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BayCon 2012 report
May. 31st, 2012 04:55 pmThis year's BayCon was one of the best regional conventions I've attended in recent years. This is not to say that every aspect ran perfectly, but that the programming -- the panel topics, the chemistry between the panelists, and the lively response of the audiences -- was exceptional. This is, of course, my own very personal opinion, so here's what the weekend was like for me:
Friday began with "Growing Artistically Through Crisis," which was scheduled right after opening ceremonies. The sole other panelist was a musician/composer named Angelena Kyzar, lovely and articulate. We had a wonderful conversation, sharing stories, talking about how our creative endeavors help us to survive personal crises, but also how we can use what we have experienced and grown through in order to enrich our art.
Next up -- literally next, because I had 3 back-to-back panels (I told you it wasn't perfect) was "Ghostwriting" (meaning continuing the series of a deceased author), with Diana L. Paxson, Brandon Sanderson (the GoH, who finished Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series) and Kevin Andrew Murphy (worked on Jo Clayton's "Drums" trilogy). Diana and I have done the "Worlds of Marion Zimmer Bradley" discussion a number of times before, but we learn more each time we compare notes. Brandon was new to me, and so it was fun hearing his own adventures. I've known Kevin for years through convention-dom, and I'd heard a little of his story working with Jo, but not about how he came to write in the "Wild Cards" shared world series. Interestingly, all of us except Kevin were established writers with track records; Kevin's entry was via his phenomenal memory for details, keeping the minutiae of "canon" straight, a priceless contribution to a series that spans volumes and many authors. We talked about the usual, How did you get to do this, How writing in an established world is like writing historical fiction, How to reconcile your own and the deceased writer's voices, and how you handle it when you feel the story needs to go in another direction.( Read more... )
Friday began with "Growing Artistically Through Crisis," which was scheduled right after opening ceremonies. The sole other panelist was a musician/composer named Angelena Kyzar, lovely and articulate. We had a wonderful conversation, sharing stories, talking about how our creative endeavors help us to survive personal crises, but also how we can use what we have experienced and grown through in order to enrich our art.
Next up -- literally next, because I had 3 back-to-back panels (I told you it wasn't perfect) was "Ghostwriting" (meaning continuing the series of a deceased author), with Diana L. Paxson, Brandon Sanderson (the GoH, who finished Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series) and Kevin Andrew Murphy (worked on Jo Clayton's "Drums" trilogy). Diana and I have done the "Worlds of Marion Zimmer Bradley" discussion a number of times before, but we learn more each time we compare notes. Brandon was new to me, and so it was fun hearing his own adventures. I've known Kevin for years through convention-dom, and I'd heard a little of his story working with Jo, but not about how he came to write in the "Wild Cards" shared world series. Interestingly, all of us except Kevin were established writers with track records; Kevin's entry was via his phenomenal memory for details, keeping the minutiae of "canon" straight, a priceless contribution to a series that spans volumes and many authors. We talked about the usual, How did you get to do this, How writing in an established world is like writing historical fiction, How to reconcile your own and the deceased writer's voices, and how you handle it when you feel the story needs to go in another direction.( Read more... )
