Man, I love a good SFF-lit con. I wish I could go to more, but any that involve travel, unless I’m invited as a guest of honor, is out of my own pocket, so… I have to make judicious choices.
Especially since the fan-run, SFF-lit con is… maybe not dying, but it’s definitely in an “evolve or die” place right now. I see some of them evolving, and I see some dying. Which is a shame. I will go to the bigger media comic-con if it’s feasible (I’m at Comicpalooza in a few weeks!), but I find them less than useful for novel writers. It’s the difference of an event with 800-1000 people, who are pretty much all into books, and an even with 50,000 people, but only a sliver are into books.
However, I definitely feel like my local fan-run, SFF-lit con is on the “evolve” side of the coin, and each year it’s gotten stronger. And that would be ArmadilloCon, and HOLY CATS check out who’s the Toastmaster this year. YES IT’S ME. So if you were looking for an excuse to check out ArmadilloCon this year, here you go.
BUT if you need more reason, check out the Writers’ Workshop, which is a fabulous one-day intensive workshop. I highly recommend it for beginner SFF writers looking to improve their craft.
And if you’ve got a con and you want me to come? Invite me! I’d love to come.