Since I’ve yet to survive June’s Stoker Awards weekend, or July’s Readercon or San Diego Comic-Con, it seems a bit early to be thinking of August and the World Science Fiction Convention. But luckily, the Renovation committee has been doing that thinking for me.

So here’s where you’ll be able to find me in Reno two months from now. This is only the list of panels, though—readings, autographings, and other solo events are still to come.

Will Eisner: Pioneering Comics Genius
Thursday, August 18, 12:00-13:00
with Tom Galloway and Stu Shiffman

Fantasy and Horror in the New Century
What to look for and where to find on the darker side of literature
Saturday, August 20, 11:00-12:00
with John Joseph Adams, Susan T. Casper, Ellen Datlow, and Nick Mamatas

Giving and Receiving Critiques
Many writers participate in writers workshops, but it can be difficult, especially for new writers, to give critiques helpfully and receive critiques gracefully. Experienced workshoppers discuss techniques for critiques.
Saturday, August 20, 12:00-13:00
with Margaret Fisk , Daniel Abraham , Sheila Finch and Tim Pratt

Crisis Fatigue: The Pros and Cons of Cross-book Universe-changing Comic Epics
Almost every year, it seems, the comics world has a major multibook crisis/civil war/semi-reboot. Is it overused? Does it bring in new readers or deter them?
Saturday, August 20 17:00 – 18:00
with Tom Galloway, Lenny Bailes and Brenda W. Clough

Considering what’s going on in the world of DC Comics at the moment, the timing of that last panel couldn’t be better.

See you all in Reno—and at three other cons first!

Back in 2009, I was once again asked to participate in what I’ve grown to think of as the “speed dating” style of workshopping—three beginning writers and three (supposedly) advanced writers locked together in a room for a couple of hours so the beginners could have their work critiqued.

I always used to do it when asked, but had become disenchanted with it for a couple of reasons, the primary one being that knowing how to calmly accept criticism, even when you disagree with it, is something that (for many) isn’t innate. It has to be learned. And unlike with lengthier workshop situations such as Clarion or Odyssey during which there’s time for trust to be earned, in these quickie critique sessions the writer often doesn’t yet know how to hear, or respond to, the message.

As I explained to Oz Whiston why I was going to pass, I added that I didn’t think anyone who wanted to submit manuscripts should be allowed to take part in the WorldCon critique process until he or she sat through a panel on “How to Respond to a Critique of Your Writing.” I said it half in jest, but as soon as the words came out of my mouth, I realized … “Uh-oh.”

That’s right. Oz asked me to go ahead and give that presentation at Anticipation, the 67th World Science Fiction Convention. Which I agreed to do. The room was packed, and the advice seemed well-received, with many audience members tracking me down later during the con to thank me. And that was that.

But lately, I’ve been thinking that some of the info in the presentation might be useful to some beginning writers who weren’t at WorldCon that year. And so I turned my slideshow into an annotated YouTube video.

I’m not entirely sure how something created to be presented to a specific small group of writers who likely hadn’t been professionally critiqued before will play with a wider audience, but since I believe there’s some valuable info here that might be helpful to more than just the people who were in Montreal, here’s a re-creation of that talk.

Though I’ve used every slide, not every spoken tangential aside is in here—after all, I talked for about 45 minutes at WorldCon, whereas in the clip you’re getting a distilled 15 minutes—but I think there’s still enough meat here that I get my point across.

Speaking of points … my wife, in her wisdom, mentioned that rather that creating this clip as a stand-alone presentation on how writers should react to criticism, I’ve instead created a historical document about a presentation I gave previously, and that perhaps it should be reconfigured and couched as, “I’ve been on both sides of this thing for years, and here are some tips on how to cope with rejection” (that is, something valuable for any writing audience) vs. “I gave a presentation a couple of years ago, and for those who missed it, here’s what I said.”

You know … she has a point. And someday, when I have the time, I may revise, expand, and perfect this presentation so it does just that. But for now, I think I’ll let it stand as is. I hope someone out there gets something out of it.

