rusty_halo

* I came home from Writercon to find my computer dead. The motherboard is fried. I just spent $350 on replacement parts. (There goes my half-fantasized Labor Day beach vacation.) My brother is going to help me put it back together via phone, which… well, cross your fingers for me. I’m a software person, not a hardware person. He thinks there’s an 80% chance I’ll be able to get my old system working with the new hardware–otherwise I’ll have to buy a new hard drive, install a new operating system, reinstall all my programs, and copy over all my old files. Here’s hoping for that 80% chance.

Current Mood: stressed & stressed

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There is nothing like combining the sadness of post-con letdown with the discovery, upon arriving home, that your computer is BROKEN. Like, dead. And trying to figure out how you’re going to afford a new one while attempting to type really important stuff ON YOUR PHONE which continually does the opposite of what you want it to do.

!!!!

Okay, I’m going to take a breath, hug my cats, and go to sleep.

Writercon was WONDERFUL and I’m so glad that we pulled it off, and that I got to meet so many amazing new people and to spend quality time with those of you I already adore. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who was there. Writercon is a unique and incredibly special community, and I’m so glad that it’s part of my life.

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Writercon is coming up soon (July 31 through August 2 in Minneapolis), and you’re coming, right?

The lovely missmurchison is in charge of the fic library in the hospitality suite. The library is a collection of hard copy fics that people can pick up and read during the con. On the last day, most of the stories are put up for “adoption” so congoers can grab something to read on the way home. It was quite popular at the last Writercon. We need more fics in a wider variety of fandoms and types, so please consider submitting a story!

This is a great way to find new readers and to help out people who are looking for something good to read. Click here for details on how to submit your fic.

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We’ve got a Writercon promotion going on from now until May 1. If you’ve registered for Writercon, refer a friend and if they buy a ticket and put your name in the “Referred By” field, you’ll each get a drink ticket. You can use it at the hotel bar or at the Writercon cocktail party, and it’s good for whatever drink you want, alcoholic (if you’re over 21) or non-alcoholic.

You can register for Writercon here. The con is going to be amazing fun; check out our programming if you haven’t already.

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Hey, design-savvy friends!

We’re currently holding a contest for the design of the Writercon ‘09 T-shirt. If you win, you get a free shirt (plus credit in our program and our eternal gratitude).

You don’t have to be an attendee to enter. The design needs to have the con name, date, and location, but everything else is up to you. Full contest details are here. The deadline is April 15, so please get entries in soon. :)

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You guys!

I almost forgot!

Doctor/Master is up for today’s “Slasherday” Writercon fundraising day.

Go vote for them!

(You “vote” by donating to Writercon’s 2009 scholarship fund, which provides financial assistance to attendees who need it. The application period ends Sunday at midnight EST so if you’re thinking of applying, please do so asap.)

Doctor/Master has major competition today: Eliot/Hardison, Wes/Gunn, Kirk/Spock, and Arthur/Merlin. The pairings that raise the most money will face off at the end of the month, and will also be featured at Writercon activities, and obviously, Doctor/Master just totally deserves to win because they’re awesome. ;)

Current Mood: hopeful

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Vegan Drinks is tonight in the East Village. If you want to hang out and drink with a bunch of friendly NYC vegans, join us! See VeganDrinks.org for more info.

(Vegan Drinks is co-sponsored by SuperVegan, which is a snarky and informational site for NYC vegans that I co-run with a bunch of friends.)

Did I mention I’m also co-chairing Writercon this year? We’ve been very busy behind the scenes and are gearing up for a bunch of announcements soon.

Writercon is a convention for anyone who loves fanfic–writers, readers, betas, archivists, you name it. It’s really welcoming and friendly, with lots of interesting panels and topics–basically you just hang out with awesome people all weekend chatting about fandom and fanfiction. If you haven’t been before, please think about it–check out our 2006 and 2004 schedules for an idea of what to expect. You can find out more at Writercon.com or writercon.

It’s in Minneapolis this year, but tons of airlines are cutting their prices–you may find yourself amazed by the cheap airfare this summer.

Current Mood: exhausted

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Just a reminder: Writercon 2009 tickets go on sale this Thursday, October 30, at noon EST. The first 50 tickets will be sold at a special early bird discount of $69, so try to be one of the first to register! Tickets will be on sale at Writercon.com; if you don’t have an account, register one now to make things quicker on ticket-sale day.

Also, this Friday, October 31, is the deadline to enter the Official Writercon Icon Contest. You don’t need to attend Writercon to win, and icon-makers from any fandom are welcome to show off their creativity. You can make up to three icons per fandom and send them to info@writercon.com. All icons should have the tagline “Writercon 2009: Writing Between the Lines.” Full details are here.

Also, as we reach out to new fandoms, we’d love it if some of those who’ve attended Writercon in the past would share their experiences for the benefit of newbies who want to know what it’s like. Just go here and comment with what you enjoyed about Writercon in the past (you do need a Writercon account to comment).

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It’s official!!!

WRITERCON 2009
Writing Between the Lines
July 30 - August 2, 2009
Radisson Plaza Hotel
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Writercon 2009: Writing Between the Lines will take place July 30 through August 2 in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the Radisson Plaza Hotel. Writercon is a group of fanfiction writers and readers who gather to celebrate the power of telling stories. We began in 2004 and are non-profit, fan-run, and multi-fandom.

We’ll have panels, discussions, and workshops that explore fanfic as an art form in its own right, plus programming for those who are interested in taking the step towards pro writing. In the past we’ve had a fabulous array of guests and panelists including writer and producer Jane Espenson (BtVS, Angel, Firefly, Gilmore Girls, Battlestar Galactica); authors Rachel Caine, Susan Sizemore, and Jacqueline Lichtenberg; and academics Dr. David Lavery and Rhonda Wilcox. We are building a 2009 guest list that will be just as, if not more, amazing.

I’d particularly like to encourage my new Doctor Who fandom friends to consider attending. Writercon began in the Whedonverse, but it’s officially gone multi-fandom this year, and Doctor Who is going to be one of our featured fandoms. (We took a survey earlier in the year to see where our past attendees’ interests now lie; Doctor Who was at the top of the list along with Torchwood, Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate: Atlantis, and of course the Whedonverse. You can check out our public fandom poll to get an idea of how the fandoms rank.) We’re planning our programming carefully to make sure it targets our attendees’ interests, so we’ll have some fandom-specific programming as well as lots of panels and workshops that explore fanfiction from a multi-fandom perspective.

Writercon is all about the writing. It began with a group of fans sitting around the pool at a pro con, chatting about fanfic and dreaming of a convention that would be all about the fic, without the distractions of actors and autograph lines. If you’re curious about our past programming, please check out our schedules and panel descriptions from Writercon 2006 and Writercon 2004.

Tickets go on sale at noon EST on October 30. We’ll have 50 early-bird tickets for $69, then the price will increase to $76. Ticket prices include all of the panels, discussions, and workshops for the entire conference, plus access to the hospitality suite, the dealer’s room, and various social events throughout the weekend. There will also be a rocking cocktail party which will cost an additional $13. Plus, this year’s hotel is centrally located in downtown Minneapolis, in close proximity to restaurants, transportation, and entertainment.

To stay informed, join writercon and register at the Writercon website.

(SQUEEEE!!!!!)

*is excited and exhausted*

Current Mood: bouncy & busy

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