ArmadilloCon 30 Was Fun!
To start off this blog, I'll give my update on ArmadilloCon 30. This year was my second to assist. I was in charge of the Program/Souvenir Book. I also had the chance to be on a panel, which was fun.
On Friday, I attended the Writers’ Workshop. Morning session was held with all instructors and students in one room. I especially enjoyed a plot-generation game led by Don Webb. (Note: I must find something of his to read. Where to start? Any suggestions?) The highlight of the day for me was the critique sessions. Each of us had brought a piece of writing, and had 2-3 pros and 2-3 fellow students offer a critique. The people in my group were very generous and very helpful.
The workshop closed with a few words form Guest of Honor John Scalzi on “The Power of Suck” for writers. He started by saying, "Give yourself permission to suck," and then said more about the value of sucking. The funniest bit relates to his writing his most recent novel, Zoe's Tale. He commented that if you only do what you know you are good at, if you only stay in your comfort zone, you will never get better. On each of his novels, he puts something in that allows him to suck magnificently. For Zoe’s Tale, the element was the narrator being a 16 year old girl. He obviously has no experience being a 16 year old girl. After he finished his first draft of chapter 1, he proudly sent it off to Campbell Award winner Mary Robinette Kowal. He asked her, "Isn’t this great?" She sent it back saying something like "Not so much." He thought there must be a mistake, so he showed it to his wife. She assured him that it did indeed suck. Obviously he worked on the book, and it got better. His work must have paid off because Ms. Kowal noted on her August 8 blog entry that she it is "a darn good book."
Other highlights:
Charity Auction: Brett Barnes of Literacy Austin graciously attended in person. He had no experience of fandom and found the whole thing fascinating and delightful. Mark Finn and Jayme Lynn Blaschke were fabulous auctioneers, and the hour flew by with many, many laughs. I snagged a copy of The Beasts of Love by Steven Utley, Can’t Buy Me Faded Love by Josh Rountree and Tales from the Secret City. Later in the evening, I ran into Stina Leicht and got her to autograph her story, which I think she enjoyed.
Reading by Elizabeth Moon: She read a selection from the Vatta’s War universe that was interesting and funny. Afterward she talked about the writing life, including how she carved out time while home schooling her autistic son using a kitchen timer. She started him with 5-minute increments. He quickly got to where he could go for 15, at which point she could actually get writing done (SF rather than fantasy, as it takes her longer to get into a fantasy world). She also told stories about writing as a child, including a boy from 5th grade (with a great name that escapes me), with whom she collaborated on a an adventure novel. She liked horses and mountains, while he liked jungles and rivers, so each chapter started with the writer finding a way to get back to their setting of choice. She also talked about training with a sword for her new fantasy novel, and about the capacity for violence.
Reading by Alexis Glynn Latner: She read a piece from her dark fantasy western romance. It was delightful. She says that her agent likes the idea and has lit a fire under her about getting it done. I am delighted to hear this, as I so enjoyed what I heard.
Reading by Scott Cupp: What a talented writer and what a great reader. He read "Bois D’Arc, Texas," from a 1992 anthology for the Horror Writers of America. The story was great, and Mr. Cupp is a fabulous reader. He has posted some stories online, and I plan to read more of them.
Reading by Stina Leicht: She read from a fantasy novel partly set in 1970s Ireland and partly here. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more.
Meeting Joe R. Lansdale: I met Mr. Lansdale in the Dealers’ Room and got to tell him I enjoy his writing. I bought a copy of The Bottoms from him. I also got to chat briefly with his wife, who said they had made a family trip of it and were having a good time.
Reading by C.J. Mills: She read an unpublished that her agent had said was not a story, and asked for feedback. It was an epistolary story, and is still in process. It was interesting to hear the story and hear people making comments on what worked and what did not work for them.
Reading by S. Andrew Swann: He read "Fealty" from Places to Be, People to Kill. It was enjoyable, and I will watch for his name in the future.