Here, as threatened, is a piece of the Aussiecon4 panel “Write What You Know,” which featured Jack Dann, Kaaron Warren, and Kim Stanley Robinson. As I wrote earlier, I wasn’t at all pleased with the audio quality captured by my iPhone4 as compared with the Flip camcorder I used for the previous con recordings of mine you’ll find over at my YouTube channel. Sadly, regardless of what I’d been told, I just don’t think the iPhone4 microphone was up to the challenge, and so won’t be using it for that purpose in the future.

So my apologies for any straining you might have to do here. But even though this clip doesn’t have the greatest audio, it’s still worth preserving. Hope it’s not too much of a struggle. Turn up those speakers and give it a listen!

While at Aussiecon4 earlier this month, I recorded two panels—”These are not the people you are looking for: race in SF/F” and “Write what you know!” So considering the speed with which I uploaded Readercon video, some of which went live while Readercon was still ongoing, why haven’t I shared snippets of them here yet? Because I was disappointed in the audio quality captured by my iPhone4, and haven’t decided whether it’s worthy of your eyes and ears. Though I may end up posting it, since it’s better to have some record of the event loose in the world than none at all.

I’ve learned my lesson, though. Next time I want to save a con panel, I’ll use my Flip.

Meanwhile, Phillip Lowles had better luck recording a panel I was on, using his HTC Desire running Google Android. So here’s the “Vampire vs. Zombie Smackdown,” in which I’m joined by George R.R. Martin, Foz Meadows, Narrelle M Harris, Felicity Dowker, and Chuck McKenzie.

(more…)

While at Aussiecon4 in 2010, I took part in the “Vampire vs. Zombie Smackdown,” in which I’m joined by George R.R. Martin, Foz Meadows, Narrelle M Harris, Felicity Dowker, and Chuck McKenzie.

Which side won? Once you’ve watched the panel, which is embedded in four parts below, you decide.

(more…)

I’ll be leaving for Melbourne a week from tomorrow to attend Aussiecon 4, and just in case you’ll be there, too, here’s where you’ll be able to find me.

All four of my panels seem to be horror-themed this year, including one at which I’ll stand up for zombies against those annoying vampire-lovers. It won’t be pretty.

Hope to see you there!

But is it horror?
Saturday 1200 Room 212
What is horror fiction and who decides? The authors? The readers? The publishers and editors? The marketers and booksellers? Does the horror genre even truly exist?
with Joshua Bilmes, Ellen Datlow, Richard Harland, Rocky Wood

Monster mash-ups
Saturday 1500 Room 207
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Sense and Sensibility and Sea-Monsters. Little Vampire Women. Jane Slayre—it’s open season on the classics as well as the undead. Just what is going on here and where did it all start?
with Darlene Marshall, Chuck McKenzie, Faye Ringel, Damien White

Vampire vs Zombie Smackdown
Monday 1400 Room 204
Two kinds of undead, no holds barred.
Participants on the one hand – Scott Edelman, Rob Hood, Chuck McKenzie.
On the other – Narrelle M Harris, George R. R. Martin, Faye Ringel

Maybe I am too normal to enjoy this book…
Monday 1500 Room 212
Horror authors share the worst things ever said about their work and discuss the context of the outburst. Audience members are invited to share their own worst “critiques”.
with Will Elliott, Deborah Biancotti, Rob Hood, Martin Livings

Here’s a photo that’s not quite as old as the last one, digging only 17 years back in time, to Labor Day weekend of 1993. Sovereign Media co-owners Carl Gnam and Mark Hintz wanted to do something out of the ordinary at ConFrancisco, the 51st World Science Fiction Convention, to celebrate the first birthday of Science Fiction Age, and when we put our heads together, we figured—

Hey, it’s our first birthday! Why not cake?

So they shelled out for enough cake to serve around 2,000 people, part of which you can see below. There were several overflow sheet cakes to feed the ravenous hordes. The rocket ships, which ended up looking a little too much like Hugo trophies for my comfort (since SFA hadn’t actually won any) were made of solid chocolate. Andy Porter walked off with one of them, something he tells me every time I see him. He supposedly still has it in his refrigerator.

