Be Weirder: 5 Unexpected Truths I Learned at the Nebula Conference

I went to the Nebula Conference expecting writing advice and hoping for networking. What I found was the most amazing community of science fiction/fantasy writers with so much advice my phone almost died while I was taking notes. Between panels on romantic space operas, market chaos, and why your book cover should feel like the story instead of just representing it, I walked away with a long list of liberating publishing truths.

If you’re a writer blending sci-fi and fantasy—or you twist tropes, experiment with form, or just want to feel more yourself in your work—these five insights might be the reminders that pull you out of the “shoulds” and back into the kind of writing only you can do.

1. Be Weirder

A lot of writers spend years sanding down their edges. We try to make our books “marketable.” Commercial. Palatable. But the most repeated advice I heard was the opposite: lean into your weird. The very traits you were told to fix—too quirky, too moody, too genre-bendy—are the ones that make you unforgettable.

As one speaker put it, “The things they called my flaws when I was young? Now they call it my style.”

2. You’re Not a Machine. Don’t Be the Boss That Emails Yourself at 11 PM

Burnout is real, especially when you’re trying to juggle creative intuition with market expectations. Multiple speakers (shoutout to Becca Syme) emphasized that exhaustion isn’t a personal failure. It’s feedback. Rest isn’t laziness. It’s the reboot that keeps the stories coming. That said, the way you can utilize rest is by collaborating with your subconscious. Some writers’ best ideas happen when they’re showering, napping, gardening, etc. Learn that not thinking about writing is sometimes the best thing you can do for it. 

3. Rejection Is Not Death. It Just Feels Like It

One of the most strangely comforting truths I heard? “There’s nothing so hated that it isn’t someone’s favorite thing.” Writers fear being canceled, misunderstood, rejected—and that fear holds us back. Becca Syme mentioned a quote from one of her seven-figure authors that really resonated with me: “If I’d known how many one-star reviews it takes to make a million dollars, I would’ve hoped for them sooner.”

You are not aiming to be universally beloved. Trying to appease everyone is rarely what ends up resonating. Instead, think of one reader you are writing to, like how Stephen King writes for his wife, and write for them. 

4. Your Cover Isn’t About Plot. It’s About Feels

Covers shouldn’t just match your genre. They should match the feeling of your book. Not every sci-fi needs a spaceship. Sometimes, your story is more about emotional gravity than literal planets. One panel suggested viewing your cover as a “condensed symbolic space” of what your reader will feel, not just what they’ll see.

5. Write With Awareness of the Market. Not To It

This is especially vital for those of us blending genres like romantasy, cozy horror, or space court intrigue (hi, yes, me). The industry doesn’t always know how to categorize us, and that’s okay.

Don’t contort your voice to fit current trends. As one speaker put it, publishers aren’t necessarily looking for safe bets; they’re looking for the next weird thing that might make a billion dollars. They’re not hunting for “what’s trending.” (Too many writers submit that.) They’re hunting for what’s unforgettable.

My Final Thoughts:

During the closing banquet, the Nebula award winner for the novel (Congrats, to John Wiswell for Someone You Can Build a Nest In!) looked at the crowd and addressed those who feel they are struggling, especially those who are in the midst of rejection, those who can’t quite cross the finish line. He told everyone to keep going. He said he wanted to read their stories. And I won’t lie, I had a moment where I looked around the room and thought, Everyone here believes he is speaking to them. But I didn’t believe he was speaking to me. 

You see, I haven’t had an easy publishing journey. I’m on my third agent. I’ve gone out on sub five times. I’ve gone to acquisitions and second reads more times than I can count or care to admit. But I keep writing because I love to write, not because I necessarily believe I will ever “make” it (though a part of me does, I can’t help but hold onto hope). Sometimes, though–after so much struggle–it’s hard to believe someone like John Wiswell is speaking to you. 

And so, I went to collect my books to leave. 

That’s when the bookseller stopped me and told me a wild story. Apparently, during the middle of the banquet, a few hotel guests swarmed the Book Depot. Two readers passed the award-winners, the big five books, the glossy new stories out in the world–and ended up at my table. After looking over my books, they bought three copies of all seven. They were OBSESSED and even asked if I could sign them. It blew his mind, and he showed me the sales on the tablet. 

I won’t lie, I suddenly realized John Wiswell was talking to me, too. 

My books may be ten years old. They might not have the most up-to-date covers. But they have heart. They blend fantasy with a heavy dose of the unexpected. Whether it’s Midwest teens with two faces–and magical swords twice the size of their bodies (free book link)–or mutants whose powers aren’t for combat but rather reflect who they truly are (free book link)–I’m going to keep writing my weird, wonderful stories. 

Who knows? I may get ever weirder. 

If nothing else, this conference reminded me that creativity is a gamble. The chaos god is in charge of the industry, and all you can do when you get frustrated is to throw the dart at Loki. Then, keep writing.

~SAT

Two free SFF books!