Posts by reudaly:
[Writer Post] A Discussion on Storms and Fandom
Welcome to Writer Wednesday – actually on Wednesday. It’s been an interesting week thus far – both in the cool way and the Chinese Proverb way. The DFW area is within 1.5 inches of breaking a rain record for the Month of May. I’ve been dealing with the Crazy Weather at work and at home. I didn’t get as much writing done last night as I might’ve liked because an unexpectedly severe storm freaked out Loki, our dog, so much that he needed some serious comforting, and he’s a big ole Mama’s Boy, but I got some words in before that happened, because…determined.
I started a discussion on Facebook based on a blog post asking the question if the big, commercial comic book shows are killing fandom. So far, the discussion is civil but esoteric. I’m kinda hoping to get down into the nuts and bolts to see if anyone has any good constructive ideas on how to keep fan run conventions from becoming obsolete – if it’s not too late for that. But at the moment, it’s still has a tone of “Back in MY day…” and it’s a handful of people. I hope more people jump on the discussion.
This is completely a selfish reason. I need the fan-run conventions. I also need the comic book shows (just not the Mega ones) because this is the way I meet and make fans and readers. It’s where I connect with my colleagues. It’s part of my JOB, and I don’t want it going out of business. So I’m open to ideas on how to continue to grow fandom.
It may be that we have to consider going “back” to a “new” paradigm of a Hybrid Convention – like SoonerCon is kinda doing at the moment. Bringing in the writers, the artists, and a small handful of actors for those who are into the media thing to see there’s more to fandom. A lot more. Maybe it means appealing more to younger readers by encouraging Young Adult readers and writers – maybe starting with a day workshop or something that then leads to a “typical” fan-run convention. Whatever those maybes are (and please, please offer your opinions so I can pass them on to convention runners I know) we need to embrace them.
There can’t be any “Get Off My Lawn” moments in fandom – not if fandom is going to survive. I’ve been guilty of it. I was wrong, very, very wrong. Just because I don’t understand what you’re into doesn’t mean it’s not worth being into. I’ve turned my nose up to Twilight, I admit it, until I realized people were reading, now I suggest Rachel Caine to anyone I meet who’s all about the Twilight. And I want fandom to survive. I didn’t discover fandom until I was an adult. My younger years would’ve been … I hope… less difficult if I’d realized there were more people like me out there. Let’s continue the tradition.
[Pen/Pencil Review] Post-Holiday Edition
Yeah, it’s Tuesday. We took a holiday yesterday. Saw a movie. Took a day off. And that was Monday. So there was, obviously, no review. What did happen was a discovery following a sudden thunderstorm (which have occurred with great regularity in Texas this month) and comforting the dog on the sofa. I lost my […]
[Writer Post] Yes, I Know It’s Friday, Not Wednesday
So, Wednesday apparently blew past me 90 to Nothing , and Thursday? Well, I remembered Wednesday blew past on Thursday – and look, it’s Friday. I will get my blog back on track. I will get everything back on track. To that end… I will be out and about in June with ApolloCon and SoonerCon […]
[Pen/Pencil Review] Conklin Duragraph from Pen Chalet
Last week I had one of those experiences that all pen blog writers dream of, a pen shop emailed me to ask me if they sent me a pen, would I review it honestly and provide a few links. Um, gee, let me think about that for a second…yes. Therefore, I’d like to formally thank […]
[Writer Post] Overwhelmed, Busy, and Loving It
So Wednesday happened yesterday and I totally forgot about doing a blog post. Oops. I’m turning my thought processes around. This past month has thrown me out of my writing routine. I’ve not finished things like I ought – yes, part of this is “coulda/shoulda/woulda/oughta”. And now, it’s time to remedy that. Even though Real […]
[Pen/Pencil Review] Paper Mate InkJoy Stylus Triangular Ballpoint in Purple
Today’s blog post… I revisit Paper Mate’s InkJoy. This is the Stylus stick triangular pen in purple ink. I picked this one up at Office Max. I keep coming back every so often to InkJoy because I really WANT to feel the Joy. I really do. I know people who love these pens. Alas…I am […]
[Writer Post] Returning to Normalcy
It’s Wednesday, and I’m writing a blog. Heck, I’m writing. That’s something. It’s a step back in the right direction. I lost some time between the dog and the virus that blew through our household. Normalcy is slowly returning. I’m trying really hard to get the Redheads rewrite done. This one has been a struggle […]
[Pen/Pencil Review] Office Depot Fashion Rollerball Pens – Multi-Pack
It’s time to get back to normal. We had illness in the house on top of everything else. But we’re better now. So, now it’s pen blog time. This week, I’m reviewing a multi-pack of fashion pens from Office Depot. These fun roller ball pens come in a variety of patterns – from polka dots […]
[Spotlight Post] Diamond Dog
There’s not going to be a pen review today. I’ll try to get one in tomorrow or Wednesday, but not today. Today we said goodbye to one of our dogs. Diamond has gone over the Rainbow Bridge. We didn’t want to do it, but it was the responsible thing to do. Last week she was […]
[Writer Post] Coherency – Hopefully, It’s What’s For Dinner
It’s Wednesday. I know it’s late, but there have been other things on my mind this week. If you follow me on Facebook, you know what’s going on because you’re being inundated with photos and videos of our Elder Dog. I’m distracted and not going to apologize for it. At least it’s not the Hugos. […]