…Albeit four days late!
I think it’s taken me a while to really come down to earth after the amazing weekend, and the intense writing deadlines achieved right before that. How to describe the feeling of finishing something you said you’d finish, despite obstacles, and then having the perfect way to celebrate it right afterwards?
Pretty darn good. And I’m so grateful. There’s something to be said for this whole ‘trusting your own word when you say you’re going to do something’. Also the timing couldn’t have been better, arriving to counterbalance some other elements that didn’t turn out exactly as planned.
Since I was in a dark corner scribbling on my spec for most of the week, and since it then culminated in an explosion of wonderful things at the convention, this week’s five are all about Wondercon.
So enough waffling! Here’s my week(end) in five.
The Fans!
Everything around me at the moment is conspiring to show how valuable human connection is. Different events lately have shone a light on this concept, and not least of which was finding myself immersed among professional fans – in lines, in more lines, and in crowds.
The collective atmosphere was kind, joyful and excited. Humans are amazing. Humans who come together because of a shared passion can be just awe-inspiring.
The Stuff!
I was continuously reminded by experts that, in terms of crowds and spectacle, Wondercon is to Comicon what Silver Lake is to the Pacific Ocean. Still, the amount of incredible visual stimuli you encounter walking around is something to be reckoned with: amazing costumes, amazing merchandise, brilliant artists and more.
More Stuff!
Also, there’s something very satisfying about being in a crowd that appreciates everything from dragons and anime – to space and a philosophical discussion about Lost .
And now for the main reason I went to Wondercon for the first time….
The Panels!
The main reason I went to the conference this year were two panels, the first being a Disney/ABC writing panel with advice for aspiring TV writers. Not only that, but the panel featured someone who is one my personal heroes – writer Jane Espenson (currently on Once Upon a Time).
When I got the TV writing bug a few years ago, I decided to focus on someone who inspired me and had a career path I’d be able to use as a guide and inspiration. So I discovered Jane’s Twitter and Blog after being a big fan of her storytelling style since Buffy.
The magic of this weekend included not only attending the supportive and witty panel, but also meeting Jane in person which was an incredible moment for me. She was so kind and lovely in person, and I walked away feeling elated, and ready to dive right back in to writing a new spec!
And on the subject of being elated, we arrive at the other reason I could not miss this weekend. I got to see my all-time career and storytelling hero in person, on a panel about his latest film Much Ado About Nothing.
Joss Whedon. I don’t really have words for what this meant to me, but I will say he is a person whose passion and unwavering dedication to telling stories as they are meant to be told are a personal, profound inspiration.
I didn’t get to meet him in person, though my inner voice keeps saying that I’ll meet him when I work for him one day. Just putting it out there!
And why not? If this weekend reaffirmed anything for me, it’s that those who dream – and work hard past all notions of giving up – end up surrounded by like-minded peers, opportunities… and dragons.
