Category Archives: Conferences

Worldcon Highlights

I’ve been meaning to say something witty or profound about Worldcon 2015, which was a delightful experience from start to finish. I’m really glad I went, and am equally glad that it was in Spokane which meant a short journey to a relatively familiar place. I enjoyed being part of the writing-critique workshops, helping out with the kaffeeklatches, and meeting some favorite authors (notably, Gail Carriger and Matt Wallace). The other volunteers (and the people in charge of the volunteers) were lovely people to work with and I found having duties to perform helped structure an otherwise overwhelming amount of possibilities. Next Worldcon, I think I’ll arrive a day earlier, if possible.

atticus

My only real regret was something beyond my control – the air quality. Spokane was, during Worldcon, home to the worst air pollution in the country. That put a pretty severe damper on outdoor activities for a lot of folks (though, we did enjoy one clear, beautiful morning). I had hoped to do a little more walking and exploring outside – but, aside from that, I had such a good time that I’m looking forward to subsequent Worldcons. I did find the historic carousel, and made several trips to Atticus Coffee.

tiger

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Best Laid Plans

Taos Toolbox is still two months away but already I’m thinking of making my packing list. (Yes, I’m serious.) I wanted to know more about what to expect, so I searched for blogs by previous attendees. I was very glad to find a post by Amy Sundberg about her experience at the workshop. I contacted her with questions for some specific details and she was very helpful. (She’s a member of both Codex and SFWA, and her blog is really quite good.)

While I have a better idea of what to expect, I still haven’t decided how to get there. I haven’t found an enormous advantage, yet, in the question of drive-vs-fly. So far both options are equal in terms of cost, hassle, and time. Reaching a get-away-from-it-all destination requires, perhaps obviously, getting away from it all…literally.

 

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Tales of Good Fortune

At the start of December I sent an application to the novel-writing workshop Taos Toolbox. A few days before Christmas, I found out that I’d been accepted. Despite the lack of exclamation points thus far, I’m extremely excited. I’m really pleased I got in, and owe a debt of thanks to my critique group (the Minnows), who worked really hard to make sure my application and writing sample were up to par. Continue reading

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Potlatch Convention

I recently had the good fortune of attending the Potlatch convention, held this year in Seattle. Connected to Clarion West, this convention offers sci-fi and fantasy writers the chance to participate in a workshop/critique session, discussion panels on various topics, and the opportunity to meet both published authors and other beginners in the genre. Continue reading

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New Year’s Note

I wanted to send a thanks out to anyone who’s still reading “Antiquity” and apologize for the sporadic posting of chapters (if it’s any consolation, chapters 21 and 22 are ready, but I’m going to wait a few days to post them!). I’ve registered to attend this year’s Potlatch convention and have been polishing short stories and searching Duotrope for places to submit. (I’ve got three out that I’m waiting to hear back on, and two in the revision process.) I’d list out all the reasons I’ve been busy lately, but instead I’ll share today’s motivational video. Not that the video’s all that motivating (funny, though), but I’ve always found this a good tune to work to. So, more chapters soon (another novella is in the works to follow this one), some real blog posts, and more book giveaways — really!

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Writing the Rockies, voice, and Barbara Chepaitis

It’s been a month since I attended the Writing the Rockies conference and, in my own defense, I‘ve not written more about it because I‘ve been spending most of my free time writing and revising fiction.  I had the good fortune, while in Gunnison, of participating in a session by author Barbara Chepaitis – I say participate because she got attendees involved Continue reading

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Writing the Rockies

I had the good fortune to attend Writing the Rockies at the end of July, in beautiful (if somewhat remote) Gunnison, Colorado. Western State College of Colorado boasts a low-residency MFA in creative writing that allows students to pursue their degree largely online, with a two-week summer session culminating in a weekend writing conference. The Continue reading

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