Albacon 2005 ReportOctober 7-9, 2005Unfortunately, I came back from Albacon and went right back to work on my latest novel, Cardinal Crimson, so I didn't wrote up my notes from the convention until now. So, much of the convention is now a blur. In fact, I wrote several thousand words while I was there, which meant I saw very few panels outside the ones I sat on. But this was still a fun convention and I do plan to go again next year. The first thing I noticed when I got to this convention is that not only do they have a wonderful site at the Crowne Plaza hotel, but the set-up for the convention is just about the best I've seen for a small convention. All of the panel rooms, along with the Con Suite, the film room, and the Reading Room were in a line, along the back wall of a wide-open area outside the elevators. They used the open area for gaming, so nearly everything in the convention was right there in one spot. And, this area overlooked the pool, which was right next to two larger rooms which held the Art Show and the Dealer Room. There was no walking from one end of the hotel to the other or up and down endless stairs just to get from panel to panel. I hope they can keep this hotel for a long time because it's a fantastic venue for an SF convention. Friday, October 7 - I had no panels on Friday, so enjoyed talking with old friends like Peter Prellwitz, a new author whose writing I like whom I met at Balticon last May, Keith DeCandido, an accomplished writer in some of the hottest licenses on the planet (including Star Trek, Farscape, and Firefly), Sean Fodera, whom I haven't seen since last year's Worldcon, and Tom Easton, another convention mainstay and one of the most influential people in fandom. Peter, Sean and I had a wonderful conversation that ran the gamut from SF and fandom to religion and politics and eventually to my current favorite topic -- World of Warcraft. During all of this socializing, the annual Albacon Ice Cream Social broke out around us. This was the great part of the common/game area where everything (including the weekend's best conversations) took place. Saturday, October 8 - Now, like I said, I didn't write down my notes after this convention, and I seem to have misplace my program, so my panel write-ups will be a little sparse and I know I will miss naming some fellow panelists. My first panel on Saturday was "Writing at the Word Level: Words we avoid in our writing." Dr. David Stephenson, Terry McGarry, and others joined me to discuss those words we try to excise from our writing. I loathe the use of the word "that" and also try to avoid gerunds (nouns turned into verbs by adding an ing ending) in my work. I don't always succeed, but I do try. I also admitted that my favorite word of late in my writing is "slammed." It seems everyone and everything is slamming into something in my most recent stories. After this session, I had some time off, which I used to write a little bit of Cardinal Crimson. I then had a wonderful reading, with three new fans who had come to the Writing at the Word Level panel and decided to try out my reading. They all laughed at the right spots in my reading from Blood Royal, so I rewarded them with an extra reading from the unfinished Cardinal Crimson. One of the listeners tracked me down on Sunday with a copy of Blood Royal for me to signm so I was quite happy with the reading. The only other panel I got to on Saturday (in fact the only panel I attended that I wasn't a part of) was the Travis Tea session. Travis Tea was a Special Guest of Honor at Albacon. For those of you who don't know the story of Travis Tea, this is the pseudonym given to the 30 authors of the world's worst published novel -- Atlanta Nights. Last year, Publish America got into a verbal spat with the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA). SFWA had long contended that Publish America was nothing more than a vanity press that conned writers out of their hard-earned publishing rights. So, when Publish America made disparaging remarks about the SFWA, some members decided to pull a sting. They got about 30 writers working basically blind to co-write a novel. One chapter was even written by a computer program that used passages from the rest of the book to generate garbage text with the character's names thrown in. This story was submitted to Publish America and accepted for publication. If you want to read the whole story, check out this Travis Tea page on the SFWA website. Well, the sting is long over, but the legend of Travis Tea lives on. SFWA eventually published the novel with a reputable vanity press and have been selling copies with all proceeds going to the SFWA Health fund, which helps authors with no insurance pay major medical expenses. College professors are even using the novel as a tool to show students how NOT to write a novel. So, this panel with co Travis Tea guests of Honor Chuck Rothman, Allen Steele, Sean Fodera, Mary Catelli, and Terry McGarry was a hoot. They talked about the writing process for producing this terrible dreck and then read passages from their chapters. On his writing process, Allen Steele said that he just couldn't get his work to be bad enough, so he had to resort to writing it drunk. He spent several hours one evening with a bottle of Tequila and his keyboard and came away with some horrible, horrible writing. The passages that were read made the room howl with laughter. I highly recommend buying this novel from the SFWA website just to see how bad some of your fsvorite writers can write. This session was definitely the highlight of this convention and made me wish I had gotten involved. I want to be Travis Tea, too. Sunday, October 9 - I had two panels on Sunday morning before I left. The first was "How Science Fiction Changed My Life." The Fan Guests of Honor Byron Connell and Tina Connell, along with Thomas G. Atkinson and others talked about how they got involved in Science Fiction and what it had done for their lives. This panel was a lot of fun and we all shared some wonderful anecdotes about our lives in SF and fandom. My life has definitely changed in the last four years since I became a full-time writer. For one thing, I have met some wonderful people (some of them relatively famous in the genre) that I never would have met otherwise. After that panel, it was off to "Character, Event, or Plot-Driven SciFi Stories." In this panel, we all discussed the importance of character in every story, but how plot tends to drive the action forward. I fell back on the old MICE quotient idea from Orson Scott Card. Card says in his book "Character and Viewpoints" that there are four basic types of stories:
Now, most stories have elements of all four of these categories, but Card says it is important for both the writer and the reader to know which category is dominant because there are certain expectations that come with each. This panel was one of the most technical of the entire convention and it was well-attended by all the aspiring writers who had come to Albacon. It was a great way to end the day and the convention. After this session, I took one last walk around to see my close friends whom I only see once or twice per year and then tried to leave. Unfortunately, Albacon takes place on Columbus Day weekend in Albany, the State Capital of New York. There was a mahor Columbus Day Parade that marched down the street right passed the hotel. My daughter wanted to watch, so we stayed and waited for the streets to clear. It at least gave me a chance to get one autograph signed (from one of the fans who had attended my reading), which just made the weekend that much sweeter. Astronomicon 2005 ReportNovember 12-14, 2005This is the first Astronomicon since 2002 and I have missed this convention. This was the first SF convention I attended as a pro three years ago. My first novel, Judgment, had just come out that year and I felt I needed to get onto the circuit. What a great convention that was. I met Rob Sawyer, Walter Hunt, Tee Morris, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, and my two current best friends -- Al Katerinsky and Herb Kauderer. Al and Herb asked me to join their writer's group -- Thundering Word -- and we have traveled to conventions together ever since. In fact, I put both All and Herb in my first (there's a lot of firsts here) Kal Jerico book, Blood Royal. So, anyway, I had high hopes for another great convention out of Astronomicon this year, and I wasn't disappointed. Friday, November 12 - My first panel was Future Crimes, moderated by Hugo Award winner (and friend) Rob Sawyer. I think this is the first panel I have ever sat on with Rob and it was a blast. Sitting with us were Dr. David Stephenson, whom I have talked to and paneled with a number of times, and the Wombat, another mainstay of the East Coast convention circuit. We discussed wat Crime, law enforcement, and punishment would look like in the future. Wombat felt that good old-fashioned shoe leather would still be needed, while Dr. Stephenson thought that robots and remote sensory tech would rule the day. My point was that there would always be an arms race between criminals and cops and that every technological advance on one side would lead to research and development on the other. Right after this thought-provoking panel, I had to moderate the Biology of Fantasy Creatures. This is a panel I have done many many times, so it was refreshing to toss out the questions and let the other panelists do the bulk of the talking. My main feeling is that fantasy creatures should be consistent with their environment and should make sense, but don't need to be bound by natural laws if the plot dictates otherwise. Just don't stretch the elastic of credibility too far. The panel included animated artist Steve Bennet, newer authors Richard Taubold and Stephen Aelmekinder, another convention mainstay