I go to Dragon*Con every year. It’s one of my vacations, and I dress up, and meet people, and mingle with my favorites in writing and acting. Well, I try and mingle. Sometimes it’s nothing more than a respectful gaze from a distance.
This year, I took a different tack. I have started to publish a little on the Wormhole Electric site, and I love writing for more than just me. With that in mind, I decided to hie myself to panels and discussions that were more craft than fan focused. I went to a healthy number of writing panels that explored all sorts of aspects of this madness.
What. A. Revelation.
I learned a ton. Perhaps not literally, although it felt like it at the time. Thanks to my trusty Samsung Note, I didn’t have to tote around pen and paper. I took notes on my phone, and then emailed them to myself. (I’m feeling all sorts of proud of my efficiency there – can you tell?) I stored away a number of really good ideas for moving myself forward as a professional. LOL – I’m not sure it will take, but I plan to try. If it doesn’t, there is no liability on the part of the presenters. They worked hard to impart honesty and realism to those who were there.
I truly believed I could take a breather once I was back from Con. I got my edit of my Part Two of The Search to my editor, I am almost done with Part Three, and I had most of my costumes together. I could not have been more wrong. I have a To Do list worthy of the week prior to Con.
No complaints, though. After a number (cough, cough) of years of working and re-working my tale of Sylvah, I’m excited to toss her out into the world.