WorldCon in Reno, NV: Day One

So I meant to do a wonderfully insightful post before I arrived at WorldCon, addressing my expectations and desires, my dreams of becoming best friends with Gail Carriger, stalking Dan Wells outside his hotel window, etc. That didn’t happen.

Obviously.

Instead, I’m updating everyone on my first night [edit: Friday now, not Wednesday] because who knows how tired I’ll be later in the week. And this first day was awesome. Bow ties and top hats and kilts, oh my! I’m loving the outrageousness. So many people are dressed up, it makes me jealous that I didn’t bring a costume. Neither my Jedi robes nor my Steampunk outfit are near ready.  :(

I went to opening ceremonies because I figured, why not? It’s my first WorldCon and I want to know if it’s awesome or boring. Well, it’s both. They thank a lot of people for putting the convention together, which I’m grateful for but don’t really want to hear every name and all the details. However, they introduce the Guest of Honor and ask them a few questions. It’s interesting to see them and hear their answers, get a handle on why they are a guest of honor when I’m not familiar with them.

Because I wasn’t familiar with any of them except Tim Powers. And I’ve only heard of him because I looked him up after watching the latest installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. *blush*

It’s moments like these that I’m reminded that I’m a beginner, which I am and don’t mind being. And I wonder how everyone gets to know each other and remember their faces and their books and who their publisher is, etc. It’s all so overwhelming.

But my strategy for this Con is simply this: Have Fun. I’m learning the ropes of how Cons work so that next time (WorldFantasy in October) I can be a little more prepared for the things that scare me; talking to agents, editors and authors, pitching my work to any of them, meeting anyone at all, etc.

The only panel I attended today was The Real Revenge of the Nerds: Geek as Hero [Ginjer Buchanan, John Coxon, Lauria Mann, Connie Willis, Kristine Kathryn Rusch]

I’m not sure who was supposed to be the monitor for this panel but they weren’t really doing a good job. By that, I mean this panel was all over the place. It was hard to take notes because people were jumping from topic to topic and show to show so quickly. I like order and I think they make panels better.

However, despite the disorder, it was a wonderful panel. There was a wonderful connection made to fairy tales [my favorite!] about how they are the original story of the underdog, winning through brains not braun. Think about it.

I’ve got all my supplies ready for tomorrow. Today was easy. Tomorrow’s crowds will be bigger and I’m glad to have a handle on the layout of the convention center and the panels I want to attend. See you tomorrow! [edit: maybe]