Writing Classes Personal

ConFusion 2003

First, the belated thank you.

While I was at the con, as I passed between panels, a very kind gentleman handed me a vase full of glorious roses - fragrant yellow ones with pink/orange edges. Now, this doesn't happen often at cons, and I was so startled and delighted that I failed to get his name. I checked with a couple of the committee folks, and they didn't know who he was, either. And when I got home, I was immediately caught up in a family health crisis (which is why I'm writing about a January convention in July) and didn't have a chance to pursue the matter. But... It was a really nice thing to have happen, and I really appreciate the flowers. Thank you very much - I'm just so sorry I didn't get your name!

I also had the pleasure of spending some time talking to Alan Clark, who was the artist guest of honor. There was one piece of his in the art show that I particularly liked because it reminded me (in some un-obvious but very evocative ways) of an idea I had been mulling over, and I said as much to him. Shortly after I got home from the convention, I received an email inviting me to participate in the next Imagination Fully Dilated, "literating" that particular piece. Now, I almost never do short fiction. It's not that I wouldn't like to, it's just that most of the time it doesn't work out very well. My natural length seems to be the novel, and when I try to confine myself to a short piece, what usually happens is that I don't finish, and/or the idea turns itself into a novel anyway. But this time, possibly because of being able to focus on the strong visual, and possibly also because of the short deadline, I actually got it finished - and "The Sweet Not-Yet" sold!

It's not often one gets quite so much out of one convention....

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