Three things I learned about writing from a science fiction convention

This weekend was the 10th annual ConStellation Science Fiction convention in Lincoln. This was a triumphant return of sorts, as you may recall, I missed out on a few panels at this con two years ago. I once again helped staff the Nebraska Writers Guild table and participated in a few panels.

It’s been a little while since I did any panels, and I’ve got to say, once you get out of practice…well I need to get back into practice. I mean, I wasn’t terrible, but I’d probably only give myself a 5 out of 10. But what can ya do? Just keep at it, right?

Anyhow, my middle of the road performance put aside, I just absolutely love doing this stuff. Getting up early, packing a bag of books, hugging the family goodbye, hopping in the car with a mug of coffee, and cranking the AC/DC on the way to the convention. It enough to almost make a guy feel like a real writer.

And sci-fi conventions are always fun, whether I’m there to promote myself or not. I just love the atmosphere. It’s so cool to be around people who appreciate the fantastic and get together to game, cosplay, and watch their favorite movies and shows together. And while I still blend in a little better at a writing conference, it’s just awesome to sometimes go and just be a fan for a change.

And with all that out of the way, here are three things I learned at the convention from serving on panels and staffing the booth.

1. Talent + persistence + luck = profit.

Okay, I know lots of writers. And so many of them are far more successful than me. But you know the craziest part? If you would have told me this five years ago, I’d say you were full of it, but most of the successful writers I know are self-published. (For the record, my definition of “success” as a writer is when you quit the day job.)

I love hearing success stories from other writers. And it seems like the self-published authors all have a similar tale to tell. That tale begins with the unwavering desire to keep writing no matter what. And as soon as that “publish” button is clicked, the hardcore marketing begins. In every case, if the author has enough talent, enough determination, makes the right marketing decisions, and has just enough luck, the right person discovers their book, and bam!

So after talking to a few of these way-more-successful-than-me self published authors, it really makes me wonder if my quest for traditional publishing is misguided.

2. But there is still hope in the traditional field.

But then about 30 minutes after convincing myself to self-published, I found myself in the audience for a panel hosted by Sara Megibow, featuring three of the authors she represents in a talk about querying and publishing. I was really excited when I saw Sara was at this con. I’ve followed her on Twitter for years, and queried her with Holy Fudgesicles way back when. (She sent a form rejection, which was actually nice, because so many agents don’t.)

Anyhow, of the three authors on the panel, two of them actually got her representation by sending the query letter. So the format that I have believed in for so many years– 1) Query 2) Partial 3) Full 4) Agent 5) Publish –can and does still happen.

So now I’m like, “Well, maybe I should still shoot for an agent with the next book.”

Who knows? I guess it doesn’t really matter right now anyhow since the first book of the trilogy is only like 1% of the way done. On a side note, Sara answer my question on how to query a trilogy: Just query the first book and make sure to mention that it’s a planned first of three.

3. Writers are really nice people. Even the famous ones.

Finally, I just want to mention how great it is talking to other writers. The overwhelming majority of them (us?) are such nice people. Even the famous ones. The “main event” author at the con was sci-fi star Julie Czerneda. In-between panels and speeches, Julie hung out in the common area and just talked to people. She told entertaining stories and shared writing advice with whoever wanted to hear them.

So all in all, it was definitely worth attending ConStellation this year. I learned a little, and got to practice my public speaking a bit. Oh and I also got to plug my card game to anyone who would listen. I’d love to get more active in the convention scene, and this was the kick I need to get me to finish that next book.

Have any positive convention stories to share? Leave a comment and let us know!