Met artist Kendall R. Hart: He spent much of the weekend working on a statue based on the Brad Foster armadillo logo for FACT. It is going to be great. I signed up for the raffle and was sorry to hear I had not won. What a delightful person. I hope he did well in the Art Show!
Panel: “How to Sell A Story to Asimov’s”
I caught the last half of this. Comments from Ms. Sheila Williams:
1. No more exploding spaceships in the first paragraph. She’s really tired of that, even if she did say she wanted excitement, and what is more exciting than an exploding spaceship
2. She reads the cover letters. If you have an interesting job, such as emergency room nurse, which you draw on for the story, she’ll be interested to hear that.
3. She reads the stories a week or so after reading cover letters, and has generally forgotten who went with what story. The story sells itself entirely on its own merits. Send a good one.
Fanzines Panel
I was on this one panel. The other, much more distinguished panelists consisted of: Mark Finn, Bill Crider, Teddy Harvia, Janice Gelb, Rusty Hevelin.
- Mr. Hevelin has over 60 years of experience with fanzines, which was fun to hear about. He found fandom, conventions and fanzines all in a two to three month period in 1941. He hitchhiked from California to Denver to attend the first Denvention. He was asked to write a report on the con for a fanzine, and did so. Audience member Gay Haldeman has read the original copy he has at his home. She mentioned her desire to do so one day, and he handed it to her. Amateur Press Associations (APAs) were discussed at length. His ability to find it generated awe and laughter. In discussing the possible frequency of fanzines and APAs, Mr. Hevelin mentioned remembering when his friend Lee Hoffman started Science Fiction Five Yearly. Science Fiction Five Yearly ran for 12 issues,
- Mr. Finn talked about his association with REHUPA, a Robert E. Howard APA (see www.rehupa.com).
- Ms. Gelb talked about the ongoing appeal of fanzines, even with the existence of blogs. One thought she had was that they are a push rather than a pull technology, and that this makes a difference. She referred all to efanzines.com.
- Mr. Crider talked about DAPAEm, the mystery APA that he has been a member of for thirty years. He has never missed an issue. His wife, though not an official member, reads the issues before he does. He says this is like getting updates from family members.
On Friday, I attended the Writers’ Workshop. Morning session was held with all instructors and students in one room. I especially enjoyed a plot-generation game led by Don Webb. (Note: I must find something of his to read. Where to start? Any suggestions?) The highlight of the day for me was the critique sessions. Each of us had brought a piece of writing, and had 2-3 pros and 2-3 fellow students offer a critique. The people in my group were very generous and very helpful.
The workshop closed with a few words form Guest of Honor John Scalzi on “The Power of Suck” for writers. He started by saying, "Give yourself permission to suck," and then said more about the value of sucking. The funniest bit relates to his writing his most recent novel, Zoe's Tale. He commented that if you only do what you know you are good at, if you only stay in your comfort zone, you will never get better. On each of his novels, he puts something in that allows him to suck magnificently. For Zoe’s Tale, the element was the narrator being a 16 year old girl. He obviously has no experience being a 16 year old girl. After he finished his first draft of chapter 1, he proudly sent it off to Campbell Award winner Mary Robinette Kowal. He asked her, "Isn’t this great?" She sent it back saying something like "Not so much." He thought there must be a mistake, so he showed it to his wife. She assured him that it did indeed suck. Obviously he worked on the book, and it got better. His work must have paid off because Ms. Kowal noted on her August 8 blog entry that she it is "a darn good book."
Other highlights:
Charity Auction: Brett Barnes of Literacy Austin graciously attended in person. He had no experience of fandom and found the whole thing fascinating and delightful. Mark Finn and Jayme Lynn Blaschke were fabulous auctioneers, and the hour flew by with many, many laughs. I snagged a copy of The Beasts of Love by Steven Utley, Can’t Buy Me Faded Love by Josh Rountree and Tales from the Secret City. Later in the evening, I ran into Stina Leicht and got her to autograph her story, which I think she enjoyed.
