Con*Stellation XXXI: Perseus

This year I dove into Con*Stellation, spending more than twenty hours there over the course of the weekend. I went to many panels, attended the art auction, nibbled on cashews at the Friday night reception, and hung out in the dealer's room with my fellow Trek club friend Laura.  Here are my favorite moments from Con*Stellation XXXI: Perseus!

Friday

The Science Fiction Writers and Cake Appreciation Society Reading

First up on Friday was the reading by members of the Science Fiction Writers and Cake Appreciation Society. Last year one of the stories was bought by an editor of a pro magazine.

This year was my first time taking part in the reading. I read snippets from "Sister Winter," my week 6 Clarion West story. I was afraid that reading short snippets from a long piece, instead of an entire really short piece, would work badly, but a few of the other writers told me afterwards that they had really enjoyed my story. So I was really glad I had decided to read that one. 

The organizer of my local sf writing group is Lin Cochran, who is also a Clarion West alum.(She attended the first two Clarion Wests - so cool!) She read her story that appears in the recent anthology of Alabama authors, Summer Gothic, and it was lovely.

Lin Cochran reading from Summer Gothic

Louise Herring-Jones read a witty and hilarious excerpt of "slug porn" that has me wanting to try some humor writing. It worked so well as a piece to read aloud to a group. She's also a wonderful convention friend - waving you to sit up front with her at panels and making sure you've met everyone in the conversation circle. Louise had some extra copies of Mirror Shards 2 on hand, so I bought one from her to get a better feel for what sf anthologies feel like. I think I'll make it one of my writing goals this year to submit to a themed anthology. 

Panel: "Non-Traditional Routes to Publication"

Late on Friday evening I went to a panel on self-publishing. A lot of the conversation centered on e-publishing, including perils and format limitations. Images seem to be especially tricky, and are better left out unless printing a specialty coffee table book where people expect to pay higher prices. Createspace seems to be the go-to place for print self-publishing.

Two of the panelists were L.R. Barrett-Durham and Grady Glover, authors of the Fear and Trust series. They are two of the nicest people I've ever met, and were always ready to hang out and talk about writing and how to publicize your work. But the biggest tip they had to give me wasn't anything they said - it was about how to be really friendly to (sometimes shy) strangers.

L.R. Barrett and Grady Glover
Photograph by Laura of SF Collectibles

Saturday

Filk Concert: Cat Faber

Cat Faber

On Saturday I went to a mid-day filk concert by Cat Faber. She has such a wonderful stage presence, and I loved listening to her songs. I wish the concert could have been outside; her lyrics are the kind that make me want to stare up into leaf canopies and daydream.

My favorite songs she performed were "If the Last Spaceship Leaves On Time" and one about a mouse finding a giant chocolate bar and pretending to be magnanimous when he offers the leftover almonds to his friends (after having consumed the entire chocolate bar by himself).

Usually music doesn't make me think of story writing. Literary readings help dredge up solutions to my story problems, but music mostly helps me block out background noise. But Cat's songs had me spinning fantasy yarns in my head from the start. I think I might try listening to her CD when I have writer's block to transition into the feeling of storytelling.

Filk Concert: Marc Gunn - Firefly Drinking Songs

Marc performed several awesome Firefly inspired songs, and it was easy to see that he's a real fan of the show. My favorite song was "Freedom Costs", an anthem for the independence fighters.

All of the songs he performed were amazing, lilty and soulful at the same time. He took the time to speak out the chorus with the audience before the sing-a-longs, encouraging us to join in.

Con*Stellation is a very intimate con, so taking pictures or videos of people on a panel feels like walking up to someone and taking a picture in their face. But there are tons of good fan videos of Marc performing at DragonCon on Youtube, so check him out.

Sunday

Autograph Session

I almost didn't go back to Con*Stellation on Friday, but I'm very glad I did. I had spent around ten hours on Friday and Saturday at the convention, and by Sunday morning I was really tired. But I drank some coffee and that made me feel more like heading out.

When I arrived at the con everyone in the lobby was gathered around the television, watching Felix Baumgartner's dive to earth. When he landed, he knelt on the ground and everyone cheered. It was so cool to watch this moment surrounded by science fiction fans, writers, and NASA scientists. I hope there are more universal cheering moments in our near future.

