I promised a number of people that I’d write a World Fantasy Convention Report.
So, World Fantasy Convention (WFC) was held in Madison this year, which is practically on my doorstep. I still don’t know if I have enough for a real diary since it wasn’t that coherent an experience, but here goes. This was my third WFC, so I’ll lay things out about WFCs in general then this one in specific.
WFC is different from any other con I’ve ever been to. It’s deliberately expensive and the membership is capped at 850. Both are measures designed to keep it as professional as possible. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a name writer, an editor, or an agent. You’ll also hit one gonna-be and three wanna-bes. I don’t mean that in a negative way. I’ve been both a wanna-be and a gonna-be, and have moved up to a low slot on the “is” list. Fantasy artists, reviewers, publishers, and book store people are there in abundance as well. Of that 850, there are maybe one hundred folks who don’t fall into the above categories. These are by and large very serious fans. Many are SMOFs – the secret masters of fandom, who hold the F&SF world together in many ways. They’re also the folks (often overlapping with bookstore people) who do most of the volunteering and make sure the convention actually happens.
WFC is very much about making connections and networking. I’m decent at doing both of these things when I’m motivated, but I don’t enjoy it as much as some do. That’s why I try not to go with an agenda. If I don’t have to meet people, I tend to meet more of them and stress about it less. My first WFC got me an invite to write Star Wars short stories that was eventually rescinded by Lucas Film because I didn’t have the right credits. It was a surreal ride. My second WFC is kind of blurry because I came down with the flu in the middle of it.
Parties. I spend a lot of time hanging out in the publisher parties where things really happen at WFC. There are also secret pro parties where many of the mighty hang out. I’m currently not cool enough to get invited to those at the WFC level. I’ve been to them at smaller cons though, so I know they exist, and the fact that there were a ton of pros that I didn’t see until the very last day suggests they were somewhere I was not. I did have fun at the parties I went to, and Laurel Winter (outstanding YA author and long time friend) talked me into a long pink wig. There were a couple more wigs as well and Charles DeLint took pictures. I suppose that since I mentioned them, I have to post them. See below.
There is also a lot of programming, mostly panel discussions. I rarely go to programming that I’m not on any more. I used to go to tons and somewhere along the line I burned out. Instead I spend a lot of time lounging, often in the halls, and always with a fairly good sized group of friends. I’ve heard them described as my entourage, but that’s just silly. I’m just a social soul and have many friends in the F&SF community. We tend to have a lot of silly fun. We spent three hours playing with a couple of superballs and a cup on Saturday night and acquired a number of new friends. If you’re having silly fun in a serious place, other people who like silly will quickly join you.
Shmoozing. As I mentioned above, shmoozing is a key activity at WFC. I did some, but not really very much. Less than I usually do, and probably less than I should have. The odd thing is realizing that over the last two years or so I have become a shmoozee instead of just a shmoozer. And perhaps even more odd, it makes some sense, as I’ve been at this long enough to have the sorts of useful information that are worth seeking out. The dangerous side to this is that shmoozing often involves the buying of drinks and I’m the world’s cheapest date. 1.5 beers and I’m into frame dragging land, so I have to be very careful.
Lounging. This is what I did the most of. The hot tub was hot, the drinks were cold, and the company was fabulous. With the aid if a friendly bartender I perfected the Snarky Booswarm which is a shot of Citron, a shot and a half of Midori, a shot of lemon juice, and about as much sour as the rest combined, all served over ice. I also had Spotted Cow and Fat Squirrel, two of Wisconsin’s finest beers.
Pros. I hung out with or at least exchanged greetings with a ton of writers and artists. Here’s the list:
Published Writers with whom I had some interaction more than hello and goodbye: Barth Anderson, S. N. Arly, Elizabeth Bear, Tracy Berg, Charles de Lint, Alan DeNiro, Matt Forbeck, John M. Ford, Terry A. Garey, Paul Genesse, Laura Anne Gilman, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Nancy Holder, Naomi Kritzer, Ellen Kushner, Jay Lake, David D. Levine, Sandra Lindow, Kelly Link, Catherine Lundoff, Rebecca Marjesdatter, Sarah Monette, Hilary Moon Murphy, Darrell Schweitzer, Delia Sherman, Carrie Vaughn, Joan Vinge, Anna Waltz, Terri Windling, Laurel Winter, Jane Yolen, Sarah Zettel.
