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* 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.

( and the next day the fuse that powers my entire apartment blew and it was insanely stressful )

* And actual Writercon. Gah, I don't even know what to say. It was wonderful and stressful and my feelings are so mixed and complicated. I will say that it was good to reconnect with people (especially the other concom members who I adore but haven't seen in years) and to meet so many awesome new people.

I want to write more but I'm really still working out my feelings (mostly about how/whether I fit into the Writercon community and how/whether Writercon fits into my life). So I'll save that post for some future moment when I'm capable of being coherent about it.

( I finished the first season of True Blood and really didn't like it )

( I'm watching Farscape and enjoying it so far )

* I feel kind of bad about dissing John Hughes in a post the other day. Despite my reservations about a lot of his work, Ferris Bueller's Day Off is one of my all-time favorite movies. I give Hughes major props for that if nothing else. (And, okay, The Breakfast Club is a total guilty pleasure, even though I want to scream and break things every time Ally Sheedy gets that horrible "makeover").

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We strive to make Writercon the best convention it can be, and a huge part of that is knowing what did and didn’t work for our attendees. We’ve created a survey to help us understand your thoughts on Writercon.

You may take this survey anonymously or under your own name. We strongly encourage ANYONE who is at all interested in Writercon to take this survey, regardless of whether you attended in 2009. If you didn’t attend, we want to know why, and if you’re thinking about attending in the future, we want to know what you’re looking for.

Click here to take the Writercon 2009 survey.

Please spread the word to anyone you know who is at all interested in Writercon.

Thank you!!

(I guess I should stop using this icon now that Writercon 2009 is over. *sniffle*)

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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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Hope to see a lot of you there.

I’ll probably be tweeting: twitter.com/drinkthepoison

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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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* Hey, I’ve got two Dreamwidth invite codes. Nifty. Who wants one?

( * a feminist complaint about the new Star Trek movie, with mild spoilers )

* Lots of Writercon stuff happening!

• Our official t-shirts (awesomely designed by contest winner Savannah Teague) are now on sale.


• We're going to open workshop sign-ups on Thursday at noon EST--watch the website and LJ comm for details.


• If you're attending the con, we want you to sign up to run a fan led event!


• If you're interested in selling something in our dealer room you can sign up as a vendor.


• We've posted interviews so that you can learn all about our fantastic guests.


• And more news is coming soon!

Are you coming to Writercon? Yes, I'm asking YOU. If you're involved in fanfic in any way--reader, writer, feedbacker, beta, comm mod, ficathon organizer--Writercon is for you. Think about attending--you can find out more info at Writercon.com or writercon or just ask me and I'd be glad to answer any questions you may have.

* Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) is awesome. It reminds me of the 80s music I listened to in high school. Which makes sense as it was released in ... 1980. Wow, man, it's like everything in my life is running in one big circle! *is a dork*

* I've been spending a lot of time reading Twitter. YEAH I DON'T KNOW, OKAY. It's addictive, though: behind the scenes snippets from Rachel Maddow, extra jokes from Stephen Colbert, a daily stream of adorkable geekery from Bowie's son Duncan Jones, fan wank from Trent Reznor, and of course all the latest NYC vegan news from SuperVegan... plus little life updates from various friends, past and present, RL and fannish. And I can read it all on my phone!

( * Doctor Who finale SPOILERS )

* Picked up The Disorderly Knights to continue my re-read. I think what stopped me for a couple months there was that it was coming up on what is, to me, the most traumatizing character death of the series. But I got past it. (*sniffle*)

And, wow, glad I'm continuing, because I just hit a couple of my favorite lines of the entire series:

"I would give you my soul in a blackberry pie; and a knife to cut it with."
(p. 331, and I don't want to spoil which character says it)

( and a longer scene, with mild spoilers for The Disorderly Knights )

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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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Have you seen writercon100? It’s a drabble comm that also helps raise money for the Writercon scholarship fund.

Several donors have pledged donations for drabbles written and posted to the comm. You’ll find the current list of pledges at the community info page. Fandoms include Whoverse, Veronica Mars, Queer as Folk, Firefly/Serenity, Life on Mars, Supernatural, Harry Potter, and more.

You can help out by writing a drabble, leaving feedback for others, or even making your own pledge. Check it out at writercon100.

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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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Writercon ticket prices will increase tonight at midnight. If you haven’t gotten your ticket yet, please do! Click here to register.

Writercon is a multi-fandom convention focused on fanfiction. We welcome everyone who loves fic–writers, readers, betas, archivists, and more. Check out our panels and workshops, guests, and attendees to get an idea of what it’s like. We’d love to see you there!

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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. ;)

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The incredible harmonyfb has announced programming for Writercon 2009! Take a look; it’s going to be an awesome convention.

We’ve also opened up the scholarship application process and launched our March Madness fundraiser for the scholarship program.

If you’re into fanfic, please think about attending Writercon. No matter what fandom you’re in, it’s a great place for writers to work on their craft and for everyone who loves fanfiction to share their squee. Learn more at Writercon.com or writercon.

***

In other news, they’re doing a DVD of David Tennant’s Hamlet. All I can say is YES!!!!! Once was not enough; I look forward to watching this DVD many, many times. :)

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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.

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Writercon 2009 tickets are now on sale. Be one of the first 50 to register and you’ll get the special early-bird discount of $69.

If you’re still feeling unsure, check out our pages on Writercon 2006 and Writercon 2004 to see what the hype is all about. We’re going multifandom this year, so there will be a lot of great content for everyone. (If you’re worried that others won’t share your fandoms, take a look at our attendee fandom poll to see where audience interest lies. Doctor Who is way up there!)

