Bristolcon 2011

Last weekend I went to my first science-fiction convention. I went to a couple of ST:TNG ones when I was about 17 years old, but all I remember of those was mucking about in Star Trek uniforms with my friends and a few embarrassing conversations that I'd prefer to forget.

So much has changed since then. I'm no longer obsessed with The Next Gen for a start, only a nostalgic fondness remains, and I am a lot less confident and more anxious than I used to be. Needless to say that for days in advance I was really nervous; not only was it an inherently scary 'big groups of people' social situation, I was also doing a bit of advance previewing of my next project (much more about that tomorrow).

I'm delighted to report that I had an absolutely fantastic day. I mean, really fantastic. In the build-up to the event the lovely Jo Hall (@hierath77) looked after me brilliantly, and then on the day the very fluffy Mark (are you on Twitter Mark?) greeted me in the dealer's room and put me at ease instantly. Meg (@djelibeybi_meg) also did a huge amount to make me feel cared for and secure in the knowledge of where I was supposed to be and when. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In fact, despite all of the fretting in the build-up, I knew in the first five minutes that I was going to be absolutely fine. Why? Because about three minutes after I arrived I was chatting happily about roleplaying, with people who also roleplay. No weird looks, no need to explain what it is: bliss. I very rarely talk about roleplaying outside of circles I actually roleplay with, so it was such a joy to talk to new people about it!

A big milestone

I had my first ever panel appearance in the afternoon (boy was I scared!) and that too turned out to be quite enjoyable. Panels are effectively open conversations taking place between several people up on a stage, led by a moderator and then opened to the floor. The panel was about writing tools and tips, and even though I was convinced I knew nothing about this about thirty seconds before it started, it turned out I did have something to contribute, and I even enjoyed it!

Before I go any further, I also want to say a huge thank you to my best mate Kate who travelled all the way down from London to help me out.

Other highlights

There was a book signing part of the afternoon and I was fortunate enough to be seated next to Philip Reeve (@PhilipReeve1), author of the Mortal Engines books, and what a thoroughly lovely chap he is. I felt like a little newly hatched chick next to him, he's been a published writer for many more years than I, but he was so kind and warm I didn't feel awkward.

I also met Paul Cornell (@Paul_Cornell) and what a great guy! We had a good laugh talking about my embarrassingly severe crush on China Miéville and all kinds of geeky fun – including roleplaying.

A talk given by Keith (@ScrivenerApp) who invented Scrivener (cool writing software). What a lovely bloke! We chatted about writing and word counts too and it was very cool to meet the guy (and his good lady wife) behind the software I've heard so much about.

I got to hang out with Gareth Powell (@garethlpowell) again, of whom I have become very fond. We have been to several events together, both of us being Somerset authors, and I bagged a signed copy of The Recollection too, which made me happy.

I met Anne Lyle (@annelyle) too, and we talked about how lovely Adam Christopher (@ghostfinder) is and how cool the cover of Empire State is too. I went to Anne's reading from The Alchemist of Souls coming in April 2012 from Angry Robot Books and it's on my 'to buy' list.

I even bumped into an old friend from university, Kat, which was a fabulous surprise. She has convinced me to go to Eastercon too ?

The quiz was great fun, and would you believe I genuinely relaxed? I didn't want to go home at the end of it!

What made it such a great day?

The people, simply enough. Everyone was so friendly, the organisers were so helpful and couldn't have done more to make me feel at ease and safe. There was a fantastic atmosphere; just lots of happy people, talking about stuff they love.

It wasn't just that though, for me, it was that they were my kind of people. It really made me appreciate how I really do not fit in at most 'mainstream' social events. I don't watch the TV shows that most people watch, I don't have mainstream hobbies, I am, quite frankly, a little bit weird. To be able to hang out in a bar with other people who are weird in the same way is something I haven't enjoyed since my university days, and I never realised how much I miss it.

Thank goodness for Twitter (I know I keep saying that) as the party has continued all week chatting to people who also went. (I'm looking at you @Jorence and @Timmaughan)

So, roll on Bristolcon 2012! I will be buying my membership as soon as it opens, and I heartily recommend it if you love sci-fi and lovely geeky, interesting, fun and creative people too.