Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four

Conflux was an incredible experience, and I can’t speak highly enough of the job that the organisers did in putting it all together. It was more than worth the expense of the trip up, both in terms of my development as a writer, and just as an enjoyable social occasion.

There were a number of factors that I think contributed to its success.

An excellent committee

It’s often a thankless job running an event like this, so I want to mention the committee first up. It was obvious how hard working and dedicated they were, and it was a pleasure dealing with them in the weeks leading up to the convention, and during it.

An engaged local community

I was really impressed with how vibrant the Canberra spec fic scene seems to be. There were lots of really passionate and committed writers and fans from the area supporting the convention. It was also great to see a sizeable NSW contingent there as well.

Well constructed program

Again the committee deserve massive kudos for this. The program had a great mix of things to help writers develop their craft, and more pop culture type panels for fans who wanted to chat about their respective passions. It’s a hard thing to get right, but I think they nailed it.

Very strong guest lineup

All the guests at Conflux were engaging and informative, and were experts in their field with lots of knowledge  to impart. And, very importantly, they made themselves extremely accessible to the average convention goer. No sequestering themselves in a secret VIP room between engagements, they were always to be found mingling with the con goers and making themselves part of things. There was no feeling of “us” and “them”, just “us”.

The social atmosphere

As I have mentioned a few times, one of the great strengths of Conflux was the central area where people could grab a coffee or some booze and pull up a couch, meaning that it was a constant hub of social interaction. I not only met up with people I had been waiting months to see again, but made new friends without even trying, because that area lent itself to mingling so well. And really, that’s why you go to cons, to meet people who share your passions.

A recurring conversation I seemed to find myself in was how welcoming and inclusive the spec fic scene is. A social group where people have known each other for years (decades in some cases) can quite easily lend itself to cliques, but as a relative newcomer and someone who really hates trying to mix in new circles, I have been constantly and pleasantly surprised by how people go out of their way to include new faces. I was talking to someone who had never been to a spec fic con, but had been to many more literary gatherings, and he talked about the contrast, where one was about egos and competition, Conflux was about enjoying mixing with likeminded people, and celebrating their achievements.

My theory is that most genre writers are still fans at heart, and that is what motivates them to write. So, it’s about sharing their passion with others, not hoarding their knowledge as if there is only so much success to go around. That’s why you saw so many of the big names of Aussie spec fic and writers at the very start of their journeys deep in animated conversation, drawn together by their common interests. It was funny how a love of spec fic managed to trump all the differences of ideology and politics, it was certainly a very diverse crowd!

So, I came away from Conflux with a heap of new friends and contacts, new techniques and methods to apply to my writing, and energised and motivated to take the next step. Oh, and with a bad case of withdrawals that will only be fixed going to another Con as soon as possible!

Day One
Day Two
Day Three

By the time I checked out and got all my bags to the convention centre it was pushing lunchtime, so I spent most of the early afternoon chatting to various people and stealing chips from Crisetta MacLeod (thanks, Cristetta!). I wasn’t too fussed about getting to panels, I just wanted to take the chance to spend as much time with everyone as possible before the end of the convention. In hindsight, I do regret not making it to at least the “What does an Editor do?” panel, because the feedback was that it was excellent.

Before long, it was time for the final panel, both for me and of the whole convention.

Monday 2:30pm – Melrose Room
“Drop the Dead Donkey” Panel.
Have all the shows that have been rebooted, revised, resurrected been a waste of time? Was the original better than the remake?
Panellists: Conor Bendle, Mik Bennett, and David McDonald.

A very seedy looking panel, from left to right David, Mik and Conor

I am sure that Mik and Conor were sick of the sight of me by this point, it was our third panel together, but it also meant that we were familiar with one another, and it could be a pretty casual atmosphere. Because it was the final panel I didn’t expect we would have many people turn up, but it turned out to be the best attended of all the panels I had been on.

It was a very participative atmosphere, with lots of input from the audience which was wonderful. The conversation was wide ranging, from things that we thought should have been left well enough alone, to things that hadn’t been revisited and really deserved a second chance because they had been done so badly the first time (the Phantom!). That led to ideas that had been done well, but perhaps it was time for a new version as to share them with new audiences (my example was a vampire miniseries called Ultraviolet).

I think everyone found common ground with the idea that American remakes of British shows were generally of the Devil (with one or two exceptions). We also talked about how long running characters had so many incarnations that reboots were almost necessary to let all their iterations see the light of day.

It was a lot of fun, and surprisingly engaging considering the energy levels of us all at that end of the con. And, it was my first experience of a panel I was on being live tweeted (thanks, Jodi!)! Kind of scary, but very cool.