and renaissance woman Morgan Brilliant, and Dave Freer. This was to be the first of three panels I would moderate with Dave Freer and he was one of the main highlights of the convention for me. Dave is a writer from South Africa and just about as eccentric and humorous as they come. He reminded me a lot of Terry Pratchett with his dry sense of humor and quick wit. Dave also came with his own videographer, who filmed all of his sessions. I can't wait to see the documentary that comes out because these were hilarious sessions. In between these sessions, I helped set up for the first (there's that word again) Thundering Word room party. More on that in a minute, because I had to leave before the party started to go attend Late Night with Rob Sawyer. This session was created for the convention that has become Eeriecon (my backyard convention in Niagara Falls, New York). It is a way to meet the guests of honor and some other guests of the convention in a more relaxed atmosphere than a GoH talk. Rob interviews the guests a la Johnny Carson. There's lots of humor and it's a fun time. Rob's Ed McMahon this evening was another writer friend I had met at the 2002 Astronomicon -- Nick DiChario. Nick is a fabulous writer who will get his first novel published by Robert J. Sawyer books next spring. I got to go up second and talked about the Kal Jerico novels and my upcoming foray into a high profile licensed universe (which I will announce here as soon as the ink is put to the contract). After me came Tee Morris, and if you haven't met Tee, then you haven't been to the circus. Tee is a one-man show every time he appears and he was one this night, regailing everyone with jokes and running up and down the aisle. After Tee came the Guests of Honor Spider Robinson, who is an incredibly interesting man whom I would like to get to know better, and Bob Eggleton, nine time Hugo Winner and one of the best artists in the field. I got to sit on a panel with Bob later in the weekend and enjoyed my time talking with him. Then it was time for the Thundering Word Party. Al and I talked at length with an aspiring writer and helped her hone the plot on her first novel. I talked with Nick DiChario a little, but didn't get to spend enough time with him. Rob Sawyer showed up as well, and we all talked and ate Herb's amazing stew until after 3 a.m. I then trudged next door to my room and flopped into bed to get some sleep before my Reading in the morning. Saturday, November 13 - On Saturday, I woke up early enough to attend Peter Prellwitz's Reading. I met Peter at Balticon in May and we have become fast friends. His books are sold in PDFs and as Print on Demand, and he may well ride both of those industries into the future, as he is an accomplished writer who can spin one heck of an intriguing story. Tee Morris was also in attendance. Peter had to run off to a panel, which just left me and Tee for my reading. We passed the time catching up and then I headed off to get ready for my lunch date. Rob Sawyer does a lot of things right. One of which is his YAHOO group (which I am trying to emulate, but I don't have quite the number of fans that Rob has). Anyway, members of his online group met with Rob and Carolyn Clink (Rob's wife) for lunch at the hotel restaurant. It was a great time and we had the world's hardest-working waittress. I spent most of my time talking with Herb and David Clink, who is one of the punniest people alive. Rob had to leave early to get to his reading, while we all tried to figure out the myriad lunch checks. I got to Rob's reading about half-way through, but in a tribute to his style and expertise, I was able to jump right into the story and got completely caught up in it. Rob read from the book he is currently writing -- Rollback -- and I was again astounded by his smooth style, and the way he mixes humor with drama. I found myself laughing and nodding along with the plight of the characters in the reading. If this sample was indicative of the quality of his next novel, I predict Rob will be back on the Hugo list soon. After the reading, I went to the Comedy in the Future panel as a member of the audience to support my writer's group friends, Herb and Al. Peter Prellwitz was also on the panel along with Richard Taubold and D. Cameron Calkins. I don't think we ever came to a consensus about what comedy will look like in the future -- although I suspect that what Herb called splat and stretch humor (think Warner Bros. cartoons) will always work -- it was a fun panel and I found myself laughing all the way through. Next, my wife, Daneen, and I attended the Chinese Poo Poo Platter Religion panel. We loved the title and I've always been interested in the use of religion in fiction. This panel featured Nick DiChario, Morgan Brilliant, Mark Garland, Michael Livingston, and D. Cameron Calkins. Although the panel kept slipping into predictable diatribes about who's religion has done what to