I attended ConVersion 24 last weekend and I’m pleased to say it was well-worth the $60 I spent to go.
What was ConVersion 24 you might ask? Simply put, it is a Science Fiction and Fantasy convention held in Calgary every fall. This year it was August, next year it will be in October (as I understand it).
The guests were Timothy Zahn, KA Bedford and Jennie Breeden. My friend Simon Rose was also there speaking at the Children’s Programming section and participating in a panel on Marketing oneself.
I sat in on both Timothy Zahn’s and KA Bedford’s panels and I was very happy to hear about their daily writing routines. They both said that they write between 1 hour and 3 hours per day, 6 days a week. I can honestly say that revelation was unexpected; I was expecting to hear that the writing part was a 9-5 job and I for one don’t think I’m up to that.
Turns out it doesn’t need to be. I know when I’ve done Nanowrimo and tried to write continuously for 3 or more hours per day for days on end I wind up feeling totally drained and at least partially brain dead. I’m happy that my existing routine will suffice.
I know that the rest of a writer’s day is filled with writing related activities; research, plotting, answering correspondence and reading but I’m alright with that. I do those things already.
I also made a couple of good contacts. Hopefully they will help me on my journey to getting published. That was actually my original intention for going. I’m glad it worked out.
The only downside was going alone. Events like this are best enjoyed in a group. I’ll try to have some friends to take along next year when Terry Brooks and Tanya Huff are the Guests of Honor.