I’m holding copies of Science Fiction Age issues #1 (which debuted at the previous year’s Worldcon, MagiCon, held in Orlando, Florida) and #7. (more…)

Gary K. Wolfe opened his room at the Intercontinental late yesterday afternoon to hold a wake for Charles Brown. And while many moving and tearful things were said by his many friends, which I will leave unreported as I believe that for the most part what happens at a wake should remain at a wake, one comment Gary made stuck with me.

Once the room was filled, he stood on a ledge by the window (inside the glass, of course) to get our attention and begin the proceedings. Some began to shout “Jump! Jump!” … because, as we all know, those of us who gather at Worldcon once each year are three-year-olds at heart.

In response to this, Gary pointed at Ellen Datlow and Gardner Dozois, seated on the edge of the bed, and said:

“The science fiction editor says ‘Don’t jump.’ The horror editor says ‘Jump.’ That’s all you need to know about those genres.”

The more I think about it, the more I like it.

I’ve been too busy at Worldcon to spend much time keeping up here. Even my tweeting has been unusually limited for a con environment, since to avoid insane international roaming charges I’ve been dependent on free wifi, which I’ve only been able to access at the hotel and in the dealers room, and not while watching or participating on any of the panels.

But before throwing myself out into the maelstrom once more—I’ll be attempting to moderate Bob Silverberg, Nancy Kress, James Nelson-Lucas, and Bill Willingham on the 11:00 a.m. panel “What Makes a Good Story?”—I’d like to share one of the more joyous moments I’ve had so far.

I very much wanted to see David Kyle this weekend. He was one of the Futurians, and a co-founder of Gnome Press. Dave was at the first Worldcon, and even at what was supposed to have been the first SF con before the Worldcon, which I believe occurred in 1936 when a group of New York fans drove to meet with some Philadelphia fans in the back of a bar owned my somebody’s father. (Any fan historians out there, feel free to correct me!) A Worldcon isn’t a Worldcon until I catch up with Dave, and I never got a chance to do that last year at Denvention.

I spotted him between panels early yesterday afternoon, rushing along to get to his next panel, with no time to talk. But just seeing him, hale and hearty at 90, bursting with energy as he passed me by and promised we’d get together later, made me happy.

Later, though, I did get to sit with him and chat for half an hour. We talked until I had to meet some friends for dinner and he had to rest a bit before heading out for a night of partying. I would have liked to have hung out with him all night, talking of the old days and the days still to come. Dave’s one of those people I hope to be like when I grow up. If you see him this weekend, be sure to say hello!

Here’s where you’ll be able to find me next month in Montreal at Anticipation, the 67th World Science Fiction Convention.

I don’t know which I’m looking forward to more—the programming or the smoked meat!

The Year in Novels
Thursday, August 6
2:00 p.m.-3:00 pm. (Room P-516D)
with Jo Walton, Kevin J. Maroney
Our panel of experts tell you about the must-reads of the year.

Scanning for Life
Thursday, August 6
3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. (Room P-518A)
with Janice Cullum Hodghead (moderator), Mark Olson, Sonya Taaffe
In the fifth edition of Anatomy of Wonder, Neil Barron said that the book would not cover SF poetry because it is “a relatively minor and very specialized field that, in my judgment, has never produced major works.” Is that fair? If not, what are the major canonical works?

How to Respond to a Critique of your Writing
Thursday, August 6
5:00 PM-6:00 p.m. (Room P-511A)
If you’ve never been in a critique setting it’s intimidating. Scott Edelman tells you how not to get “down” when your work is being put down. A veteran of workshops, rejections and Clarion, an editor and writer himself, Scott gives a talk to new writers about how to respond to criticism of their work. This talk is especially recommended for people contemplating a residence workshop or people scheduled for the small session workshops at Worldcon that begin on Friday.

SF in Comics
Thursday, August 6
7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. (Room P-522B)
I moderate Anne ANGE Guéro, Tom Stidman, and Claude Lalumière
A discussion of the long marriage of the genre and the medium, from Buck Rogers to Nexus—perhaps with an emphasis on the intersecting contributions of Ray Bradbury. (more…)