A Curious Statistical Anomaly

Finally got some sleep last night. Got up in time to get to the 10 am panel.

10 AM: Who, What or Why Done It.
Panelists: J. Kathleen Cheney, Laura Anne Gilman, Thomas S. Roche, Danel Paul Olson (Moderator), Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.
Panelists talked about mystery in the sense of the original Greek — that which makes us silent and blind. The difference between grue and frission and how enigma or doubt can be carried throughout a story and woven into the structure without either telling too much or not enough. Panelists agreed that the hooks need to be set in the first fifth of the book. Much discussion was taken up with the unknown and the unknowable and that Gothic Romances are great at keeping the differences of these two. Once of the concepts that I found interesting was that “Horror is fear of the unknown and terror is fear of the known”. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch who the quote was from.

Some phrases that came up and were interesting:
The writer controls the first impressions a reader gets of the character and after that the character is on his or her own.
The Why and How Done it are often more satisfying mysteries but they are much harder to write
Panther as pet.
Not so much Who Done it or What Happened but just how screwed are we?

11 AM: VanderMeer on VanderMeer

Panelists: Ann and Jeff VanderMeer interviewing each other.
This was great panel as the VanderMeers asked each other questions or told stories about each other that maybe people didn’t know about them. Examples: Ann originally wanted to be a homicide detective. Jeff is an avid birder and tide pool explorer. Jeff is renouncing squid but he tends to use totem animals in his stories. Ann used to be in a rock punk band (back in the day). The audience enjoyed getting to know these two people better and the hour just rushed by.

Noon: Shelf Lives: The Art and Design of Book Covers

John Picacio, slide show
Picacio, through the use of a slide show of his work, led us through the thought process and stages that go into making a book cover. Picacio prefers to have read the book or at least read part of the book to get a feel for what the author is trying to accomplish. We saw beginning sketches that got more and more refined as the project proceeded. Using drawings, abstract color paintings, digital layering, and other techniques leading to a finished cover. This was a great look behind the scenes at how book covers go from concept to final cover.

We decided to break for lunch and then meet with some friends. We’d made arrangements to have coffee with Ann VanderMeer, who will be one of the Capclave 2010 Guests of Honor. While I was acquainted with Ann’s work at Weird Tales and the anthologies that she’s edited, I hadn’t really had a chance to talk with her. She was gracious enough to take time out of her schedule to meet with my Vice-Chair, one of my Programming people, Hyperion, and me.

Next up was meeting with some other people who were at the convention to discuss various projects and ideas for improving our local convention and hopefully reaching out to more readers of science fiction and fantasy in the DC area for Capclave. This is another way of saying we missed the afternoon panels.

8 PM: Group Autographing.

World Fantasy, rather than having a few authors sign during each time period, has one massive signing event. The Regency Ballroom was set up with tables and all the authors, editors, artists show up along with convention members who have books to be signed. A good time was had by all as there was also a cash bar and some nice munchies served at the same time.

[Hyperion: A couple more pictures of the Group Signing Event]

We later stopped by the Hospitality Suite for even more conversation. World Fantasy offers many opportunities for people in the field to just sit and talk about books, publishing, stories read, stories coming out, trends, and to meet new friends and connect with old friends. It’s a convention where it’s easy to get comfortable and talk about writing and stories with other people who are also passionate about fantasy in its many guises.

At first we didn’t think we’d make it to this year’s World Fantasy Convention. Hyperion and I are near championship procrastinators, but we manage to buy memberships from two people who couldn’t make it at the last minute. Then plane reservations and a hotel room– we managed to get all our ducks in a row and get here (of course I had insomnia on Tuesday and we haven’t slept since Tuesday night and it’s now Thursday. We’re holding out until west coast evening to try to sleep to get adjusted to the time difference between here and the east coast). [Hyperion: That’s over 32 hours of up and at-em without a wink of sleep.  Just in case you’re interested.]

World Fantasy celebrates the fantastic in literature. Each convention usually has a theme or idea around which the panels and program items play. This year celebrates the 200th birthday of Edgar Allan Poe. Poe did much to codify and promote the short story and to create an American Literature. Earlier we sat in on a panel called: Poe’s Influence (4:00 PM). Panelists were Jon DeCles (moderator), John Paul Langan, John Levitt, and Kat Richardson.