Reading by Elizabeth Moon: She read a selection from the Vatta’s War universe that was interesting and funny. Afterward she talked about the writing life, including how she carved out time while home schooling her autistic son using a kitchen timer. She started him with 5-minute increments. He quickly got to where he could go for 15, at which point she could actually get writing done (SF rather than fantasy, as it takes her longer to get into a fantasy world). She also told stories about writing as a child, including a boy from 5th grade (with a great name that escapes me), with whom she collaborated on a an adventure novel. She liked horses and mountains, while he liked jungles and rivers, so each chapter started with the writer finding a way to get back to their setting of choice. She also talked about training with a sword for her new fantasy novel, and about the capacity for violence.
Reading by Alexis Glynn Latner: She read a piece from her dark fantasy western romance. It was delightful. She says that her agent likes the idea and has lit a fire under her about getting it done. I am delighted to hear this, as I so enjoyed what I heard.
Reading by Scott Cupp: What a talented writer and what a great reader. He read "Bois D’Arc, Texas," from a 1992 anthology for the Horror Writers of America. The story was great, and Mr. Cupp is a fabulous reader. He has posted some stories online, and I plan to read more of them.
Reading by Stina Leicht: She read from a fantasy novel partly set in 1970s Ireland and partly here. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more.
Meeting Joe R. Lansdale: I met Mr. Lansdale in the Dealers’ Room and got to tell him I enjoy his writing. I bought a copy of The Bottoms from him. I also got to chat briefly with his wife, who said they had made a family trip of it and were having a good time.
Reading by C.J. Mills: She read an unpublished that her agent had said was not a story, and asked for feedback. It was an epistolary story, and is still in process. It was interesting to hear the story and hear people making comments on what worked and what did not work for them.
Reading by S. Andrew Swann: He read "Fealty" from Places to Be, People to Kill. It was enjoyable, and I will watch for his name in the future.
Met artist Kendall R. Hart: He spent much of the weekend working on a statue based on the Brad Foster armadillo logo for FACT. It is going to be great. I signed up for the raffle and was sorry to hear I had not won. What a delightful person. I hope he did well in the Art Show!
Panel: “How to Sell A Story to Asimov’s”
I caught the last half of this. Comments from Ms. Sheila Williams:
1. No more exploding spaceships in the first paragraph. She’s really tired of that, even if she did say she wanted excitement, and what is more exciting than an exploding spaceship
2. She reads the cover letters. If you have an interesting job, such as emergency room nurse, which you draw on for the story, she’ll be interested to hear that.
3. She reads the stories a week or so after reading cover letters, and has generally forgotten who went with what story. The story sells itself entirely on its own merits. Send a good one.
Fanzines Panel
I was on this one panel. The other, much more distinguished panelists consisted of: Mark Finn, Bill Crider, Teddy Harvia, Janice Gelb, Rusty Hevelin.
- Mr. Hevelin has over 60 years of experience with fanzines, which was fun to hear about. He found fandom, conventions and fanzines all in a two to three month period in 1941. He hitchhiked from California to Denver to attend the first Denvention. He was asked to write a report on the con for a fanzine, and did so. Audience member Gay Haldeman has read the original copy he has at his home. She mentioned her desire to do so one day, and he handed it to her. Amateur Press Associations (APAs) were discussed at length. His ability to find it generated awe and laughter. In discussing the possible frequency of fanzines and APAs, Mr. Hevelin mentioned remembering when his friend Lee Hoffman started Science Fiction Five Yearly. Science Fiction Five Yearly ran for 12 issues,
- Mr. Finn talked about his association with REHUPA, a Robert E. Howard APA (see www.rehupa.com).
- Ms. Gelb talked about the ongoing appeal of fanzines, even with the existence of blogs. One thought she had was that they are a push rather than a pull technology, and that this makes a difference. She referred all to efanzines.com.
- Mr. Crider talked about DAPAEm, the mystery APA that he has been a member of for thirty years. He has never missed an issue. His wife, though not an official member, reads the issues before he does. He says this is like getting updates from family members.