A Humbling Experience
December 1st, 2002
I have a feeling that in the unlikely event that I should some day attend a science fiction convention this story is a pretty fair depiction of how well I'd handle meeting a favourite author. Either that, or I'd just start incoherently rambling about how great all their work was.
(Yes, I know they're just ordinary people who happen to write books for a living. But knowing it and acting on that knowledge are two very different things.)
[Via mssv.net]
December 3rd, 2002 at 14:55
Why do you think you'll never attend a science fiction convention? They do exist near you (in England, right?)
Do you ever look at Plokta News Network?
http://www.plokta.com/pnn/
a good source for fannish news.
December 3rd, 2002 at 23:02
I should clarify that it's not that I don't have the opportunity to go to a Con. I read Ansible and I'm aware of multiple Cons, of varying sizes and types, throughout the year in the UK. It's more that I'm not convinced that attending a Con is really for me.
Although I've been reading SF pretty well as long as I've been reading, I've never taken any part in fannish activity – essentially, I'm aware of fandom but not part of it. That's the root explanation for it being "unlikely" I'd ever attend a Con. The potential for embarrassment on encountering someone whose work I've enjoyed is just a bonus!
December 7th, 2002 at 00:58
I've usually been embarrassed meeting authors, especially Ramsey Campbell because I think we are both a bit shy and nervous so we couldn't get a conversation going; Brian Lumley couldn't believe I had already imported all his books published in the States before they came out here. His wife was nice though. I remember Anne McCaffrey standing alone at the 1979 SeaCon when all the other authors had long queues, but I was too shy to speak to her, or Kim Newman at the BFS cons. I got on well with DF Lewis who gave me all his raffle prizes. I was too embarrassed to speak to Storm Constantine who was taller and slimmer and goth-er than I thought possible.
December 8th, 2002 at 22:54
You seem to have done better than I would in the same situation. (And not just in terms of receiving free raffle prizes.)
I think the only element of a Con where I'd feel comfortable would be a panel where much more eloquent fans than me could ask intelligent questions of the panelists and I'd get to sit back and listen to them giving amusing, intelligent responses. A bit like rec.arts.sf.written on a good day.