brought a lot to our discussion about Consistency vs. Variety in book series. Lori started her writing career in romance, but is now writing urban fantasy. Watch for a special treat from Lori on www.flamesrising.com in the next, few days.
  • Kelly McCullough – Kelly is working on a novel series which debuted in 2006, called WebMage. He has a love for world-building, which shows both in his books and the discussions we had about Consistency vs. Variety. If you’ve never met Kelly, he’s a very likable guy with a great sense of humor.
  • John Helfers – Both an author and writer, John and I wrangled a panel about Reinventing the Adventure in the wake of our moderator’s absence. Wearing probably the coolest t-shirt I saw at the convention, (Any Firefly fans out there?) John was an animated and experienced speaker who had a lot to say on the subject. If you’re a fan of John’s work (HINT: He’s working on Shadowrun) you can catch up with him at GenCon: Indy in August, too.
  • Mary Robinette Kowal – Meeting Mary Robinette Kowal, who is the secretary for SFWA and up for a Hugo Award, was a lovely person to meet. Mary is extremely web-savvy, but also highly creative. Working as a puppeteer by day, Mary is definitely a writer that many science fiction fans should be keeping their eye on. Mary moderated the panel Do Writers Need a Platform?, and her first book is due out next year.

The people I mentioned were just a few of the talented folk I spoke with on panels, and I highly recommend that even if you don’t attend the conference you visit www.wiscon.info to check out the professionals that do attend. There were also dozens of professional writers and editors that I had the pleasure of chatting with, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to sit down with writers like Alex Bledsoe, Sarah Monette, Richard Chedwyck, Lynne Thomas and Michael Damien Thomas, Jack McDevitt, professionals from Tor Books and several others.

The other thing that I’d like to point out regarding this convention, is that there’s a strong element of literary criticism present at this convention that originates from a love of books. I believe that regardless of your opinions on a book or on writing, attending a convention like this one will open up your mind to new ideas and different perspectives. I did not have one conversation that I did not enjoy; everyone was respectful, intelligent and engaged — even if we disagreed. Additionally, even though this was the most diverse group of people I’ve ever seen at a con, they supported one another tremendously.

I will be attending next year’s convention and hope to speak on panels. I invite you to participate, volunteer and do the same.

Thanks for following my blog! Instead of wishing you best of luck with your writing today, I hope that you are able to fall in love with a book.

May 28, 2009
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Visit Me at these WisCon Panels

Next weekend I’m going to be attending WisCon, which is located in Madison. This will be my first time attending and speaking at the convention, and I plan on sticking to the writing panels as much as I can. The panels below are the ones I will be speaking at; if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, I hope to see you there! Regardless, make sure you bring your favorite books or games to the “Sign-Out” for your favorite writers to autograph for you.

My Panels at WisCon 2009

Reinventing the Adventure * Sat 5/23 10:00 – 11:15AM * Capitol A
Moderator: Alex Lamb. Carol F. Emshwiller, John Helfers, P. C. Hodgell, Monica Valentinelli.
The adventure story archetype lies at the heart of both science fiction and fantasy, and is the oldest and arguably most profound literary form in human history. How come contemporary society has ghettoized this art form? Even in science fiction, many authors have shied away from adventure in their desire to be taken seriously. How can we reverse this trend? What does it take to write fiction that’s fast, fun, shamelessly adventurous, and at least as challenging as what passes these days for mainstream lit?
Consistency vs. Variety * Sun 5/24 2:30 – 3:45PM * Capitol B
Moderator: Monica Valentinelli. Lori Devoti, Liz L. Gorinsky, Kelly McCullough
Many writers long to stretch their writing muscles, working in different universes and broadening their scope and depth. Publishers and some elements of the reading public seem to prefer consistency: they like a writer who turns out a series, sometimes effectively the same book over and over again. How does a writer balance their own creative need for variety with the consumers’ desire for consistency?
Birthing a Writer’s Community * Sun 5/24 4:00 – 5:15PM * Conference 4
Moderator: Diane Silver. Stickshift Bear, Nancy Jane Moore, Michelle Murrain, Monica Valentinelli.
There isn’t a writer on earth who doesn’t spend too much time alone, staring at a blank page (or screen). We all need reaction and encouragement from others writers. Add in the struggle of surviving—not to mention retiring—on what may be a small income and the challenges that come with aging, and we’ve got a recipe for innovation. Let’s get together and discuss how to birth a writers community. We’re talking about a brick–and–mortar place that balances private space and time with satisfying contact with other writers and room for public gatherings. Such a community would share financial as well as physical resources. We’ll talk practicalities and share dreams.
Does a Writer Really Need a “Platform?” * Sun 5/24 10:00 – 11:15PM * Conference 4
Moderator: Mary Robinette. F. J. Bergmann, Rich Novotney, Monica Valentinelli
One idea that’s kicking around writers’ websites right now is that writers have to have a “platform”—something that makes you stand out from the crowd. Celebrity writers have built–in platforms; non–celebrities are encouraged to build up a platform with a website, blog, speaking tour, or similar self–promotion vehicle. Is this really necessary? Can’t you just write a damn good book?
May 13, 2009
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Spread a Little Love with Haiku Day on Twitter! #littlelove

twitter-haiku-dayWhat is Twitter? And what the heck is a haiku? A haiku is a form of poetry that is really short. I mean, really short. This form of Japanese poetry is based on syllables. In English, a haiku would be written in three lines, with the first line containing five, the second seven and the third five.

