Tomorrow is the first day of the Nebula Conference.

When I signed up, I thought I’d be getting on a train today bound for Woodland Hills after requesting time off from work. I don’t have to tell you how much can change in two months. Now I’m testing audio equipment and my internet connection and teasing my friends about going to John Scalzi’s virtual dance party.

It took me some time to decide whether or not I still wanted to go. Especially when I couldn’t write for weeks, it made little sense to go to an SF/F writing convention. And while I am sad I can’t walk into the ballroom with a completed draft of Doña Ana Lucía Serrano …To The Future! in hand, I have started making progress again and made it to the place in my notes marked [CLIMACTIC BIG ENCHILADA BATTLE ROYALE WITH CHEESE].

So why go?                                                                                

Because at heart, it’s still a convention. There’s still a lot to learn from the panels and discussions, and you never know who you’re going to meet in the common areas. The focus on small groups in the common areas means we’ll be able to hear each other talk (at least, once I have my mike set up). And cons keep me in touch with what’s happening in SF/F publishing, and usually spurs me into action.

And if you’re coming too, come say hi to me! I’ll be at the following panels all weekend. If I’m not at one of these, I’m probably hanging out in the Vorkosigan Suite. See you there!

May 29
8:00-9:00 Crowdfunding for Authors
9:30-10:30 Being a Creative in 2020
10:30-11:30 Mentorship Meeting
2:00-3:00 Blades and Badasses
3:30-4:30 Managing Choice in Games and Interactive Fiction

May 30
8:00-9:00 Urban Development
11:00-12:00 Writing Multiply Marginalized Characters in SFF
2:00-3:00 Making Video for Authors
3:30-4:30 Spending Money to Make Money as an Indie Author
5:00-8:00 55th Annual Nebula Awards

May 31
8:00-9:00 The Landscape of Audiobook Production for Authors
9:30-10:30 Who and Where I Am
11:00-12:00 The Second Life of Stories
2:00-3:00 Moving the Line
3:30-4:30 Forming and Sustaining a Successful Writing or Critique Group

Liked it? Take a second to support R. Jean Mathieu on Patreon!
Become a patron at Patreon!