Effing Catalina Wine Mixer.

This is my last post about Blizzcon--I realize it's long past yesterday's news, but I needed to round out a few thoughts. It wasn't quite what I thought or wanted it to be, and I have a wish for next year.

Next year: I am pretty sure I will be there again. As my cross-dressing rogue says, I may be over WoW very soon, that it's been a phase. (Doubtful, but perhaps.) In some ways, he's right: I do tend to immerse myself in whatever I am doing at the time: if it's jewelry making, I make enough earrings and necklaces to startle a queen's treasures; knitting has given me enough 12' scarfs to wrap the necks of a menagerie of laryngitis-suffering giraffes; if it's gardening, weeds fear me, and hummingbirds kiss my cheeks. (Curb appeal is overrated now, in my opinion.) If it's gaining technological prowess, or reading, or even cleaning out a closet or junk drawer, I can attack it like it's a hot dog and I'm Kobayashi. The label "workaholic" as been applied to me many times.

But there is one thing I have done since I was a little girl, which I don't see myself stopping anytime soon, is writing.

Which leads me to my wish for next year's Blizzcon: I saw a post by Lisa Poisso from WoW Insider a few weeks before the convention requesting ideas for the event. I suggested in an e-mail that a means of getting the fan fiction/bloggers together would really interest me. As we got closer to the event, it's completely understandable that coordinating something like this would be a Herculean effort at minimum. She was exceedingly gracious in every correspondence, and gained my respect and admiration. And, to be fair, I wish I had gotten over some of my own shyness (yes, I can be shy--) I wish I had sent the bloggers and writers I admire most a tweet or comment asking them if they would be at Blizzcon and if we could meet. As it was, I ended up resentfully standing in lines looking over limited merchandise. The highlights were being a panda for a few minutes, playing the barbarian for a taste, and of course, shyly, yes...shyly, asking the draenei brewfest lady, er, gent, er, lady if I could have a picture with them. (Since I am protective of my somewhat secret identity, I cropped myself out.)

But what I really wanted was was to meet other writers, such as Vidyala of Manalicious, the authors of Sacred Duty,  Anexxia of Bible of Dreams, and pretty much anyone on my list of blogs. I know Lyrandre@Ilikebubbles entertains and delights us all. We <3 Bubbles. I can't even begin to list them all.

What kind of event could the fan fiction writers and bloggers have? Would we just sit around on laptops writing posts? After the show, I read tweets and posts that revealed that many of my favorite WoW bloggers were indeed at Blizzcon, typing and posting away about the news and events of the show. I am envious of this. I was not in a position to be one of those live bloggers, and had other things to attend to (like standing in line for a free paladin-in-a-bubble). I must say though, from my perspective as a first-time attendee, for me it was disappointing. I felt that the "real" meaningful discussions and conversations were going on somewhere else, in the shadows, cliques, and groups from which I could not or did not have access. I just wanted to meet other writers, that's all, shake hands with the wordsmiths of WoW. I wanted the effing Catalina Wine Mixer.

This is where I get dorky: I am a fellow of the National Writing Project--I really love to write, and I am sure somewhere in the bookkeeping department of the university there is a past-due tuition bill with my name on it. (I love to write, but don't love to write checks.) The beauty of NWP is the way adults who love to write, write. We get together, read our writing, critic, probe, question, and make each other better. I am not sure what sort of meeting I envisioned at Blizzcon with fellow writers--probably not a writing session, but at least to meet one another and say "I dig your sh*t..." Perhaps I speak for myself only, but myself as a writer does have a tiny bit of "Do you like it?" always lurking inside my creative self. Writers do write for themselves, first and foremost, but....nothing beats a shared story. If a blogger falls in the forest, and no one hears it...?

November is National Novel Writing Month. Better get busy.

So, my writing colleagues, peers, friends, fans, and critics- what do you say? Next year let's get together, talk and share our writing, and have a beer or two? First round is on me.


Catalina Wine Mixer - make bank, bro.