Not my usual style, but I like it nonetheless.I’m off to ArmadilloCon tomorrow, and looking forward to it. Questions about going to conventions often come up in the F&SF class, so I thought I’d answer the main one and then talk about what I do to prep for one.
Here’s the question that keeps coming up: Is going to conventions vital for F&SF writers?
And the answer is no, of course not. Don’t go to conventions unless you are genuinely deriving pleasure of some sort from them. If you’re going to go and just sit in a corner and be miserable, then don’t waste your money.
I do like cons. I’d probably go to at least a few even if I wasn’t just writing. I find them a great place to see old friends and make new ones, hear interesting discussions, and even do a little networking. To make the most of them, I may set up meetings with folks I want to see in order to make sure there’s time for it. If I’m on panels, I make sure I’m ready to talk about whatever the topic is. If I’m reading, I rehearse the piece well beforehand and make sure I know how long it takes to read.
But part of my prep is also making sure I look professional as well. The only time I’ll go off to get my nails done is before a con (or some other work outing) and I always make sure my hair is recently cut, that I’ve got clean and reasonably matching outfits, suitable footwear, and all the rest. But that’s as much for internal as external factors – I know if I’m feeling well-assembled, I’ll be more confident overall.
I’d be curious to hear what other folks do to prepare for conventions, or if you’ve got tips for hotel existence. I’ve learned to make sure I’ve got a change of clothes in my carry-on if I check a bag, that ballet flats make great light-weight footwear for cons, and to make sure I’ve got all my charging cords. How about you?
Prefer to opt for weekly interaction, advice, opportunities to ask questions, and access to the Chez Rambo Discord community and critique group? Check out Cat’s Patreon. Or sample her writing here.
Great post, Cat. Making sure I pack snack food I can keep with me in a bag so that I don’t succumb to expensive (and unhealthy) treats if my blood sugar drops is one thing I have started to do at cons. That and a good attitude – being in a foul mood at a con can be more harmful than not going.
It is almost universal that – once they are at the convention itself – people do not get enough water. All the unaccustomed activity combined with dehumidified hotel air makes it all too likely. I once started mildly hallucinating because I was so dehydrated–so drink up, people!
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"(On the writing F&SF workshop) Wanted to crow and say thanks: the first story I wrote after taking your class was my very first sale. Coincidence? nah….thanks so much."
~K. Richardson
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Recent Newsletter Stuff
Hello!
It’s full-on spring here in Seattle. Trees are in bloom, and construction projects have shifted into high gear, so the sidewalks are full of pylons and freshly poured concrete.
I’m looking forward to comparing this weather to other places in a few days. First South Bend, Indiana, where I’ll be speaking at the University of Notre Dame, and then Tempe, Arizona, for a two-day workshop working with scientists to write a story about solar power.
Then home for a while, where I’ll have a chance to talk with people at Crypticon here in Seattle at the end of the month (https://www.crypticonseattle.com/attend/crypticon-2018-tickets/) . Come to the Saturday writing workshop with me! I’ve secured the awesome Kay Kenyon as a co-teacher.
This newsletter marks some changes in the structure of my Patreon campaign (https://www.patreon.com/catrambo) , and its linkage into the Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers. Even if you’re not a Patreon supporter, you’ll want to bookmark the page, because I’ll be providing some free stuff there each month, courtesy of the supporters.
Everyone, signed up or not, gets the following on the Patreon page:
* 1-2 writing snippets each week from Cat’s current work and the chance to ask questions and offer feedback about them
* Access to the first Ask-Me-Anything Friday session of each month. Check out the post and ask whatever you like. Past questions have included career advice, recommended reading, insider SFWA news, writing feedback, and more.
* Occasional random stuff
All Patreon supporters get the above plus:
* 1-2 monthly stories or chapters and the chance to ask questions and offer feedback about them.
* Access to weekly Tasty Thursday recipes andAsk-Me-Anything Friday sessions
* Special patron-only events & giveaways at conventions
* The former student rate on live classes thru the Rambo Academy ($79 instead of $99)
* More random things at whim
$2 supporters get the above plus:
* 1-3 market news or advice posts per week
* 1-3 writing tip or resource posts per week
* One photo of Taco each month
* Random (usually writing-focused) things
$5 supporters get the above plus:
* All ebooks as they are released
* Access to the Chez Rambo Discord server and the #general, #bookclub, #critclub, #motivation, #news, and an exclusive #patreon channels.
