Suvudu Universe

For me, San Diego Comic Con is my only week-long vacation event of the year. While I don't have to travel far, it is still an escape from the real world of work and obligations: It's a time for fun. In short: I look forward to doing this every year and as the weeks and days count down, I become more excited and anxious about what's to come ....

And then when I arrive, I can't quite believe I really made it.

After the surreal experience of Preview Night, all of the planning and preparation starts to kick in: get the sleep schedule in place, making sure driving and parking is confirmed, and finalize the plan of attack whether it includes panels, autograph signings, targeted exclusives, general Exhibit Floor plan, or Cosplay photos to take. 

Thursday was my day to explore the smaller panels: Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature panel, NASA's Next Giant Leap, Star Trek at 50 and maybe Star Blazers 2199.  As it happened, I only made it to the Scifi Fantasy Lit panel ... which was simply brilliant.  More on that later.

The ScFi/Fantasy Lit panel started at 11:00am, so I planned for only about 30-40 minutes on the floor before heading up to Room 5AB. Luckily, during that time, I was able to catch a Boba Knievel sighting at the Sails Pavilion: 

Then, after a brief walk around the floor, I headed up to the panel.

Smaller Panels

This was my first attempt to catch a smaller panel. Every other year, I focused on the big panels, TV shows in Ballroom 20 and Theatrical releases in storied Hall H. This year, I made it a priority to attend at least one writing panel, just to see whether my efforts at writing fiction would ever bear fruit.  Because of my prior experiences with the big panels, I expected a queue for at least an hour before (generally a good practice in any case) so when my brother and I arrived, I was surprised to see no line. In fact, the attendants were asking people to walk in to the previous panel. So, throwing caution to the wind, we went in.

Scott Snyder / Science Fiction - Fantasy Literature Panels

This panel featured writer Scott Snyder (American Vampire, Superman Unchained, Wytches) and his approach and experience writing for the industry. It was a very conversational panel, mostly between the moderator (whose name I did not record) and Scott. There were some great stories with some now forgotten highlights, but it was neat to be there.

The next panel was where I wanted to be, however, and after Snyder's panel finished, while several people left, I noticed that there was not a queue in line to come in to the room. The SciFi Fantasy Literature panel featured panelists from a range of background and experiences:

The variety is what made this panel so effective, showing how being a professional writer can start a myriad of ways. David Brin had a longer publishing experience, very trying at times and didn't happen until after many tries. Others, like Jason Hough, had their first novel writing experience through the NaNoWriMo challenge. Unlike others on the panel, his first book was picked up and published by DelRey.  Even he admitted that there was some luck involved and not to be a realistic expectation for any first time writers.

What was funny for me was that a few of the panelists like Marie Lu had a fantasy trilogy as their first novel writing attempts. For the panelists, other than Hough, all of their first attempts were rejected. Ms. Lu noted that she thought at the time that it was a brilliant piece of writing but when she looks back on it now, she realizes that it required more than a little work.

Hearing these experiences definitely helped me to continue to make the effort to try to write, but also to be realistic. Every panelists said to write because you enjoy it, not because you expect to get rich off of it.

The last question came from a writer who had completed several novels but all had been rejected by the big publishing houses. He sounded a little frustrated with the experience and wondered whether it was worth it. The panelists' advice was clear, formal publication is not the only way to get the work out there. They reiterated that, based on the varied publishing experiences of the panelists, publication, whether via blogs, self publication or big publication houses, each method doesn't preclude you from pursuing the other. As long as he continues to enjoy writing, then self-publication is still a valid method.

This was great advice and helped me to set more realistic goals. This was the most beneficial panel I had ever attended, and I will make plans to attend smaller panels in the future. Of course, there was the Marvel panel on Saturday, but I'll tell that story in a future entry because the experience was so memorable.

Afterwards, it was time to explore the Exhibit Hall and see what else was in store.  Namely, getting Eddie McClintock autograph. 

Eddie McClintock (Warehouse 13)

Autographs are my thing: Every Comic Con, I try to get at least one or two key signatures for my collection. My rule is, it doesn't count unless it's personalized to me. This way, I know that I actually met the talent and probably have a brief anecdote for each. This year, I targeted Eddie McClintock of Warehouse 13 fame (a favorite show which has sadly ended earlier this year) and Matt Smith, the 11th Doctor. Unfortunately, Matt Smith's signing schedule did not work with my panel schedule which was a big miss, but life gets in the way sometimes.  Eddie McClintock, however, worked out better than I hoped.

I purchased the signing ticket during Preview Night (one of the perks that remain) and basically waited at the booth right after the Literature panel. He was in great spirits when he arrived and started doodling on the paper table cloth, some of which I caught on video. He is a very funny and talented guy: