So I’ve been working on a query letter and synopsis the past couple of days and I think I’ve made some progress. Hooray!

So I decided to show the query letter to Juniper, one of my cats:

Apparently my query put her to sleep.

You think agents and editors fall asleep like that on queries? Probably.

So to recap the first post, World Fantasy 2010: The Aftermath , WFC is awesome. But there is more…

Sure you get to meet and rub elbows with legends of the fantasy and science fiction field, but the friends and contacts you make at WFC are priceless–especially the friends.

The hotel bar was where most of this happened, but also in the dealers room, the panels, and the various publisher parties that took place on the “party floor” of the hotel. I made new friends in every corner of the convention and some just by luck.

The best times I had at WFC were hanging out with a group of guys and dolls and going from the hotel bar to “the party floor” and back down to the hotel bar. We cracked jokes, engaged in what I’m sure was brilliant conversation, drank, and laughed. A few others drifted in and out of the group all night long and some kept coming back for more punishment, or out of morbid curiosity as to what would happen or be said next. I won’t name any names here, but I think everyone involved knows who they are and the good times we had at World Fantasy Convention.

I had always heard that the WFC crowd could party, but they certainly proved it to me. But you know what? It was never obnoxious, or to the point where it disgusted you. For a group of people who had been drinking–a lot, we were pretty well behaved.

Sunday morning at WFC felt rushed for me, but that was because I had to leave early before the banquet and before the awards ceremony. Next year I hope to stay the entire time.

The last part of WFC remained with me through today, and that is the inevitable convention crud. Oh, and lack of sleep and trying to catch back up on that. Anyway, a great convention that I highly recommend for writers, fans, or anyone with an interest in writing, publishing, fantasy or science fiction. The price of admission is cheap compared to what you will bring away from it. The biggest piece of advice I can give regarding WFC is to not be shy, try to mingle and get outside your comfort zone just a little.

I attended my first World Fantasy Convention, and now, after a day or so to ponder the event, I believe I’m finally ready to share my experiences. For those not in the know, World Fantasy Convention is not a Dungeons & Dragons type event where everyone dresses up and there are tons and tons of fans (which is what many at my day job believe–and let them believe that and remain ignorant, it works better for me anyway). WFC is a professional event where publishers, editors, writers, and yes, some fans (but isn’t everyone who attends this a fan in some way?) attend to go to panels, talk business, listen to readings, network and hang out at the hotel bar.

I went to World Fantasy with super low expectations regarding chances to pitch my book to editors and literary agents. My goal was to simply meet a lot of people (which I did) and also to listen and learn (which I did as well). My goals were met and exceeded–far exceeded.

I’m going to illustrate how crazy and wonderful World Fantasy can be, and yes, there will be some name dropping here, but it just proves how amazing the experience can be. My first night at WFC and I’m sitting at the bar next to Ted Chiang, a few seats down I see John Scalzi chatting and laughing with a few people (one of which I thought to myself “boy, he looks like a dick”, but he proved to be one of the coolest people I met, and we ended up hanging out for most of the convention). I look over again at the Scalzi group, and Joe Haldeman has joined in. Then a very nice woman I met brought me into her circle of friends and during our conversation, Paolo Bacigalupi joins in for a good fifteen minutes–this is all in the first night of the convention and I’m sure I’m leaving out a ton of names!

Fast forward to the second day: I attended a panel on why fantasy has so few guns. The panel was very interesting, and some comments I made during the panel brought me some interesting conversation and opportunities. I managed to speak with a literary agent for close to an hour and a half, during which time he gave me his business card and said we’d be sure to talk soon. Another point I’ll make about WFC. Bringing a wingman is important, but I had no wingman–at first. So…

I met a kindred spirit who had brought along one of his best friends. Together, they made perfect wingmen. For instance–I’m trying to speak with the literary agent and up walks this joker who had just eaten his breakfast IN FRONT OF THE PANEL and made entirely too much noise. He attempts to hijack the conversation and ruin my pitch attempt to the agent. But–my newly found wingmen understand what is going on and pull the clown away before he did any damage or scared off the literary agent!

Later that same day I’m hanging out with my new friends and Bill Schafer of Subterranean Press. Bill says he has to leave and have dinner with Mike Resnick and his wife, but then asks us if we want to come along. Uh, yes? Dinner was hilarious as Mike and his wife recounted stories from his early days of writing. All I can say is that the experience was unbelievable.

And just think–this is all during the first day and a half of the convention! I think I’ll split this post and talk about the rest of the craziness in the aftermath part 2.