Published Writers, with whom I exchanged hellos: Holly Black, Ted Chiang, Ellen Datlow, Stephen R. Donaldson, David Drake, Carol Emshwiller, Esther Friesner, Gregory Frost, Gavin Grant, Eileen Gunn, P.C. Hodgell, Ellen Klages, Eric E. Knight, Patricia McKillip, Garth Nix, Kristine Smith, Midori Snyder, Michael A. Stackpole, Caroline Stevermer, Terri Windling, Gene Wolfe.
In closing. One of the best aspects of the F&SF community is that it is a community. We have a very strong tradition of welcoming new writers to the fold and of mentoring. That means that I get to spend time just hanging out with some of my heroes, including many who couldn’t make this particular convention. It also means that my answer when someone asked me how long before my students cut the apron strings was a blank look. As long as they stay in the field they’ll be my proteges, even if some of them go on to far surpass my own humble career.
I was particularly excited this month that two of my students have taken the next big step in their writing careers and actually survived submission to a major magazine and the following rejections. It’s the only way for them to go on to next level which is acceptance and publication, and I’m very proud of them and of the two others who have stuff out but haven’t heard back yet. The other thing I’m proud of is that my entire class is still meeting together twice a month as a writers group to support and critique each other’s work. That’s really exciting. They’re currently discussing names, and the one I most favor is the Glitter Glam Rainbow Bunny Death Pixies, in part because I want the t-shirt that names me an Honorary Glitter Glam Rainbow Bunny Death Pixie.
Oh, and you haven’t forgotten the pics, have you? Didn’t think so:
I’m a relatively faithful reader of Locus magazine (missed the November issue — getting hard to find around here; need to get off my ass and subscribe!); I’ll see if I can spot you in any of those photos.
The only F/SF author I’ve had the opportunity to meet is Katherine Kurtz, and that wasn’t at a con but at a group of Deryni fans. (I’ve written some Deryni fanfic that’s been well received; I do it as a way of practicing my own fledgling writing skills.) I wanted to get to WorldCon (the World Science Fiction Convention) when it was in San Jose several years ago, but I wasn’t able to come up with the cash. Next year’s con is in Anaheim; I’m thinking about going down there possibly.
Very cool report — thanks for sharing this. 🙂 (Oh, and loved the wigs — in that third one, you looked like one of my favorite ex-boyfriends!)
Glad you enjoyed it. Fanfic is a great way to get started and to work on those skills. I haven’t written any myself, but my friend Lyda Morehouse got her start with Deryni fanfic. I think it’s all been long since buried, but she went from there to coming in second for the Philip K. Dick award last year for her 4th novel. She and I were invited to a small private dinner with Kurtz a couple of years ago, but neither of us could make it because of scheduling conflicts. It was a bummer. I’ve never been to a worldcon, but I’m going to NasFic in St. Louis next year (for those who don’t know, that’s that’s con held in North America anytime worldcon goes off the continent)
Lounging. This is what I did the most of. The hot tub was hot, the drinks were cold, and the company was fabulous.
Am I the only one who flashed on that SNL skit Eddie Murphy used to do back in the 80s, where he was James Brown dressed in a gold Speedo hosting Celebrity Hot Tub? “Yeeeooowww! It’s hot in the hot tub! Celebrity Hot Tub!” Probably.
Sounds great, Kelly. Thanks for sharing that, I’ve always been curious what those conferences were like and it was very cool to have your up-close-and-personal view of one. And you actually look pretty good in those wigs.
Thanks for reading. I hadn’t gone to the Eddie Murphy place until you mentioned it, but now I imagine the image will come back to haunt me at future hot tubbing events. Thanks for the compliment on the wigs. I didn’t look nearly as bad a I could have, probably in part because I was very relaxed about the whole thing, having passed my 1.5 drink limit well before I was talked into them.