whom, I though Nick had some great insights and Morgan Brilliant made one of the best observations about religion in fiction I've ever heard. Morgan's point was that the most important part of religion for most people are the rituals surrounding the big life events -- birth, marriage, death, etc. So, when creating a religion for a story, these rituals and events are the ones that will mean the most to both your characters and your readers. After a long day of getting to watch other people in panels and readings, it was finally my turn to moderate again on Saturday evening. First up was Space Opera VS Hard SF VS Fantasy. I had prepared quite a list of quesitons for this panel because I knew I had both Tee Morris and Carl Frederick on the panel. These guys are insightful and have great stories to tell, and it was my job to make sure the rest of the panelists got a chance to talk. What I hadn't counted on was Dave Freer, the South African phenom. Richard Taubold and Stephen Almekinder, the relative newcomers did a good job of keeping up, but this was a roller coaster ride from start to finish. My last panel of the day was the one I had been looking forward to the most. It was Writers with no Lives Tell All. I again had to modertate Carl Frederick and Dave Freer. Joining us were Lois Gresh, Stephen Almekinder (again), and Mike D'Ambrosio. This was to be the panel where we writers tell about the woe it is to be us. The long hours of working on novels while also holding down a day job to actually pay the bills. I supposedly cheat by having a working wife, but I figure as a full-time stay-at-home father, I had something to say (plus I was moderator, so I could cheat). What I hadn't counted on was Carl Frederick telling all of us about his home office, complete with English saddle where he sits on a daily basis to perform his craft. The entire panel went down hill from there and we all unleashed some secrets that I for one am a little worried about having been caught on tape. That's right, Dave Freer's cameraman was there to capture it all for posterity. It was a hoot, and a great way to end the day. Except that my day wasn't over. With no parties to speak of that night, everyone ended up in the ConSuite for the evening. David Clink once again brought poker chips (I've played poker with David at two Eeriecons now). Joining us were Dr. David DeGraff, the local astronomer and an all-around good guy, Carolyn Clink, Herb (for a while) and then Herb's teenage daughter, and a slew of other people whose names I never really got. The poker night was just one piece of the ConSuite entertainment on Saturday, though. Around 11 p.m. Spider Robinson showed up with Guitar in hand for a wonderful Beatles sing-a-long. Spider has an amazing command of the guitar and a singing voice that made me, at times, think I was listening to my wife's old Beatles tapes. It was a night to remember and I didn't get to sleep until 2 a.m. (completely forgetting that my one and only panel on Sunday had a 9 a.m. time slot. Sunday, November 14 - I made it to SF&F Art Classics and the Greats of Today promptly at 9 a.m. after a night of fitful sleep. And even though the Green Room didn't open early enough for me to get some caffeine beforehand, the panel went very well. The two artists in attendance -- Bob Eggleton and Steve Bennet were on the panel with Bob moderating. I was there mostly because I've dealt with Magic artists in my checkered past as a magazine editor and had some opinions. We actually wandered all over the place, spending a lot of time regailing the audience with tales of woe from Wizards of the Coast, and hardly ever getting around to the topic at hand, but nobody complained and it was a heck of a lot of fun. Bob Eggleton is a great guy and I thoroughly enjoyed being on a panel with the Artist Guest of Honor. The last stop on this ride was as a guest for another panel with my writer's group mate Herb Kauderer. Herb and Carolyn and Dave Clink, along with Susan Manchester taught the audience Poetry 101. It was fascinating learning how these published poets work. With over 1,000 published poems between them, they knew their stuff, and for me, a prose-only writer, I am in awe of the ability to compose in short verse with such wonderfully evocative imagery. Susan even composed a fairly long poem on the spot and read it to all of us, and it was wonderful with a liquid theme that she carried through line after line. After this last panel, it was time to say good byes and head home. I tarried too long in the dealer room to see old friends and new and get one last conversation in with some of the greats of science fiction as well as those, like me, who are aspiring to those heights. Although one of the smallest conventions I go to, I have found that Astronomicon is always one of the most enjoyable, and this year was no exception. I can't wait for next year. |
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