* The usual randomness, usually in the form of chatter in Discord
$10 supporters get the above plus:
* 1 live or on-demand class per year (non-cumulative, starts on 3^rd month)
* Oh surprise, random things
$25 supporters get the above plus:
* Monthly story prompts post
* 1 live or on-demand class every 3 months (non-cumulative, starts on 3^rd month)
* *Rolls a dice* Something random
$50 supporters get the above plus:
* 1 live or on-demand class each month (non-cumulative)
* Even more
$100 supporters get the above plus:
* Monthly 15-30 minute coaching session, live class, or on-demand class
If you’re curious what Patreon is and how it works, there’sa two minute video of me explaining it here (https://www.patreon.com/catrambo) . We’ve been really enjoying the Discord community so far, and using it for writing sprints as well as chatter and questions.
Look what arrived literally moments ago! Yay! So excited to see all my hard work in tangible form. The electronic version is available for pre-order here (https://amzn.to/2qQuhEW) ; the hardcopy preorder should be available again sometime this week.
Scott H. Andrews has kindly agreed to give his Short Story Openings workshop (http://www.kittywumpus.net/blog/short-story-openings/) again for people who missed the first version, this time on June 16. A recent addition is a workshop with Doug Smith on July 14 on story rights and reprints. Keep an eye out for it or drop me a drop to go ahead and preregister; usual price.
Working Away Plus Teaser from "Paladin of Anger, Paladin of Peace"
Act 4I am grimly determined to finish Hearts of Tabat before the end of this year: I have my list of scenes and will get them finished by November 15, then crunch through a quick and hasty polish and get that to beta readers. At the same time I’m working on a couple of bespoke stories, several collaborations, and a few stories for Patreon.
Here’s a piece from this morning’s work on a Tabat story that is somewhat connected to the events in Hoofsore and Weary, which appeared in Shattered Shields.
This is how I first saw the Red Paladin.
She must have just entered the city, because her scarlet armor was dulled with dust, and her horse’s head drooped.
Mother had elbowed and fought her way to getting us a booth near the market’s entrance that day, and she was battling to sell every brick of spice we had before going home, despite the fact she could have summoned a servant to do it. She was doing it as some small battle in the endless war between my parents and when I paused to watch the paladin pass, my mother’s hand clipped me across the ear, hard enough to rock my head and feel the snap of blood rising to meet the place she’d struck.
“Stop gawping and bring me more sacks,” she snapped, and sent me racing on her errand, running under the beat of the hot sun and knowing I’d be hard-pressed to get back in time to satisfy her, but even so my soul rocketed out as I dashed through a crowd of tea-pigeons and sent them startled upwards, feeling the press of her attention lessened for a little while.
The image of the paladin, her head upright underneath the masking helmet, the slight curves of her armor the only thing marking her female, stayed with me.
She looked so calm for a knight sworn to Anger.
***
The second time I saw the paladin, I was pretending I was someone else while I walked through the gardens. I pretended I was a noble’s daughter, raised only to think of her own pleasure, not worrying about obligation or responsibility. I could do that because my little brothers were playing tag on the long grass and I could watch them from a distance but pretend that I wasn’t in any way connected with them. I sat on a bench made out of iron spirals and coils and flowers, one of the old-fashioned kind, in the shade and tried to make pieces of myself loosen out.
I tried to do this every few days because otherwise ““ and sometimes even with ““ I would wake up aching as though I’d been beaten, my jaw clenched tight, chased by nightmares through endless passageway toward waiting red rooms, doors mawed with teeth and fleshy silence eating any protest I might make.
But pushing to relax is something you cannot do and finally I just sat and appreciated the sunlight, hoping I’d feel all those pieces of me unclench. It had gotten so much worse lately, with both parents worrying about marriage-brokering (my mother’s thought) or apprenticeship (my father’s) or both, but never my thought of neither.
My most recent publication is “Marvelous Contrivances of the Heart”, which appears in Recycled Pulp, edited by John Helfers. It’s a story where I tried to hearken back to an old, twilight-zoneish theme while refurbishing some bits to update it some. I’ll be curious to hear what people think.
If you’ve read Beasts of Tabat and liked it, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, GoodReads, or LibraryThing.
Hello!
5 Responses
Great post, Cat. Making sure I pack snack food I can keep with me in a bag so that I don’t succumb to expensive (and unhealthy) treats if my blood sugar drops is one thing I have started to do at cons. That and a good attitude – being in a foul mood at a con can be more harmful than not going.
That’s a good one. I usually toss a box of granola bars in my suitcase for that reason. Because it is no fun feeling cranky and hungry!
Along with snacks, making certain I stay hydrated (which, for me, means 2 gallons of water a day. . .not kidding).
I make certain I bring an extra chage of comfortable clothes just in case.
I also make certain I scope out quiet spots in case I’m overwhelmed.
I also have my “I just spilled coffee on myself, time to swap out shirts” change of clothing. 😉
It is almost universal that – once they are at the convention itself – people do not get enough water. All the unaccustomed activity combined with dehumidified hotel air makes it all too likely. I once started mildly hallucinating because I was so dehydrated–so drink up, people!