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Where I'll Be: WorldCon 2018

Thursday I will be at the SFWA board meeting. Huzzah! That evening I’m planning on swinging by the Chinese Science Fiction Party.

Friday, August 17

8-10 am SFWA Business Meeting SJCC 210DH Light breakfast will be provided. Come hear about all the amazeballs stuff we’re up to!

11 AM Successfully Negotiating Book Contracts SJCC 211C
A publisher’s interest and an author’s are not always in perfect alignment. Enter the contract. Each clause in the contract exists for a reason. Which ones protect an author’s interest and which ones benefit the publisher? How do you ask for changes? What are the rights an author should be prepared to give up and which ones should you fight tooth and nail for. Hear from agents and other industry experts on how to survive your book contract negotiation with your skin, and your rights, intact.

12 PM Walter Day Trading Card Event

1 PM Un-pulping the Pulp Heroes SJCC 211C
Doc Savage. The Shadow. G8. Tarzan. The hero pulps are full of characters immersed in fast-paced action, but they sometimes come across as problematic or naive to modern readers. It can be uncomfortable to recognize the sexism or racism of their day. And yet, there are still things that we love about pulps. How have pulp heroes influenced contemporary SF writers (in surprising and strange ways)? How are writers currently reinventing and subverting pulps?

3 PM What Can SFWA Offer Me SJCC 210F
Learn what SFWA has to offer authors at all stages of their careers, from networking opportunities to sample contracts to the grievance committee. SFWA’s officers will provide an update on what SFWA is doing and where the organization is going and answer questions from potential (or current) members.

Saturday, August 18

11:30 AM Private lunch

1 PM Autographing

2 PM Idea Vs. Story SJCC 212D
The common question “where do you get your ideas” baffles most writers, because the ideas are all around them. The question should be, “How do you go from an idea to a story.” In this deep dive, we look at techniques to do just that.

5 PM Chasing Shadows: Living in Our Transparent Society SJCC 210B
Camera phones are ubiquitous, security cameras monitor many street corners, drones scout the skies, police wear bodycams, facial recognition technology is developing, and social networking allows everyone to keep an eye on everyone else. Is it the surveillance nightmare of Big Brother, or has our technology made possible a realm of sousveillance, where we can monitor those in power and keep them in check? What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a brave new world, bathed in light?

6-8 PM SFWA Suite

Sunday

9 AM Patreon/Student/Buddies breakfast
Mail me for details, still setting this up, will NOT be fancy. 😉

11:30 AM Private lunch

4-8 SFWA Suite

Most of the time you will find me in the SFWA suite but I’ve listed the times I will definitely be there!

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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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Thoughts on the Cons and Pros of Cons and Pros (pre Norwescon)

Aerial Battleship (aka Zeppelin)
This steampunk zeppelin comes from "Robur the Conquerer" by Jules Verne.
We were talking about cons on a board I frequent, and I thought this was worth re-blogging:

Cons and their pros:
Chance to connect with people. To make the most of this, do a little legwork beforehand and contact the people you want to make sure to connect with, try to have coffee or lunch or whatever. Sometimes people buy me lunches or drinks at cons in return for asking advice; if you plan on really pumping someone for info, this is a graceful gesture, and one I need to be better about.

Chance to build some recognition. To make the most of this – participate in panels and be a good participant who comes with some interesting things to say and has done a little thinking and/or research beforehand. Also, be good at public speaking. If you want to do this and are bad at it, it might be worth investing some time into practice. Connie Willis told me Toastmasters participation is very good for this. If you really want to make the most of panel participation, take notes to use as blog post fodder (and then remember to post them, I always think I will and manage it about 1 time out of 3.)

Chance to sell things. Have promotional material and think about how you’re going to use it. In my experience, stacks of postcards dumped on a table yield little return; it’s much better to be passing them out yourself and talking them up a little. Here again – be a good guest first and a sales rep second.

And they can be fun!

Cons and their cons:
They’re expensive! Be aware some of that may be tax deductible and if so, keep your receipts scrupulously. Ways to save at a con – get a roommate, bring a box of granola bars so you can skip the inevitably expensive hotel breakfast, learn where the sources of free food at a con usually are (con suite and green room are usually a good place to start for that, also parties).

They take time away from writing. Take a notebook with you and spend some time doing it, but also remember that con time is work-time for you, and treat yourself accordingly.

