Yeah, Write

To inaugurate this blog, I did a 12-post recap of the 2008 High-Voltage ConFusion F/SF convention. To make it easier to find the tasty bits, I’ve assembled a table of contents with teasers for each of the posts. Enjoy!

• Thank You, John Scalzi Intro post explaining how I came to go and what I liked best.
• The Dynamic Trio “Why people who live in cold climates need their heads examined and Somerset Mall doesn’t stand a chance in the pending zombie apocalypse.” John Scalzi interviews his good friends, wife-and-husband YASF¹ authors Justine Larbalestier and Scott Westerfeld.
• That Second Cup of Coffee “The Opening Ceremonies gets short shrift and why the second cup of coffee is almost always a mistake.” My caffeine-fueled chat with my favorite YA author, Scott Westerfeld.
• Originality is Overrated “Stealing Shakespeare blind and ‘the best 50’s SF of the 21st century.’” A string of publishing luminaries point out that no one creates in a vacuum and that we all stand on the shoulders of giants.
• Auteurs Starve, Performers Thrive “John Scalzi: The Good Parts Version” In which we discover that he’s not kidding about the Coke Zero, as well as many other “good parts”.
• The Sun Kisses Karl Schroeder’s Cheek “Somebody finally mentions Joss Whedon on a panel and the story behind this blog’s subtitle” A discussion of setting and how it fits in SF/F.
• Money Flows Toward The Mouse “Why Shakespeare is in the public domain but Steamboat Willie isn’t, and the eighth deadly sin: pissing off your fans.” The Piracy of Fiction on the Internet and why Walt Disney’s money machine needs “protecting” but Romeo and Juliet doesn’t.
• The Reports are Highly Exaggerated “SF is not dead, but does it smell funny? Plus, the long shadow of Will Smith.” Why SF as a genre is dead if you define it narrowly enough, but thriving if you’re willing to squint a bit.
• Your Reading List for 2008 “Your reading list for 2008 and the power brokers of the 21st century: librarians.” Justine Larbalestier threw down the gauntlet for the “Golden Age of YASF” with this statement “The most exciting books being written in SF/F today are in the YA genre. Full stop.” And then commenced a huge list of “must-read” examples.
• Winston Smith, You’re Late for Homeroom “Beer with your heroes and high school as totalitarian dystopia.” A chat with Justine Larbalestier and Scott Westerfeld where we decide that sometimes, just letting an outcast know that they’re not the only one to ever feel this way is the greatest gift you can give them.
• ...And the Horse You Rode In On “Give me Shredded Mini-Wheats or give me death! 30% more fiber than your regular panel.” A hilarious, and apparently cathartic, discussion of the question: why is it, with all the histories available to build a fantasy, all we ever get is medieval Europe with dragons?

• Dinosaurs, Mammals and Cockroaches “Only the cockroaches – and John Scalzi – will survive.” Is is possible to evolve as a writer without ruining your career? Plus, John Scalzi refers to himself as a cockroach.

A number of these panels (as well as a few I missed) are now immortalized as mp3’s over at Time Traveler Show so you can go check out how well my notes stand up to the truth. Thank you, Time Traveler!

1. Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy [↩]