Poe essential discovered Hawthorne. He also was an influence on Dickens, Lovecraft, many of the authors that wrote in a similar vein, and the early writers of Weird Tales. He also did much to influence the noir mystery genre. The panelists brought up many examples and kept saying how until they started putting their thoughts out there in the open they hadn’t fully grasped just how influential Poe really was.

Known for his horror, poetry, and mysteries, Poe is still read today. His works are taught in schools or at least assigned in most high schools — somehow Poe is under the radar that seems to keep most genre writers off the curriculum.

There was also some discussion of alcoholism and the link there seems to be with writers and alcohol and musicians and other drugs. Much wondering was done about if he could write so much while smashed, what could have been done sober. Worth a ponder or more, I guess. Did the drinking keep him from being even more popular or not? Would he have been even better without his drinking — he’d for sure have been more popular during his lifetime.

Next was opening ceremonies where we were introduced to the Guests of Honor and each had a chance to speak. This year’s guests are: Garth Nix, Lisa Snellings, Michael Swanwick, Ann VanderMeer, Jeff VanderMeer, Zoran Živkovi?, Donald Sidney-Fryer, and Richard A. Lupoff. The Toastmaster is Jay Lake who did a masterful job of keeping things moving with no dull moments.

We’re pretty much in need of a good nights sleep in order to get our brains rebooted. As you can tell — I completely forgot and left my camera in our hotel room. Tomorrow I’ll try to do photos — really.

Well, I hum when I’m contented too. I couldn’t resist this article when I saw it on BBC Earth News — The Man who walks with Bears. Professor Lynn Rogers has been studying black bears for the last 43 years, learning their behavior, their rules of conduct, and their idiosyncrasies. A BBC film crew followed Professor Rogers getting some excellent footage of the bears and their behavior in the wild.

What really thrilled me though is that they hum when happy and/or content. Of course, most everyone who has ever read Winnie the Pooh knows that, but then Winnie is not a black bear — he’s more golden yellow. My husband and I collect bears and are always interested in them– reading most of the studies that come out on bears. We are however among those people who do not confuse the cute and cuddly plush bears with the wild in the woods ones. Though I am particularly partial to polar bears –plush and in the wild; especially this time of year.

I found this site that has some fantastic photos of the bears Lynn Rogers works with. Hope you enjoy this bear-y interlude.

I spent most of today trying to catch up on all the TODO notes I have hanging about my workspace. Tomorrow is our last day to get stuff done for the November issues of SFRevu and Gumshoe Review before leaving for San Jose, CA and the World Fantasy Convention.

We leave in the middle of the night on, or early Thursday morning, depending on your point of view. We’ll be posting about the convention because we’re attending specifically to cover it and to talk with other people in the field (and hopefully get a chance to get to know the Capclave 2010 Guests of Honor).

I’m really looking forward to the convention but dreading the ordeal of airport security. I don’t do really well standing in lines and not being able to pace. For some reason I get dizzy and feeling weird if I have to stand in one spot for any length of time. It would be easier to face if I actually believed that all their security theater actually made me safer but let’s face it, most of us know it doesn’t make us safer, it just is so inconvenient that we start to believe it must have some positive result. Anyway, that’s just my opinion and I haven’t seen any thing to make me change it lately.

So, now I have to decide what to bring to read on the plane/in the airport/while waiting in long lines. I’ll most likely end up with the books that I haven’t gotten to yet and I’m supposed to review by November 1st. This month has been unreal in its ability to gobble up my time. More about time in another post.

Last year, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee knit up an absolutely beautiful cowl that she named Pretty Thing. Recently she released the pattern for sale on her website (scroll down to the post called — The moral of the story).

Now it happened that this is the time of year I begin to cast far and wide looking for possible Christmas gifts. So, as soon as I managed to purchase the pattern, I cast on. Now, I have bought some lovely alpaca/wool blend yarn but the version in the photo is done with sock yarn in a variegated white/grey/black that has a lot of stretch to it. I’m not going to even attempt to block something that has that much nylon bounce to it. You can get an idea of the pattern but the variegation sort of hides the details. When I make my next one in a solid color I’ll post another picture.