After the panel we had the closing ceremony, which quite rightly celebrated the hard work of all the organisers. It was bittersweet, because we all knew it was almost time to say goodbye. There was a mass exodus to the bar and every one hung around and chatted for a while, but gradually people began to disperse. I hate goodbyes.

Tim Reddan was good enough to drive me out to the airport, and as I flew out of Canberra I reflected on an amazing time. Next post I will share my thoughts on why I thought Conflux was such a success, and why I am hoping to go again next year.

Day One
Day Two

I took advantage of the fact that I had no commitments on Sunday by sleeping until quite late, thus avoiding the whole issue of Daylight Savings Time. I decided to order room service for lunch, thinking pizza sounded rather good. Over the weekend, my friends and I had a few encounters with a member of the staff who was, to put it mildly, eccentric and it was her who was on duty when I called. Our conversation went a little like this:

Me: Hi, could I please order some room service?
Staff Member: Nah, the chef isn’t in yet.
Me: Sorry?
Staff Member: Yeh, we don’t do room service until about 3pm, I think.
Me: But doesn’t the menu say 10am to 10pm?
Staff Member: I guess so, but the chef isn’t in.
Me: Oh, okay. No worries.
Staff Member: What did you want, anyway?
Me: Just a margarita pizza, but it’s not a problem, I will get something down the street.
Staff Member: I will see if I can work out how to use it and call you back in ten minutes. *click*
She hangs up before I can say anything.
Fifteen minutes later..
Staff Member: We stood around and pushed all the buttons until it started doing something. So, we are going to give it a go…
Ten minutes later…
Staff Member: Um, there was a slight problem and I don’t think you should eat it.

It was too funny!

The Craft of Short Story Writing

Panellists: Cat Sparks (moderator), Jack Dann, Helen Stubbs, Kim Westwood, and Kaaron Warren.

In terms of development as a writer, I think this would have to be close to the best panel I have ever attended. At the moment, I am focussing on writing shorts, and the amount of experience and knowledge on offer in this group was mind blowing, and there was pearl after pearl of wisdom handed out. I thought Cat did a great of moderating it, ensuring that it stayed on track and that everyone got a chance to contribute. I also thought Helen more than held her own, despite being amongst very illustrious company indeed.

Once again, my iPad was invaluable as I feverishly took down note after note. There are too many to list here, but some of the highlights included:

• When asked whether she was a pantser or a planner, Kaaron telling us that she builds a story from a  pile of bones (great image!), and also saying that if she gets bored writing a passage she knows that it will bore the reader later on
• Jack talking about how short stories are a way for a writer to build a reputation, and how for him when he writes a novel, each chapter is treated like a short story that ends in a semi colon
• Cat saying that the biggest problem with short stories she receives is that they are boring, that titles are vital, and that every writer should value add to their culture rather than just adding more noise
• Kim Westwood describing a short story as a world in a tea cup, a phrase that really resonated with me.

Obviously every writer is different, with different methods, and slavishly imitating another writer gets you nowhere. But, I doubt there was a single person who walked away from that panel without feeling like they had just received a master class in becoming a better writer. It was one of those things where you walk away reenergised and fired up, itching to sit down and write.

Instead, I went and socialised at the bar. But, that was fun too.

Gradually, a group coalesced and discovered it needed food, so we wandered out in search of Chinese. It was a lovely dinner where we had a chance to admire Jodi Cleghorn’s latest editorial efforts, some very impressive volumes indeed. I also had a lovely chat with some locals, who said they had no desire to write but were “only” readers, to which I replied there is no “only” about that, it’s about the most important thing there is! Writers are a dime a dozen at cons, but there is no point writing if no one is going to read it. It was great to hear a bit more about the Canberra scene (which really impressed me with its vibrancy, might I add), and to just enjoy good company and good food, even it was a bit depressing seeing the fish and lobsters swimming in tanks while they awaited their fate.

By the time we got back to the convention centre the disco was winding down, and I had managed to escape another situation where I might be expected to dance, which made me very happy. There was more great conversation late into the evening, and I finally managed to complete my list of meeting all the Guests. Like all the other Guests, Natalie was wonderfully open and friendly, and happy to answer our many questions. Because of the way everyone had grouped together, rearranging furniture creating a massive ovoid, I was able to meet a lot of new faces (to me) I had somehow missed until then. My only regret from the Con is that it took me until the last night to meet some wonderful people!

Gradually, people drifted off to bed leaving only a few die hards sitting around chatting, and when the subject moved on to sumo herpes I decided it might be getting close to my bedtime, too. So, another wonderful day at the Con, spoiled only by the realisation that the next day would be the last. Sigh.