Hello all!
This is going to be a short update, since I'm suffering from a pretty nasty bout of influenza. I do apologize for any incoherent bits... my fever is still pretty high. But it's been 2 weeks since my last post and I didn't want to leave you hanging! This past weekend was Norwescon 35, a SFF convention here in the Seattle area. I was lucky enough to be able to attend - my first con ever! It was all sorts of fun. I spent most of my time in the writing panels, putting faces to names. There were lots of extremely talented writers there, including Mary Robinette Kowal, Jay Lake, Nancy Kress, Cat Rambo... all sorts of people that I've looked up to at a distance but now have physically seen. There were also publishing professionals there, and it was very interesting to hear magazine editors, small-press publishers, agents, and other "gatekeepers" talk about the industry as a whole (as well as give advice to us aspiring writers). I think I had the most fun at the "one-on-one combat for writers" panel, where several accomplished martial artists and medieval reenactment folks put on a demonstration for us sit-on-our-bum types. The artist's exhibition was also amazing - so much creativity. I nearly bought a clockwork owl necklace, but someone else had already picked it up by the time I went back for it. Of course, the main reason for going was the Fairwood Writer's Workshop, where I submitted the first three chapters of King's Mark for critique by 4 pro-level writers. It was extremely helpful, I was able to get some personalized advice on a few things that have been problematic recently, and their observations were spot-on. As soon as I'm able to think straight, I'll be working on incorporating their suggestions and getting my revised first chapters out to my next batch of agents. Worst part of Norwescon - getting the flu of course! See you all next week...