I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Friday, July 25, 2008

Writing in the Land of Three Rivers

Pittsburgh that is.

Here at Confluence! Woohoo! I'm so unprepared for this. Some things happened last night that made any attempt to get ready go out the window. Hopefully I can share all that madness with you soon.

But here at the Con that I attended third, after World Fantasy in Madison and Marcon. The con where I learned the ropes, how to work and what to watch for (thanks, Tobias, Sam and Josh!). This is also the earliest that I've ever arrived at a con. Heck, the dealer room isn't even set up and I have a few hours before the first panel that I really want to see. The students from Alpha (a genre writers workshop for the youth of America) just piled in. My God, they look so young. That's one of the problems figuring out you were supposed to be a writer later in life, all these young punks full of energy. As they say, though, Cunning and Guile beat Youth and Energy any day of the week (insert manic laughter here). Seriously, though, it's not a zero sum game. It's just a little daunting seeing them being so young getting their start.

So besides having a bunch of fun ahead (woohoo! Other writers, talking about things that are interesting, hearing from top people about the business, and drinking! - okay, not so much of that this year) I have some work to do this weekend. I have my laptop (and I'm not afraid to use it) and my red pens (yes, my precious, my red pens, my precious) so I'm ready. I'm a bit tired, but when has that not been a problem this year.

And now the mind starts wandering because I need to say that for the past six weeks of work I've only had one 2-liter bottle of pop during the day. At night I've been going through about 2 bottles a week (maybe a little less, the weekends are killers). I have a feeling that tea may not be all that I need next week at work. I'm going to be dragging my rear come Monday, I just know it. It's worth it, though.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is an interesting point you have made about it not being a zero-sum game.

Most people don't see that, and so they feel rather guilty if they succeed, as they see it being at someone else's expense. And they resent successful people because they think that there are only so many places at the table.

I think there is a Huna teaching that says we should bless the things that we want for ourselves. If we see someone who has a nice house, we should bless the house and bless the person who owns it. So I guess that means that you should bless good writing and successful writers while you are at the conference.

Steve Buchheit said...

Sheila, yep, that's about it. So far most people I know have been more successful than I at writing. Which for them is good, and for me is good, because I can then learn from them.