Alas

…I am not at WorldCon 2014 (AKA LoneStarCon 3). In the grand scheme of things it is a tiny disappointment and certainly no tragedy, but I find myself wishing I could be there in San Antonio this weekend with so many of my friends and colleagues meeting readers and interacting with movers and shakers in the industry. I imagine there will be a sizable coterie of Robert E. Howard folks there, and I’d love to raise a glass or two with them. And writer Norman Spinrad is there as well, and he’s someone I’ve always wanted to meet.

I may not be staying up late talking with some of my favorite people, but I can take consolation in the fact that my writing is going very well right now. Things are different for every writer, of course. I’m working on being one of those guys who, when in rough draft phase, dependably gets the same thousands of words done every day. What I’ve found instead is that sometimes, for weeks, the writing crawls. I’ve just come out of one of those phases and now suddenly the narrative is so alive I can barely write fast enough to keep up with it. If I were at a convention that would crash to a halt. Then there’s the insomnia issues I’ve been fighting for the last few weeks. Staying up late for another four nights in a row would probably be a horrible idea.

I JUST got back from GenCon a few weeks ago and it took me a while to recover from those late nights and get back up to speed with all my family duties and my writing deadlines. Heading off to another convention so soon would be not just awkward, but hard on the checkbook. I really wish they had been separated by a few more weeks.

Still, I kind of wish I was there! Perhaps next year… although WorldCon next year will be in London. Much as I’d love to get to London, I’m not sure my oversea sales justify a trip across the Atlantic yet.

Maybe I should just get back to writing.