Conbust Schedule!

Three months into the year, and it’s a FOURTH convention schedule I’m posting! Woohoo!

(At some point my personal blog posts will be more than convention schedules; I promise! I have thoughts on a variety of things and some health updates, too...)

Anyway, I know it sounds redundant, but this is another beloved convention of mine! Conbust!

Conbust is a student-run feminist SF/F convention held at Smith College every spring.  I found out about Conbust through Broad Universe, not realizing that such a gem was basically in my back yard. 

(I grew up in Springfield, about 15-20 minutes from Northampton.)

I have a pretty ambitious schedule this year at Conbust, so if you’re looking to follow me to all my panels (and they are pretty awesome panels, so you might want to), make sure you are loaded up on your favorite coffee or energy product! I’m scheduled in the very first panel slot, the very last—with eight panels in between!

Also, I’ll be traveling to and from the convention with my friend and editing colleague, Suzanne Lahna, who has their first novella out.  They’ll be on a bunch of excellent panels, too. Find out more on their blog!

Since Conbust is on a college campus, I won’t be hosting a party here, and we don’t have either a Broad Universe or New England Horror Writers table here, so it’s all panels and catching up with some of the great people I only get to see at this convention. I’m excited!

Oh—quick note, these aren’t the official convention descriptions. They’re mine—and subject to change depending on the audience / panelists.  I’m also not listing the panelists here because there were some last minute changes that I don’t know got finalized... but just check the guest list!  I’m on panels with almost all of these spectacular people!

Without further ado, here’s where I’ll be:

Friday, March 23; 5:00 PM; Room 101 – Fandom and Criticism

Can you criticize what you love? Should you? Why is it important?

Friday, March 23; 6:00 PM; Room 201 – Hero, Protagonist

Discussing writing the protagonist hero, or analyzing them.

Saturday, March 24; 9:00 AM; Room TBA – Believable Fight Scenes

This was my favorite panel of last year’s Conbust. Actual reenactment fighters play out writer battle scenes! Of course, now I need to figure out which gods’ awful fight scene of mine needs the most work / will provide the most entertainment to the audience...

Saturday, March 24; 10:00 AM; Room 101 – Suspension of Disbelief

What throws a reader out of a story? How can writers avoid these pitfalls? What’s the term “Flying Snowman” (coined by John Scalzi) and what does it mean to writers and readers?

Saturday, March 24; 11:00 AM; Room 109 – Freelancing: More Ways to Make Money Writing

This panel will discuss the ways people can make a living working with words. No, it’s not easy, but it’s also not impossible. See if this career works for you or if you want to stick to the day job.

Saturday, March 24; 2:00 PM; Room 204 – Everything but the Writing

Note above panel on making money while writing? That’s Making Money Writing 101.  This is Making Money Writing 102 and talks about the business decisions you’ll have to make if you decide you want to make money while writing.

Saturday, March 24; 4:00 PM; Room 109 – Children’s Fairy Tales

Fairy tales is my jam. So is writing for kids. This is a thing that far predates my efforts, though, so I love studying and talking about it. Come discover all the nerdy, geeky goodness children’s fairy tales have to offer!

Saturday, March 24; 5:00 PM; Room 109 – Fairies

Rather apropos that this is in the same room immediately following Children’s Fairy Tales. Except the fey are NOT just for children. In fact, they can be kind of predatory on children—or humans in general. And they go waaaay beyond “fairy tales.”

Sunday, March 25; 9:00 AM; Room 106 – Female Protagonists / Female Villains

Because, yes, we still really need to talk about women characters, how they’re included in stories, and how authentic they are.

Sunday, March 25; 1:00 PM; Room 102 – A Monster Manual Beyond Dragons

There’s already a panel about how awesome dragons are, but other fantastical creatures need and deserve our love, too! Find out about other magical beasts and their proper care and feeding.

Sunday, March 25; 2:00 PM; Room 204 – Tarot and Writing

Two great tastes that taste great together! I love giving this workshop at convention. Come learn a little about the Tarot and how you can use it in your life and writing.

There it is! It is SUPER crazy, and I am SUPER excited because it’s my last convention until probably July. I am so excited to return, and SUPER excited to catch up with a lot of amazing people.

Conbust was Great!

And I'm exhausted and have work to do.