I just came back from a GoH stint at MidSouthCon. While I was there, I tried to be a good guest — I participated in everything asked of me, I spent time mingling, I was friendly and approachable for fans, and I made sure I knew what was expected of me. (Which made a great con experience even greater!)

I should have spent more time researching the dealer’s room and making sure the dealers had my books if I’d wanted to be even better about things. I did take a number of books, but mainly I swapped them or gave them away as thank yous while there.

And hey, I’m reading there tomorrow at 11, come see me! It’ll be the story from Apex, “So Glad We Had This Time Together,” which I think most of you haven’t heard. Talk to me while you’re there, and I’ll give you a coupon for $50 off an upcoming online class! (To see what’s coming up, click on “Upcoming Classes” up above.

Enjoy this advice on writers and conventions and want more content like it? Check out the classes Cat gives via the Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers, which offers both on-demand and live online writing classes for fantasy and science fiction writers from Cat and other authors, including Ann Leckie, Seanan McGuire, Fran Wilde and other talents! All classes include three free slots.

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.

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Notes from the Year's Best Fantasy and Science Fiction 2010 Panel, Norwescon 34

Gir Contemplates Norwescon 34
Gir Contemplates Norwescon 34
Participants: Lou Anders, Brenda Cooper, Gordon Van Gelder, Cat Rambo, Sam Sykes

Works from 2010:
Ben Aaronovitch, Midnight Riot. (Kindle version)
Lou Anders, (editor) Masked. (Kindle version)
Lou Anders and Jonathan Strahan, (editors) Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery. (Kindle version)
Ilona Andrews, Bayou Moon. (Kindle version)
Ilona Andrews, Magic Bleeds. (Kindle version)
Jon Armstrong, Yarn. (Kindle version)
Paolo Bacigalupi, The Alchemist.
Paolo Bacigalupi, Shipbreaker. (Kindle version)
Elizabeth Bear, By the Mountain Bound. (Kindle version)
Elizabeth Bear, Chill. (Kindle version)
Elizabeth Bear, The White City. (Kindle version)
Lauren Beukes. Zoo City. (Kindle version)
Patricia Briggs, Masques. (Kindle version)
Patricia Briggs, Silver Borne. (Kindle version)
Patricia Briggs, Wolfsbane. (Kindle version)
Bullington, Jesse. The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart. (Kindle version)
Jim Butcher, Changes. (Kindle version)
Jim Butcher, Side Jobs. (Kindle version)
Ted Chiang, The Lifecycle of Software Objects.
James Enge, Travellers’ Rest. (Kindle version)
Catherine Fisher. Incarceron.
Eric Flint, The Tangled Web (Ring of Fire). (Not recommended as an entry into the series; those new to it should start with 1632).
Kate Griffin. The Midnight Mayor: Or, the Inauguration of Matthew Swift. (Kindle version)
Clay and Susan Griffith, The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire, Book 1). (Kindle version)
Hale, Benjamin. The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore. (Kindle version)
M.K. Hobson. Native Star. (Kindle version)
Mark Hodder, The Strange Affair of Springheel Jack. (Kindle version) Philip K. Dick award winner)
N. K. Jemisin, The Broken Kingdoms. (Kindle version)
Mary Robinette Kowal, Shades of Milk and Honey. (Kindle version)
Ian McDonald, The Dervish House. (Kindle version)
Devon Monk, Magic at the Gate. (Kindle version)
Devon Monk, Magic On the Storm. (Kindle version)
Elizabeth Moon, Oath of Fealty. (Kindle version)
Nnedi Okorafor, Who Fears Death. (Kindle version)
A G Pasquella, Why Not A Spider Monkey Jesus?
Mike Resnick, The Buntline Special: A Weird West Tale. (Kindle version)
Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Diving Into the Wreck. (Kindle version)
John Scalzi (editor), Metatropolis. (Kindle version)
Sprunk, Jon. Shadow’s Son. (Kindle version)
Sam Sykes, Tome of the Undergates (The Aeons’ Gate, Book 1). (Kindle version)
Ian Tregillis, Bitter Seeds. (Kindle version)

Works from other years that were mentioned:
James Enge, Blood of Ambrose. (Kindle version) (I snagged a copy of this at the con and have been happily devouring it.)
N. K. Jemisin, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. (Kindle version)
Elizabeth Moon, Kings of the North (The Deed of Paksenarrion). (Kindle version)
Sam Sykes, Black Halo (The Aeons’ Gate, Book 2). (Kindle version)

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