One day removed from WorldFantasy 2010, and I’m still buzzing with all that went on. You simply cannot overstate how energizing something like WF can be. I met so many wonderful people, learned so much, and had my reading list radically expanded. A kick in my motivational pants if ever there was one.

I know I’ll get some more details of what went on (unless Matt covers some of that first), but for now let me just hit the highlights.

Panels were an hour long, and there were 2 panels to choose from at any one time (not to mention readings by various authors, the dealer room, the art room, the bar, the con suite, and the parties), so there were definitely some choices to be made about how and where you wanted to spend your time.

Matt and I attended panel discussions such as:

  • Fantasy as a Rejection of the Present
  • The Logic of Absurdity
  • Fantasy Gun Control
  • Supernatural Horror of the Machine Age
  • Making Mythology Fresh (and a Little Silly)
  • The Tension Between Art and Commerce
  • Transforming Fantasy into a Screenplay
  • The Story Cycle vs. The Novel
  • The Continued Viability of Epic Fantasy
  • Slaughtering the Evil Hordes
  • The Lighter Side of Death
  • Authors and Ideas
  • Best Fantasies of All Time
  • What Do We Mean By Urban Fantasy Anyway

Like I said, a great weekend. To attack these topics from an analytical, even academic, perspective, and then retire to the con suite, bar, or just the hallway to talk shop with writers running the gamut from aspiring to accomplished… my first convention was everything I could have hoped.

…except for one small fan-boyish moment of mine that shall go (otherwise) unmentioned. If you want the story, catch me at the next convention and buy me a drink. Preferably two.

If there is one thing I took from WF, it’s that my dream of writing professionally is reachable. And, more importantly, that it lies in… this… direction. Okay, so that’s two things I learned. Want one more? I learned it’s going to be hard work.

But that’s okay. I’m ready.

 

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