Enjoy the following pictures. :) 

Writing and Tarot

I'll be presenting this workshop on Friday at 5PM at Smith College's Conbust.  Here's a taste of what I've got planned:

 

Introduction

The Tarot deck is a tool to help people understand their relationship to the universe, the world around them.  It gives a visual presentation of our motives, goals, conflicts, actions and reactions.  This makes it an excellent tool for writing.

When I do a full Celtic Cross reading spread, I read it as a map, a lesson.  What's the point of telling someone "This is going to happen" without arming them to prepare for whatever "This" is?  For me, a full reading spread addresses a conflict of the questioner, how this conflict has come about, how the questioner perceives the conflict as compared to how it may actually be, where the actions are leading, what to do to maintain or change the result, what is motivating the questioner, and an underlying consideration the questioner probably doesn't realize is in effect.

Doing a full tarot spread for the main conflict of a novel or short story can help a writer in outlining or dealing with a sticking point.

Related  reference: Debra Dixon Goal, Motivation, and Conflict

A Secret for Anyone about Tarot

Most readers I know, and the best I've learned from, have all instilled me with one "secret" that everyone should know.  This secret is why almost all the readings I do now are from people I've read for before.

Each card's meaning comes from you.

When you look at the written or given meaning in a Tarot primer, it's based on a collective experience and wisdom.  People are drawn to different decks, which when you look at the mini-booklets, vary in card meaning, because that culture and that experience which went into the deck design speaks to them.  Tarot readers study these things, but we also know that humans and culture are ever evolving and changing, that every individual strays from the collective, and that every individual assigns meaning to symbols just a little differently.

People who define themselves as writers instinctively and inherently tap into this collective wisdom: what motivates, inspires, drives, and affects people.  We are also masters of metaphor, symbolism, and hidden meaning  Writers observe people and life, and they often notice what your regular person misses and create meaning in our minds; meaning creates story.

Therefore, a writer using the Tarot need not ever look at a Tarot book or take a divination class to utilize the deck as a tool in their writing arsenal. 

If, as a writer, you choose a deck that "speaks" to you, it's automatically aligned with your sense of the world.  The frequently used symbols will speak to you, and you'll find new ones that match you perfectly.  You'll take that collective meaning used to create the card and make it your own. 

The Knight of Wands Example (will be a handout in actual class)

And sometimes the situation will change that meaning; as a writer, you know this, too.  How many of us have had characters go and do something utterly stupid or brilliant - but entirely unexpected -  when presented with an extreme or unusual situation?  How many real people have we seen do this, too?

The Power of a Single Card

The exercise we're doing for this workshop utilizes a single card. 

A reader can answer a question with a single card.  It's a "spread" that works for a simple question or issue or as a way to start the day with a directed meditation.  For writers, it can be a great jumping block for brainstorming or working out writer's block.

This exercise forces the writer to depend on his/her subconscious and reevaluate the meaning and expectations s/he may have for the situation.

• Pull a single card from the deck.
• If you do read Tarot, do not try and read the card.  If you don't normally read Tarot, you're better prepared for this exercise.
• Look at the picture and its components for one full minute.  (I'll time you here; set a timer at home.)
• Flip the card over or return it to the deck and shuffle it in.  Resist the urge to look at it!
• Write for two full minutes everything you remember from the picture on the card on a sheet of paper.
• On a second (and third, fourth, fifth, etc.) piece of paper, using only what you wrote on the first paper, construct a story or path for your character to take.  (For the workshop, I'll give you 2 more minutes; at home, take as long as you want/need/can.)

Bonus Step:

• Collaborate with one or more partners and put your stories together.  (For the workshop, I'll give you 3 minutes to do this).

I'm a big fan of collaboration because it's good for any writer to be forced from her/his head at least as an exercise.  It also prepares the writer for a relationship with an editor and offers a fresh perspective on any situation.  Even if collaboration isn't a writers regular modus operandi, it's worth trying as an exercise every once in a while.

Related Reference: Ruth & Wald Amberstone's Tarot Tips.  Exercise based on similar one for readers.

Summary

Hopefully this inspires you to explore your writing in a new direction and introduces you to a tool you'll find helpful at any stage of your writing, from brainstorming to composing to editing.  The secret to using the Tarot is to trust in your own instincts, understanding of persons and culture, and signification of meaning.  If you need a trick to keep yourself from forcing meaning upon a card, break it down to the pieces that stick out in your mind and read based on those pieces, not the card itself.  This will give you a truer reading for the situation.