The reason for sock yarn in a stretch yarn is that the person who will get this throws everything into the washer and then the dryer. Labels are for sissies. So, knowing my giftee, I plan accordingly. This will go well with her coloring but will also survive the washer and dryer and it will hold its shape without being blocked. It also stretches enough that it won’t muss the hair too much.

I tried it on and it fit wonderfully but I think I’ll add another pattern repeat for the next one since it won’t have as much stretch to the yarn and evidently I and some people I know have big heads. [Hyperion: As she found out when she asked me to try it on.] We must be big head people– but that just means that we have more brains and thus will be the choice of zombies everywhere. [Hyperion: She says the sweetest things :blush:]

Anyway, having knit my first Pretty Thing, I can say that the pattern is clearly written. I didn’t even have any problems with the sewn cast-off — and I’d never done that before. It makes a lovely stretchy edge to the cowl.

As regular readers of this blog will know, I’m a member of the Washington Science Fiction Association (WSFA) and also one of the members of the publications committee that is responsible WSFA Press publications. So, I’m posting a plug for WSFA Press here (this is really needed since my basement is the storage area for WSFA Press–please, help me get my basement back).

At Capclave 2009 WSFA Press released it’s newest publication Reincarnations by Harry Turtledove with introduction and story notes by Sheila Williams. If you missed buying a copy at Capclave or didn’t attend Capclave, there are still books available:

Reincarnations by Harry Turtledove (signed hardcover, 2009)
Reincarnations by Harry Turtledove (trade hardcover)

The Washington Science Fiction Association’s WSFA Press is trying to clear out inventory to make room for planned future releases, and to scare up monies to further support Capclave, our annual convention, for future years. So we’re selling some of our older, limited edition publications. Available are:

The Edge of Things by Lewis Shiner (75 copies, signed hardcover; published 1991)
Home by the Sea by Pat Cadigan (50 copies, slipcased/signed hardcover, 1992)
Future Washington edited by Ernest Lilley (200 copies, trade papereback, 2005)
Future Washington edited by Ernest Lilley (40 copies, trade hardcover)

They’re also offering “special sets (or bundles), representing a slice of WSFA Press history, comprised of five hardcovers, for just $100: The Edge of Things, Through Darkest Resnick with Gun and Camera by Mike Resnick (1990, unsigned), Home by the Sea, Future Washington, and Reincarnations.” (Only 5 bundles left as of 23 October 2009).

The books (individuals and sets/bundles) are available on a first-come first-served. WSFA Press is offering dealer discounts (for more information, contact Gayle Surrette or Paul Haggerty at webmaster@wsfapressbooks.org) or to purchase go to WSFAPress.org

This isn’t really new information for many people but I thought in view of this new YouTube video that others might like to see what goes on in the U.S. Library of Congress to preserve our written history.

I visited the Library of Congress shortly after the Reading Room and other parts of the library were renovated several years ago. It’s a beautiful place. The tour was wonderful. My husband and I were two of four Americans in a tour group of about 20 people. I don’t know if the numbers have changed much over the years. A friend who works there doubts it. It seems many people from other countries put visiting the U.S. Library of Congress on the list of interesting stops when visiting the US. However, American’s visiting Washington, DC don’t seem to have the same list of priorities.

Wonder why? Hope you enjoy a pick at American’s premier library.

Last year I signed up for NaNoWriMo — that’s the site where you sign up to write a novel in 30 days. I didn’t do too badly. I wrote about 3 chapters worth before life landed on me with both feet. So, what do I do this year? I signed up again. You see, I like deadlines. Seeing a deadline coming up on the horizon tends to focus me quite nicely until it whooshes past my ears with that nice breeze. This year I’m already working on an outline so hopefully but the start of November I’ll now where I’m going with the story. At least, that’s the plan anyway. Last year I think I was just too unfocused on the story. I learned a lot about writing and me last year and I hope that knowledge will help me this year.

If you’re also doing NaNoWriMo this year, let me know. I’d like to hear how this novel in a month works for others.