Felix kneeling after his record jump

At the autograph session I got to sit down and talk with David B. Coe/ D.B. Jackson. That's one of the best things about a small con - there wasn't any huge table between us and a line behind me hurrying me up. I just sat across from him at a small two-person table.  I'm really excited about reading his new book, Thieftaker, and diving into his epic fantasy as well. 

Jackson was a really wonderful literary guest of honor, and was very warm and enthusiastic when I spoke with him for a few minutes after he signed my books. Somehow we wound up talking about Alaska, and a trip he had taken to Denali. 

I have lots of notes scribbled in my notebook from Jackson's panels, but one of my favorites is one I had heard from another person a while back, but hearing it this time it clicked.

One of the panels Jackson was on was an interview, and Eric Flint asked Jackson why he chose to write about Boston during this era. He answered that there is a parallel between the setting and the main character - the character is the embodiment of the city. It is something I'm going to keep in mind while I'm working on my novel. 

Con*Stellation XXI was a great con, and I'm so thankful it takes place in Huntsville. It gave me a great chance to reconnect with my local writing group and to also meet professional writers both in person and by introducing me to their work. I hope it lives on for many years to come. 

Con*Stellation Time Again!

Art by David O. Miller

This weekend is my local science fiction convention, Con*Stellation. I had a wonderful time last year at the 30th Anniversary con, and I'm looking forward to a great convention this year.

On Friday evening at 7:00PM the local writing group, the Science Fiction Writers and Cake Appreciation Society, will be reading stories in the lobby. There will, of course, also be cake.

I will be reading a short story. I am not yet nervous, but it is only Wednesday.

Staying Part of the Conversation

I like to listen to other people.

It's the kind of personality trait that's praised in books on making friends, corny quotes in email forwards, and in high school and undergrad might give the impression of sophistication.

When I was still in high school, I was invited to Capstone Scholar's Day at the University of Alabama. I had to spend a day on the campus taking part in various activities in order to secure a small scholarship.

One of these activities was a leadership test. They placed us in one of those classrooms with the stadium seating, broke us up into groups, and gave us a sheet of paper with a conceptual problem to solve. A panel of five or so people sat at the front of the room, watching us and making notes. Two people in my group decided they would do anything to be seen as the leader. One snatched up the piece of paper and started reading it aloud to the rest of us, the other gestured and talked loudly, restating the other person's points. At first I tried to be part of the conversation, but the charade of it all felt so gross to me. I eventually sat back in my chair and gave up. If that's what it took to win an extra few hundred dollars for a leadership scholarship, they could have it.

This experience and others like it made me hate group work for years. When I first became a teacher, I vowed I would never make my students do group work. But my teaching mentor, Sarah, convinced me otherwise.

"When it comes down to it, we're all on this planet together."

That moment changed many things for me. I gave my students group projects and saw how they benefited from the exchange of ideas and feedback. I tried to reach out more to my fellow MFAers, and I made some amazing friends.

It's the reason I sought out the type of bellydancing that is only truly alive when performed in a group.

But it's still hard for me to be part of verbal conversations that include more than one person. There's that pulling for the sheet of paper, for control. I listen. The points go to the person who has made the most noise.

Writing is my way of speaking without having to elbow someone else out of the way. I want to be part of the conversation, but I'd prefer if it's just you and me talking together instead of a crowd.

This long ramble started with me thinking about two rejections I've gotten this week, both asking to see more of my work in the future. "Please keep us in mind."

These types of rejections fuel me. Especially when the letters mention aspects of my story that have spoken to the editor.

Even when I'm getting rejections, I'm still part of the writing conversation. I'm growing my voice, word by word, so that I can speak through my stories. I want to make friends with a reader, maybe someone kind of like me.

They'll hold the sheet of paper, but they'll also listen.

Novel Buddies & Goal Charts

Novel Buddies

My MFA friend, Ashley Cowger, and I have decided to become novel writing buddies this year. She's written a few novels before, and this is my first one. We're going to set word goals and hold each other accountable. Not in a threatening way, just in an "I know what your goals are - how's it coming along?" kind of way.

I've always kind of felt like writers go to some remote, secret space when they embark on a novel. So it's nice to have this mutual word playground. We're building our own castles, but we can talk to each other while we pat the sand into shape.


Commonplace Book

I still have my lovely notebook for keeping ideas, random journal entries, and bits of inspiration. But I wanted to get a notebook specific to my novel project. And I needed for it to be light, so that I would actually carry it around with me. I can't really take my laptop to work and write on my novel during my lunch break (I tried - too stressful). But I want this novel to be a part of my life for the time I'm working on it. I want to fall into the story and then write my way out.

