I read this comment on Trey’s journal the other day, made at a workshop session at WindyCon:

Someone mentioned that the first draft of a story is written for the author, as she or he works out the story. Then in revision, the author works out how to best express the story to someone else—the reader.

I had a “well duh” moment when I read that. It makes perfect sense. It fits what I see in my own first drafts. I’ve made the mistake of trying to polish first drafts, and it always results in a subpar story. Part of the challenge of writing is finding what works for you. There is no forumla. It’s a journey of self-exploration, discovering the things that work for you and the things that do not. Like anything worthwhile, it takes effort and dedication. Ultimately, if you remain persistent in your endeavors, you will prevail.

Imagine the surprise of the folks at Poetry Magazine when they learned that Ruth Lilly, scion of Eli Lilly and rejected poet, had left them a $100M gift in her estate.

The magazine has operated out of the Newberry Library for years, and a lack of funds kept most of their collection of works in storage. This gift will allow them to expand, and possibly even open a building of their own where they can display the manuscripts and poems to the public. (source)

I’ve got a new fantasy short story in process now. A young woman’s quest to discover the fifth tenet of her warrior faith, only what she learns isn’t what she expects. It’s moving along nicely, and I’m hoping to have a first draft done by the end of the month.

I attended my first WindyCon this weekend. I went to nine panels over two days. For the most part I enjoyed the panels. One trend I noticed, however, was that several panelists were not prepared for discussion, or didn’t even know what they were signed up for (although as I understand it, they weren’t entirely to blame for that).

While this panel mainly focused on its theme as applied to movies, it was still an interesting discussion. Noise in space and buckets of blood were pointed out and laughed at.

This was a lively discussion and the panel members were well-versed in the topic. They discussed the changes in the portrayed image of elves (and elfin creatures) in ancient and modern literature. This was one of the more enjoyable panels and was useful in working through some blocks on my current work in progress (WIP), since elfin creatures are at the heart of the story.

As I recall, this discussion was about what makes a modern myth. Defining what a myth is, in comparsion to a legend, took up a good part of the hour. It was agreed upon that a myth, as opposed to a legend, involves some form of spirituality or belief structure. One common misconception that was dispelled was the fact that something may be considered a myth may be true or ficticious. From Dictionary.com, a myth is a popular belief or story that has become associated with a person, institution, or occurrence, especially one considered to illustrate a cultural ideal

Panelists discussed their favorite legend or mythology, new or old. Interesting, but not enough to hold my attention apparently. I can’t recall a single specific example cited that was new to me.

I’m always interested in adding to my reading list. Sadly, most of the panels were unprepared and were scrounging to come up with titles. I kept a list of what was recommended, and I’ll include that later when I compile my own list of recommended works.

This was one panel I was looking forward to, and I wasn’t disappointed. The lack of organized religion in science fiction was discussed, and how heavily its used in fantasy. One of the interesting points I came away with was that while many fantasy works may be full of Gods running around causing chaos, what’s more important is a solid, consistent, and believable belief system. Even with the absence of a visible deity in a story, the belief structure will still be apparent in the daily lives of the people. Holidays, ritual practice, phrases and sayings are among the things that would commonly be present.

Slightly humorous panel (Roland Green cracked me up; I’m not sure why) but no fantastic revelations for me.

This was one of the more educational panels. A poll was taken, and out of a good-sized audience, only two of us (including myself) were writers. The panel was extremely knowledgeable about the topic at hand. Bill Fawcett is a professional creator of series (with over 200 titles to his credit), and the rest of the authors have published one or more series of fiction. Particularly interesting was the business behind the series. The craft of writing a series was discussed, such as the story arch, but more importantly (and something I feel strongly about) that each individual story must sustain itself. Having a story arch that stretches for two or more books is strongly desirable for a series, but each volume should still be able to stand by itself and resolve something in the end.

Overall, I had a good time. The Con itself wasn’t as well organized as I would have liked. For example, I couldn’t get a schedule of panels until I registered. I missed at least one panel on friday that I would have enjoyed. Besides that, everything else was fine. I even was able to meet up with Linda, Liz, and Jenn from the group for lunch on saturday. Time to start saving pennies so I can attend some of the larger Cons.

I went to WindyCon this past weekend. It was my first convention from the perspective of a writer, and it was an eye-opening experience. I picked up a few new books from the dealer room, but the highlight was the panels. I’m still digesting information, but overall I’m glad I went.