To make the most of this tool, I do suggest finding a deck that features persons or personified beings (like dragons, mythical beasts, cats/cat people).  This will give you a "character" for each card.  The more vivid the pictures, also, the more you will get from each card - especially for non-readers.

* I'm also including a Tarot reference sheet and an exercise for a 3-card spread.

Found this interesting?  Let me know.  Have any tips on using the Tarot for writing?  Add to the comments.

The Good, The Bad, and the Stalking Opp

The good, first:

Bad-Ass Faeries 3: In All Their Glory has won the 2011 EPIC Award for anthologies for the electronic version!  Huzzah!

 

Additionally, my friend, Dr. Anthony Francis, also one 2011 EPIC for the e-version of his excellent novel, Frost Moon.

xx

The bad:

I continue to be plagued by car issues.  I spent a good part of this weekend working because of all the time I lost sitting at the repair shop.  Especially on Friday, which was an unexpected issue, so I didn't even have my netbook or my packed "office" to get anything done in my quiet corner of the repair shop.

The silver lining?  It should be fixed now, God willing, and it didn't cost me any more.  And, with great appreciation to being a freelancer, I didn't entirely lose the money I could of made if I were working a regular hourly job.  It just meant I spent a lot of a beautiful weekend inside.  On my laptop. 

There were a few breaks, though, which I needed for sanity.  But… a lot of work.  le sigh

xx

The Stalking Opp:

I'll be at Conbust at Smith College in Northampton, MA next weekend!  J  Yay!  This is a fun little feminist convention in one of my favorite little towns out here.  I'm staying with my Mom and packing most lunches/dinners, so it's not a huge expense, either.  And I've got some great friends I see out there, too.

So, if you want to come and find me, here's my schedule:

Friday:

Tarot and Writing - 5 pm - Room 204.

Description: The Tarot is a powerful tool to help individuals discover the paths of their lives, so why not harness this power to discover the paths of your characters and stories?  You need no experience in Tarot reading.  In fact, feel free to leave what you know at the door.  We'll take a fresh look at the imagery of the cards, how to listen to our own muses and Spirit, and how to turn that into a character study - and even the basis of a plot!  Paper and pens will be provided, so be ready to write.  Everyone will come away with the beginnings of a story that they are free to pursue."

Saturday:

Character Building 101 - 11 am - Room 106. Description: "The nice thing about fiction is that you can fill the world with fascinating people you’d like to meet. Learn to round out your characters, from Our Hero(ine) to Bar Patron #3 to the talking alligator in the swamp."

Co-panelists: George Claxton, Lynn Flewelling

Faeries - 1 pm - Room 208. Description:" From Elves to the Sidhe to the Wee Free Men, fantasy is rife with various descriptions of the Fair Folk."

Co-panelist: S.J. Tucker

Sunday:

Children's Fairytales - 10 am - Room 202. Description:" 'Once upon a time...' there was a panel involving brave orphans, lost princesses, evil witches, and a fuzzy talking animal. The story continues..."

Co-panelist: Jennifer Allis Provost

Broad Universe Round Robin Reading - 11 am - Room 201. Description:" Please join our lovely ladies for a round robin of reading!"

Readers: Trish Wooldridge, Jennifer Allis Provost, Connie Wilkins, Phoebe Wray

Hope to see you!

For you friendly stalkers out there...

For those of you going to Conbust this coming weekend, please feel free to be friendly stalkers!

Friday, sharply at 6PM, I'll be talking faeries with Jane Yolen and Sharyn November.

You'll probably catch me after that hanging out with Genetic Imperfection as they talk about Shadow Casting (particularly for Repo! The Genetic Opera, but I'm sure some Rocky Horror Picture Show might come up.) Of course, that depends on my Mom, too… as she might be coming. In that case - I'm not sure.

On Saturday, we've got a Rapid Fire Reading (labeled as a Round Robin Reading) with members of Broad Universe. Come listen for a tidbit of the NEW Bad-Ass Faeries short story!

After the Rapid Fire Reading, I'll be doing my Writing and Tarot workshop... which doesn't have a description listed. This workshop will get your creative juices flowing with Tarot Cards. Be prepared to write!

Sunday, I'm back to Central MA so that I can make it to the Bay State Equine Rescue Wine, Beer, and Liquor Tasting!

I look forward to seeing some of you this weekend!