So I did some browsing and found a great little journal :

         

It was super cheap ($3), has tight binding, good paper quality, and is small - not quite as wide as the tip of my forefinger. I can throw it in the back pocket of my purse and have it with me if inspiration strikes.

Here is my prediction: novels are like people. The more time you spend just hanging around, just being with them, the better you get to know them. Listening to their story before you tell yours is how you make a friend.

Taking this commonplace book with me reminds me to listen:

Researching, bringing words and themes from different sources together

Goal Charts
Here's our goal: 10,000 words by November 15th. I started out with a daily word goal of 150. I kept it up for two days.

Goal chart for the novel project's first deadline

But even though I stopped writing words on paper, I didn't stop writing. I've been twisting the story this way and that in my head, trying to find the angles that catch the most light. At one point I became so frustrated that I swore off this novel idea, started working on something else, and that's when the lightbulbs started going off.

All of those little X marks where I didn't write, they still kept my mind tethered to the story. And they made me honestly evaluate how I've been spending my time.

My daily word goal is up to 210. I'm getting a really good feel for how not terrifying writing a novel can be, at least, drafting a novel. And while I can't allow myself too many reverie breaks, I feel more centered and motivated now that I know my novel a little better.

A New Job Begins and a Piece of Paper Arrives

Last week I started a temporary job as a full-time administrative assistant. It's a wonderful position - great co-workers, a quiet but productive office, and it's on a university campus. In my mind this type of job has one really wonderful feature - I can leave it behind at 5PM and spend the rest of my time writing. 

But last week I was so tired that I didn't write at all. On Thursday I came home from work and fell asleep by 7PM, woke up for an hour, then went to sleep for the night. I'm hoping that my body readjusts fully this week, and I can have my wits about me enough to step into my stories.

One definite plus is that I've been able to read much more. I read an entire book in one week, something I haven't done since grad school. It was a shortish book, only around 200 pages, and it was a memoir, but that's still a step forward. I have to take a one hour lunch break in the middle of the day, and I spend most of that time reading. It's strange - my room of my own is my office. 

I'm considering taking my Eee PC with me and trying to write a little on my lunch break. No big goals, just a hundred words or so. Enough to push me into my novel project every day, so that my brain can work on it in the background as much as possible. 

On Saturday, a large envelope arrived in the mail. No padding, the edges torn. Mail from Alaska always comes in a bit chewed. Thank goodness the contents were in great condition:

My Diploma!

I know it's silly, but damn am I proud of this sheet of paper. Maybe proud doesn't describe how I felt when I held it for the first time. Maybe - excited. The kind that shakes the fibers of your heart a bit. 

I've felt in-between for a long time. It's nice to be out the other side. 

Being Shy on the Enterprise

Season 3, Episode 21 - "Hollow Pursuits"

I loved this episode. It's a character-driven short story with a protagonist we've never seen before - some shy guy who everyone (even Wesley Crutcher) calls "Broccoli."

Lieutenant Barclay pisses Geordi and Riker off by being late to his post, and delivering his engineering analysis in stumbling sentences. He spends his time on the holodeck hanging out with variations of the crew - a much shorter and squeakier Riker, Troi - goddess of empathy in flowing robes, and a wonderful caricature of Wesley as Georgie Porgie.

But outside the holodeck the ship is crumbling, and Barclay's creativity is needed to solve the mystery of the sudden ship malfunctions.

The previous episode, "Tin Man", also dealt with an outsider. A prodigy empath, who seeks the solace of alien creatures that communicate at Ent-like speeds so that he won't be overwhelmed with their voices inside his head.

But while the main character in "Tin Man" was too far removed from the rest of the crew to evoke empathy from the audience, Barclay is a Starfleet officer. He's what many people - including myself - would probably be like if transferred from real life onto the Enterprise. Picard would be terrifying as a boss. And even if given the chance to show your skill, then Wesley pipes in, telling you your half-spoken idea is incorrect.

So it's no surprise that Barclay's perilously close to holodiction. Geordi's the only person in the real world who feels as real to Barclay as the projections on the holodeck. But Geordi surprises Barclay with an admission:

"Listen, I know how you feel. I fell in love on the holodeck once, but you've got to know when to let it go."

