This past weekend, I had a wonderful time at DemiCon, the science fiction convention in Des Moines, Iowa. My first time at that con, and I met interesting people and engaged in fun discussions.
After driving for eleven hours to get there, I made it in time for my first panel on Friday evening. The topic was ‘Artificial Intelligence Meets Science Fiction.’ Jan Gephardt, David Pedersen, and I discussed the future of AI as it affects writing. What will happen when AI writes better fiction than humans? Asked and answered.
Saturday began with a panel titled ‘Iowa in SF.’ The uninformed might dismiss that as a contradiction in terms. However, Lettie Prell, Adam Whitlatch, and I disproved that and entertained a packed room with examples of SF set in Iowa, SF writers with Iowa connections, and reasons for setting a SF story in the Hawkeye state. Note: in a little over 200 years, James T. Kirk (future Star Fleet captain) will be born in Riverside, Iowa.
Following that, Adam Whitlatch and I answered the question: ‘Can Writers Benefit from Being Editors?’ Adam has edited much more than I, and together we emphasized that even if a writer never edits another’s work, she should strive to think of an editor as partner, not enemy.
I didn’t expect anyone to show up for my author reading session, but to my surprise, four people did. (I bribed ‘em with doughnuts.) That lucky quartet heard excerpts from 80 Hours and from my story “Reconnaissance Mission” which appears in the anthology Not Far From Roswell. I even sold and signed some books.
Right after that, I spoke at a panel titled ‘Pandemics Through History, Their Effects on Literature.’ That topic may sound depressing, but Jan Gephardt and I focused on diseases sparking some marvelous fiction including the The Decameron, The Masque of the Red Death, The Plague, The Stand, and many others. We emphasized that pandemic literature explores feelings of fear, pain, hopelessness, and isolation, but also shows the courage, nobility, innovation, and resilience of the human spirit. COVID-19 will likely spur some interesting SF in the coming years.
How many people would likely show up late on a Saturday night to hear me speak on the topic ‘Character Changes from Unlikeable to Likeable?’ As it happened, that number was fourteen. After presenting literary examples like Ebenezer Scrooge, the Grinch, Godzilla, and Darth Vader, I discussed techniques writers use to present a character as unlikeable, but then do a ‘face turn’ to show that character displaying redeeming characteristics.
On Sunday, Jan Gephardt and I teamed up again, this time to discuss ‘Gadgets in SF’ with an audience of eleven or so. We warned budding writers not to fall in love with their gadgets. Fall in love with characters and plot instead. If readers wanted long gadget descriptions, they’d buy a textbook.
DemiCon treated me well. That might not be the last they see of—
Poseidon’s Scribe