This con is very unlike most others, and peoples’ experience of them varies wildly. One of my students was at this one, and her report was much more about how much she got out of the numerous panels she went to.
My favorite con in the whole world also happens in Madison. It’s called WisCon and it’s the one and only feminist science fiction convention. Last year it had something like 200 programming items including an academic track and some great feminist discussion of various aspects of sci-fi.
I’ve got to go get some work done, so I’ll be in and out this afternoon, but I’ll respond to any questions this evening if I don’t catch them before that.
Thanks again for the report. It was fun reading.
That’s a fine list of writers you interacted with. I particularly like Sarah Zettel; I probably prefer her SF to her fantasy but both are very fine.
Ah but if I’d known that P.C. Hodgell was going to be there, I’d have bribed you to take her aside and point out that some of her readers are getting on in years and very afraid that if she doesn’t do something about her writing speed we are not going to live long enough to get the end of the series. (hmmm, maybe she could let me pay her in advance for the price of the remaining books and at least give me the full story outline.)
My pleasure. Sarah’s great. I’ve been on a couple of panels with her over the years, and she’s a lot of fun. She’s also a writer married to a scientist, so we’ve got a fair amount in common. On the P.C. Hodgell front, if you want, I’ll see if I can’t arrange to pass that offer along to Pat. I don’t know her well, but we share a number of friends in common.
would write faster if she knew she had decrepit fans with intimations of mortality?
And if works with her, I’d have to try it with Rosemary Kirstein, too.
Which reminds me — is your book going to be a standalone?
From what I know of Pat she’ll write at exactly the speed that suits her. Still knowing there are people out there looking for your work is a powerful motivator. Besides, who knows, she might even be willing to share her outline. You never know unless you try.
WebMage was written as a standalone and I generally prefer to write that way, but I’m currently working on a direct sequel since my editor wanted one and I had the material. I think that it’ll ultimately be a series of books that share characters and themes, with each one more or less complete in itself and no cross-book cliffhangers. But that’s something I’m still working out with my editor.
She’s currently got three other books of mine, all standalones, and one of those may well follow WebMage II in the publishing queue–assuming of course that the first two books sell well. I am working on one project that is likely to be a tetrology, though again, the first book is more or less a standalone.
So glad to hear they are going to be standalone. I’ve adopted a policy that I’m not starting any more multi-book sequences (I’m mired in four ongoing ones now) unless all the books in it have been published. It’s just too hard waiting and besides at my age the brain cells die so fast there isn’t a prayer that I’ll remember enough details from the earlier book by the time the next one comes out.
There was a point some years ago where I realized that I was reading seven unfinished series and that odds were very good that at least one of the writers would die before they finished them. I lucked out, but haven’t let myself get into that situation since*. Now, I buy the books as they come out and put them on the shelf to wait for the last one before I start reading.
*unfortunately, as a member of a writers group and some time teacher of writing, I do end up seeing a lot of unfinished stuff in manuscript. But at least in those cases I can always beat the rest of the plot line out of the author if I have to.
Cool report and pictures are ah great. I’ve probably only read a few SF books but I’m just a sucker for any writer-awed by anyone who can actually sit down and write something-even bad writing as I couldn’t even do that. Thanks for putting this diary up and some of the inner workings of the convention.
As a completely side note, my sister was born in Madison.
Thanks for reading. I’m glad you enjoyed the diary. You’ve got me blushing on the writer front. I put my pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else. The only real difference is that once I’ve got them on I feel a compulsion to tell people about it;-)
Kelly, is Neil Gaiman considered a fantasy writer? I’m thinking particularly of his graphic novels.
We like to claim him, and he certainly runs in the same circles that I do locally (Twin Cities), but he’s more like a rock star. He’s authored or coauthored four novels that I would say fall squarely in the F&SF realm, American Gods, Stardust, Neverwhere, and Good Omens with Terry Pratchett. The graphic novels are more of a question. There’s a huge overlap between F&SF and comic fans, and it’s certainly fantastic fiction, but some argue one way and some another. I’m all for calling the entire comic oeuvre part of the field, but that’s just my opinion.