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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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Proof that the stuff I’ve been working my ass off on has some impact on the world:

* SuperVegan got a really nice plug from Ecorazzi yesterday.

* We announced Writercon! And tons of people already registered to appear on the attendees list. It’s actually happening!

* I finished the Freelance Project of Doom! Which is pretty much all I’ve been doing (aside from announcing Writercon) over the past five days. Now if I could just get the client to pay me before I leave for London… (*crosses fingers*)

I now have a giant to-do list of boring stuff like laundry, cleaning, and packing. Did I mention that I’M LEAVING FOR LONDON ON SATURDAY MORNING?!!!!!!

Um, so, what should I do in London? Who wants to meet up? What are the must-see things? I’ve been so busy trying to finish up everything before I leave that I’ve barely had any time to plan the trip.

( Vague plans so far )

And then (OMG!!!) Stratford.

Am I missing anything? What's the must-do stuff when you're spending nine days in London?

I think there are several people I need to exchange email addresses or phone numbers with... send me an email at laura@rusty-halo.com if you're one of them. :)

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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*

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* Vegan Drinks is tonight in the East Village. If you’re in NYC and want to get drunk with a bunch of vegans, here’s your chance.

* Den of Geek: 10 ways to make sure Pirates Of The Caribbean 4 gets it right. I like #9: “Cast Robert Downey Jr as something.” Have I mentioned recently how happy I am that he’s popular again? Plus, RDJ and Johnny Depp in the same movie would be the best thing ever.

* I’m thinking about the Master of Science in Internet Technology degree at Pace University. I could do it online and it doesn’t have any horrible prerequisites, and it would certainly be a good thing to have on my resume. I’m really annoyed that I can’t find any unbiased third-party information, reviews, or rankings about the program, though. Plus it’s expensive and I don’t know if I’ll have time for it next year between full-time work, SuperVegan, and Writercon. Hmm.

* Speaking of Writercon, we should have an announcement soon. Please cross your fingers!

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I had kind of a crazy weekend.

I realized that, since I’ll be in Atlanta next weekend, this weekend was my last chance to do all the summery things that I’d been planning and putting off.

( Friday: Museum of Modern Art )

( Saturday: Coney Island )

( Sunday: Lunch with my sociopathic brother and my internet dies just in time for our first Writercon concom meeting )

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I’m in the middle of week three of the hundred push ups program, which means I did 71 push ups tonight. Owwwwwwwwww. I’m doing the half-assed knee push ups, but still.

I’m doing this mainly because I didn’t believe it could possibly work (me doing 100 push ups after six weeks? I’ve never been able to do more than 15) and because I really need to start exercising again. I was doing so well last year; I was up to four half hour workouts a week, and lost 20 pounds. And then I got depressed, stopped exercising, and gained back all the weight. Ugh. So this seemed like a way to jump start the working out thing also.

I’ve also been busy cooking. I’m still following the Vegan Cooking for One meal plan. I like cooking and having a homemade meal every night, but I’m getting sick of the bland and unimaginative recipes in this book. Mushrooms, potatoes, rice, spaghetti, onions… c’mon, at least throw in one interesting thing per week! How about eggplant or … I don’t know, kumquats or something. Blah. But I’m taking photos and going to blog it on SuperVegan, so at least it’s good for something. :P

I’ve been really busy with Writercon, but we don’t have anything to announce yet. I’ve got my fingers crossed that we’ll be able to announce a city and hotel soon, though! Meanwhile I’m learning Drupal and spreadsheets.

I’ve been reading “Hamlet” on the subway to and from work. I’m trying not to get too excited, but I keep picturing David Tennant and OMG CAN’T WAIT FOR OCTOBER.

I’ve been catching some TV here and there. I decided that I adore Fraser’s boss, Meg Thatcher (lol), and that I’d rather watch a show about her. She’s kind of like a female Fraser: older and more cynical, but incredibly socially awkward and with that core idealism underneath. Just, she’s interesting, with her heart protected under so many layers of caution and professionalism, and her default reaction to assume the worst of everyone and to push people away. The last episode I saw was “We Are The Eggmen” so this could change; don’t spoil me for anything that’s coming up.

The next Doctor/Master episode is “The Claws of Axos.” Anything particular I should look out for in this one? I’ll probably start it on Sunday.

jaydk came over last weekend for more Doctor Who. I made a whole batch of banana split cupcakes, and we had a lot of fun. She agrees that “Terror of the Autons” is way more entertaining than “The War Games.” And “Journey’s End” feels more “official” now that we watched it together–although I’m highly amused that we had to pause it twice so that we could get into extended arguments. Ah, fangirls.

Tomorrow I’m taking the bus to Atlantic City to see Stone Temple Pilots. I’m stressing about this, not only because it’s apparently a money-driven mess with a relapsed lead singer, but because I hate Atlantic City. This was the only show I could get tickets to (they’re not playing NYC), so I bought a ticket with a blithe “Oh, I’ll find someone to go with me!” Which never happens, of course, and I end up alone at 12:30am in an empty corner of a casino parking garage, waiting for a bus that may or may not show up, with no human being in sight. I feel like it’s tempting fate to keep doing this. I even looked for a hotel room thinking maybe I’d stay overnight and take a daytime bus home, but Atlantic City hotels are absurdly expensive. So, late night bus. I probably won’t get murdered.

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