Anytime there's holodeck shenanigans it can be easy to brush off the episode as silly. Look - there's Picard, Geordi, and Data as a very rowdy set of Musketeers! (Everyone on the Enterprise looks better with long, flowing locks, apparently.)

But if you look back through the crew's use of the holodeck, Barclay really isn't that different.

Remember Riker's perfect woman, impossible to replicate without the complex interactions of the Bynars?

And what about that moving scene between Worf and K'Ehleyr, when he proposes marriage after they've made love in the rush following a satisfying holodeck battle?

And of course Geordi falling in love with a woman he'll never meet, the holodeck representation of his intellectual peer. Together solving an engineering quandry that's nerdy, sensual foreplay.

So we might expect for the crew to understand Barclay's desire to escape. If there weren't holodecks on board, he'd be reading books. I bet he'd have great discussions with Picard.

Early on in the episode, when the stakes are low, everyone's taking potshots at Barclay. Geordi forcing himself to be civil to a crewmate - it isn't a scenario I had expected. It's interesting, and it opens up space for this exchange:

Barclay: Being afraid all of the time, of forgetting somebody's name, not, not knowing...what to do with your hands. I mean, I, I am the guy who writes down things to remember to say when there's a party. And then, when he finally gets there, he winds up alone, in the corner, trying to look comfortable examining a potted plant.

Geordi: You're just shy, Barclay.

Barclay: Just shy...Sounds like nothing serious - doesn't it?

Watching episodes of The Next Generation, especially in sequence night after night, the Enterprise can begin to seem like a perfect environment, where the threats are almost always from external forces. The crew will come through in the end, thanks to teamwork and individual competence.

But I like having life on the Enterprise be a little less perfect. It makes the crew feel more open to failure, more vulnerable to even small dangers. After all, they're out in the far reaches of space, often very alone.

The world they live in is made more realistic by showing that it is a place from which people need to escape.

Barclay on the holodeck, after deleting all but one of his programs

Submitting Early

Shadow taking a rest from the submission flurry

Literary journals are opening back up to submissions as the school year gets underway, and I've been pushing myself to submit each of my lit stories to at least two markets.

I think there's great value in submitting early. Whether it is to a literary journal soon after they open to submissions, to a fiction contest, or to a themed issue, submitting early has some concrete advantages.

First of all, I'm much more likely to actually make the deadline if I submit early. I have a spreadsheet where I track deadlines, and sometimes I wait until the night before a market closes to look over the story that I had planned to submit. Most often when I wait until the last minute to submit, I realize that there were revisions I wanted to make to the story before sending it out. And that one night before the deadline is never enough time to revise. I find myself at 11:30PM, halfway through writing a scene that feels like it is finally pulling the story together, wishing I just had a few more days. I work on the story until after midnight, but it still isn't finished. In the end I wind up putting the story aside and not submitting it at all.

By submitting in the fall, I'm also more attuned to different markets. I've signed up for Duotrope's weekly newsletter for fiction markets, and each week I get an email with the fiction markets that have reopened to submissions. Going through the available markets chunk by chunk, as they open to submissions, is extremely helpful. I've already found several journals whose aesthetic I absolutely love, but whose name I had never heard before. There's just so many journals out there, that even using Duotrope's search subcategories returns an overwhelming number of possible journals. 

When submitting to literary journals, I find that I get a much faster response when I submit early. Thanks to Submishmash, I can tell when my story is in-progress. That doesn't tell me a lot about where my story is in the slush pile, but at least it lets me know that my story has moved forward a spot. Of my ten submissions that are currently open in Submishmash, half of those are marked "in-progress" instead of just "received." The earliest submission I made was on August 22nd and the latest September 5th. I've already had one response that was incredibly fast - just a few days.

In the past few years when I've submitted stories in March, near the close of the literary journal reading period, it often takes months for journals to respond and sometimes a whole summer, or a year. I know these journals get an insane amount of submissions, and in most cases I am submitting to journals that do not require a reading fee. Response times are expected to be slow, and with good reason.

But submitting early seems like a good best practice. It's kind of like introducing myself to an editor or agent on the first day of a convention, instead of the last. I have more time to make sure my submission is in perfect shape and that I've followed the journal's particular rules, and the journal readers are fresh from their summer vacations and ready to read new stories. We're meeting each other at our best to see if we're a fit. And if we don't fit, that's ok - it's part of the process. But I know I've met my half of the challenge with my best foot forward.