NY Comic Con 2008: Day One Squeeeeeeeeeeee
I couldn't find a transcript of this online, so I will first bring you what is probably a horrible, mangled paraphrase of an awesome response Neil Gaiman gave during his Q&A session (aspiring writers, take note!).
Question: When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
Neil: I've always wanted to be a writer. I can't remember a time when I didn't want to be a writer. However, I used to think I could become a writer without actually writing. When I was 11 or so, I planned to become a writer by carrying a copy of Lord of the Rings with me at all times. That way, when I fell through an interdimensional rift into a world where everything thing was the same except that no one had written Lord of the Rings, I would be the only one who had it. I'd then get an adult to type it up for me (of course I wouldn't do it myself, that would be too much work), and I'd send it off to be published.
Then, when I was 13, I decided I would become a writer by kidnapping writers from all over the world, locking them up in a huge stone castle, and forcing them to work on a diabolical trilogy of my own devising.
Eventually, I realized that writing was easier than either of these two schemes.
So even though I haven't finished The Sandman yet *cries* Neil Gaiman is still (obviously) awesome. :D My entire first day at NYCC was spent at his reading/Q&A session, which ran overtime and went for two and a half hours (thank you for going overtime Neil! whee! :D).
There was no line to get into the Con, but the line to get into his event was HUGE! You had to buy a ticket ahead of time for it, but the line was so long and the room so small looking that I was afraid that they had oversold tickets for some reason and I wouldn't get in. :(
They did fit us all in *whew* and then Bill Hader (who I didn't really know before this, but he's from Superbad and Saturday Night Live) gave a HILARIOUS intro involving impressions of Vincent Price as Coraline and Al Pacino as Dream.
Then Neil came on finally (woo!) and talked a little about the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and read a few pieces. He read "The Day the Saucers Came," "Orange" (a story written in the form of an interview with the questions left out--sort of like a one-sided conversation, and such a cool format!), annndd, another one whose title I don't remember, but it was basically about a writer "experimenting" with the effects of alcohol on their creativity. Don't drink and write kids! You might end up rambling about ants eating elephant ejaculate. =P
He also read part of yet-to-be-released The Graveyard Book. He is such an awesome reader! He does sound effects and accents and everything. X) The best part by far, though, was the Q&A. Aside from the fascinating answers, he did two other really adorable things.
The way the Q&A was run, people wrote their questions on pieces of paper which were all collected, and then Neil went over them during the 10 minute intermission to pick which ones he would answer. There was also a girl in the audience dressed as Delirium. One of the questions that Neil picked to read was this one: "I think the girl dressed as Delirium is really cute. Could you get her number for me, Neil?"
LOL!
Neil asked the guy who wrote the question to stand up, and the girl actually gave him her number! Awwwww. So cute.
The other thing was that someone wrote him this question: "You're my favorite writer who is still alive and you really inspire me. Can I have my picture taken with you? :)" (He read the smiley face outloud, lol).
And he actually let the girl run up on stage and get her photo snapped with him. Darnit, now why I hadn't I thought to write that question? LOL
So that was Day One. :) Yes, Day Two has already happened (the highlight of which was meeting Itsjustsomerandomguy from YouTube. More on that to come, with pictures if I can get a new cable for my digital camera--although no pictures of Itsjustsomerandomguy. My batteries had died by then :( ), and I am off for Day Three in a minute (this will be my shopping day, yay!).
And sorry for going back to being AWOL this weekend! I'm not so far behind, so I will attempt catch up on Monday. In any case, I blame NYCC. ;)
Question: When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
Neil: I've always wanted to be a writer. I can't remember a time when I didn't want to be a writer. However, I used to think I could become a writer without actually writing. When I was 11 or so, I planned to become a writer by carrying a copy of Lord of the Rings with me at all times. That way, when I fell through an interdimensional rift into a world where everything thing was the same except that no one had written Lord of the Rings, I would be the only one who had it. I'd then get an adult to type it up for me (of course I wouldn't do it myself, that would be too much work), and I'd send it off to be published.
Then, when I was 13, I decided I would become a writer by kidnapping writers from all over the world, locking them up in a huge stone castle, and forcing them to work on a diabolical trilogy of my own devising.
Eventually, I realized that writing was easier than either of these two schemes.
So even though I haven't finished The Sandman yet *cries* Neil Gaiman is still (obviously) awesome. :D My entire first day at NYCC was spent at his reading/Q&A session, which ran overtime and went for two and a half hours (thank you for going overtime Neil! whee! :D).
There was no line to get into the Con, but the line to get into his event was HUGE! You had to buy a ticket ahead of time for it, but the line was so long and the room so small looking that I was afraid that they had oversold tickets for some reason and I wouldn't get in. :(
They did fit us all in *whew* and then Bill Hader (who I didn't really know before this, but he's from Superbad and Saturday Night Live) gave a HILARIOUS intro involving impressions of Vincent Price as Coraline and Al Pacino as Dream.
Then Neil came on finally (woo!) and talked a little about the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and read a few pieces. He read "The Day the Saucers Came," "Orange" (a story written in the form of an interview with the questions left out--sort of like a one-sided conversation, and such a cool format!), annndd, another one whose title I don't remember, but it was basically about a writer "experimenting" with the effects of alcohol on their creativity. Don't drink and write kids! You might end up rambling about ants eating elephant ejaculate. =P
He also read part of yet-to-be-released The Graveyard Book. He is such an awesome reader! He does sound effects and accents and everything. X) The best part by far, though, was the Q&A. Aside from the fascinating answers, he did two other really adorable things.
The way the Q&A was run, people wrote their questions on pieces of paper which were all collected, and then Neil went over them during the 10 minute intermission to pick which ones he would answer. There was also a girl in the audience dressed as Delirium. One of the questions that Neil picked to read was this one: "I think the girl dressed as Delirium is really cute. Could you get her number for me, Neil?"
LOL!
Neil asked the guy who wrote the question to stand up, and the girl actually gave him her number! Awwwww. So cute.
The other thing was that someone wrote him this question: "You're my favorite writer who is still alive and you really inspire me. Can I have my picture taken with you? :)" (He read the smiley face outloud, lol).
And he actually let the girl run up on stage and get her photo snapped with him. Darnit, now why I hadn't I thought to write that question? LOL
So that was Day One. :) Yes, Day Two has already happened (the highlight of which was meeting Itsjustsomerandomguy from YouTube. More on that to come, with pictures if I can get a new cable for my digital camera--although no pictures of Itsjustsomerandomguy. My batteries had died by then :( ), and I am off for Day Three in a minute (this will be my shopping day, yay!).
And sorry for going back to being AWOL this weekend! I'm not so far behind, so I will attempt catch up on Monday. In any case, I blame NYCC. ;)