Lisa and I will be in San Antonio for Worldcon this year, which should be quite fun.
I say that with special meaning this time because, you see, when I go to Worldcon, I usually go with a plan–the trip always had a business orientation, or a slant toward which I want to lean my learning. And, yeah, of course I want to learn while I’m there this year, too. I want to soak in the environment and walk away from Texas with a better understanding of the world of publishing through the eyes of the SF movers and shakers who attend. I’m sure I will.
But this year, since I’ve struggled to find time to put together a “real” plan, I’m going without a specific concept, without a specific target. This will be fine. After all, I already have a general view of the business end of things that I can build off, thereby allowing me to wing it. And I really don’t have a specific “property” to pitch around, so it’s not like I needed to spend hours working up a set of conversations. My name is making its way around the world of short SF again, which is always good, but I’ve gotten into the flow of things too late to be included in the programming schedule (that’s how I’m interpreting the fact that I’m not a programming participant … and no, you really don’t have to burst my bubble, all right?) Besides, I was more than a bit ambivalent about the idea of being on Worldcon panels anyway, but I suppose that’s a topic for another post. And finally, if I’m coming clean here, I’m tired. I’ve been to busy and so preoccupied with other things in my life to do much real planning and prepping.
So through fact of life as much as anything, I’ve decided that I’m going to do something different–that being that I’m going to do my best to just soak in awesomeness wherever I see it. I’m going to try to revel in the field–approach each artist (or scientist, or whatever) and their work with a completely open mind. I’m going to try to attend as if I have never been to a Worldcon. I’m going with the mindset of a pure fan.
It won’t work, of course. I know that going in. I’ll get interested in the business end more than the average fan, and I’ll certainly meet people and press forward toward the business end of things. That’s me. But no the whole I’m just going TRY to let the world take me where it takes me.
So, yeah. Goal 1: Soak in Awesomeness.
Should be interesting. I’m thinking (as I sit here in my basement), that perhaps this should be my new mantra. Soak in Awesomeness. Yes. I like it.