Jane Reichold offers really great resources for reading and writing haikus on her website, if you want more detailed information and articles to read.

Twitter is a “micro-blogging” service that allows you to set up an account and follow interesting people. I use it for link-sharing, networking and friendship; one of its benefits for me is that it connects with my Facebook and LiveJournal accounts.

When you “blog” on Twitter, you are limited to 140 characters which can make some “tweets” quite challenging but can make for some interesting bouts of creativity.

After putting some initial feelers out there, many fellow writers were interested in my idea for a “haiku day” on Twitter. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought we could have our first #haikuday next week and have a love theme.

For those of you who are new to Twitter, when you put the “pound” sign on Twitter in your tweet, it allows other people to references your topic of conversation. Using #littlelove will ensure everyone’s haikus can be read, regardless of whether or not you are following that person.

First Haiku Day is Thursday, February 12, 2009

Join me in spreading a little love next week on Thursday by sharing your own love-themed haiku poems. If you aren’t already, I invite you to Follow Monica on Twitter. I don’t auto-follow new people because I’d like to get to know you, so be sure to introduce yourself and say “Hi.”

Here’s a sample 5/7/5 format using that love theme:

red flowers remind / cold, blue winter is melting / warm hearts all year round #littlelove

Let’s see if we can get the word out there so we can all get our creative juices flowing for a Haiku Day on Thursday, February 12th! In the meantime, I’ll definitely work on my haiku writing skills!

February 5, 2009
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My Number One Distraction from Writing is the Internet

The internet. Filled with webcomics, social media and news, its plethora of mini-games and interactive tools can sometimes distract me from getting a large word count out the door.

I find that as part of “creating my workspace” to get a lot of writing done, I can’t shut it off completely because I really like the notification feature when I get an “important” email. Instead I go invisible when wi-fi is available and I close my browser.

I know that the internet is my number one distraction because getting an email is like feeling a little ray of sunshine, like you used to feel when you had a pen pal when you were a kid. Although I have to admit that pen pals are much cooler, because you get “stuff.” There’s nothing like getting a physical, non-spammy letter or care package in the mail. Kind of like that scene in Harry Potter when the mail shows up. [Insert diatribe about how the world of Harry Potter might have been changed by the internet.]

Anyway, so part of this idea of finding space to write has evolved into setting aside blocks or chunks of non-internet usage and figuring out exactly what I use the internet for in my non-work hours to boost productivity. On the surface, it sounds a bit lame to be “scheduling” social time on the internet but it’s like that analogy of “get your homework done so you can get out and play.”

My personal belief is that it’s important for me to stay on top of social media for the day job and beyond. Some of social media for me is experimenting and playing around with the tools to see what might work for what I need it to do. It also allows me stay on top of how the internet is evolving because you never know where a new rival to Facebook might pop up. Either way, I can’t ignore my social media channels or do away with them completely, but limiting them is probably a good idea.

So to get more writing done in November for Nanowrimo, I know I’ll also need to go through my 1,398 emails and my 74 unread emails in the one account — should probably check my other accounts, too. Good thing this heated election will be over early November, because that will be one less thing I’ll be following that closely.

The more I think about ways to get off the internet, the more I realize (Delete.) how dependent I’ve become on internet communication. (Delete.)

Make that 72 unread emails and counting.

October 1, 2008
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Where is Your Ideal Place to Write? Your Big Distractions?

One thing that I’ve noticed about writing, is that I sometimes need a particular place to write to get in the “zone.” On a good day, if I’m writing for about 8 hours, I can average 2,500 words per hour. Unfortunately, there are a few, physical distractions which either slow me down or suck my attention span away from writing and decrease my productivity. Television and other people (aka residual noise from neighbor kids, etc.) are two of those “physical” distractions.

Even if I’ve watched a movie a 1,000 times or can quote every line of Firefly, sometimes I’ll get sucked into my favorite parts of the show and whoosh! a half an hour goes by and I lost my train of thought. Other people can be distracting when a) I’m not expecting a screaming kid to come flying past our window or b) someone is super excited and they “have to just tell me that one thing.” (Okay, yeah I’m guilty of that.)

I’ve found that the first thing I need to do when setting aside or picking a space for me to write in, is to have a somewhat “closed” environment. An “open” environment is way too distracting for me because of all that residual noise, interruptions, or tendency to interrupt other people when an idea hits me. A “closed” environment like a desk in a small office that we’re beginning to create upstairs, putting on headphones, finding a quiet coffee shop, etc. definitely helps me increase my productivity and sends a signal to my writer’s brain that “Hey, writer! This is the time to sit down, shut up and write!”

So the first step in achieving my NaNoWriMo goal this year will be to set aside spaces for me to write. As I mentioned earlier, we’re creating an office (aka creative space) upstairs that somehow has to coincide with the Halloween party we’re having. There are a few places in town that I enjoy writing at depending upon whether or not I “need” wi-fi service, but the internet can be its own distraction. More on that tomorrow.

What about you? Where do you enjoy writing and what are your big distractions?

September 30, 2008
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