Neil Gaiman's wisdom first hand.

For those who've read the whole blog, you know that I'm going on about writing advice from a more personal perspective than all of those generic writerly advice blogs. So of course that first sentence wasn't for you guys -- it was more of a backdoor way of getting anyone else reading up to speed. See what I did there?

I managed to get into the Miami book signing for Ocean At The End of the Lane, which was great all the way around. Even standing in line for hours wasn't so bad when you are surrounded by like people. I was also thrilled to find people half my age who knew who Douglas Adams was.

Before all that commiserating, though, Neil (after hearing him speak it's hard to say Mr. Gaiman) did a reading and held a Q&A -- moderated by Brad Meltzer. (again, awesome event.)

So one lightweight question thrown his way, what color of ink (black or blue) does he use to write his longhand first drafts, got a solid answer answer back.

"I like to see progress," he said. "I want to know if I've been slacking off. So every day I use a different ink than I did the day before. So I am as apt to use purple or pink as I am to use black or blue."

I also had my fanboy moment, getting a thrill that Neil write longhand like I do. How he barrels through the typing of it all eludes me. That's why Dragon Speak is starting to entice me.

It never hurts to read through my stuff. I always seem to catch things when I do. So to do a reading and get it typed at the same time sounds like a great way to multitask.

It's something to go on the holiday wishlist. Definitely not before WorldCon.

For want of a nail

... and the plans of mice and men.

I plan to go to WorldCon this year in hopes of making new friends and seeing if I can find a home for my Supernatural Western. The event is in San Antonio, it seems to be a fit.

I was hoping that by August I could say "Well, if you want to see what I already have out in the wild, then checkout this out:"

• A successful Kickstarter project that used my short story as their immediate thank you for pledging.
• An anthology that's got another short story of mine.
• A epublished short that links back to the anthology's web page.

All of which are either on hold or waiting for something on hold before I can pull the trigger.

The only solace I can take from this is that you never know how publisher and editors are going to react to things. Some of them could have seen these works (all of which have different flavors and audiences) and decided ironically to turn down the perfect novel for them. It's all subjective.

I'm still going, I just don't feel like I've got any ammo in my belt.

It's Con season ...

Some of them, like the Book Expo American, have already gone. Others, like World Con, are coming up. Whatever the event's name, it's an opportunity for writers to get out of their little dark rooms, fly across the nation, and then meet other professionals in dark little rooms. It's convention season.

Well, when it comes to people outside the field, I admit I'm a little weaselly about it all and call all of these shows "writer's conferences" regardless of how many T-shirts you can buy in the dealers room.

And as a professional, you need to go into a convention in that frame of mind. Of how you plan to expand your mastery of the craft, expand your business savvy and expand your network of friends.

Yep. Friends. Acting professional doesn't mean acting like a salesman. You will probably learn more sitting at the bar and using your mouth only for a moderate level of alcoholic intake than trying to impress people or constantly pitch your book.

A really great guy -- and a really great beard --- Chuck Wendig, has 25 good con going tips that you should check out. If you happen to bump into him this season, congratulate him on his Campbell nomination. Better yet, check out Mockingbird or Blue Blazes.