Friend author S.H. Roddey chats about Nerd-vana!
The Great Nerd-vana
Hi, everybody… my name is Susan, and I’m a nerd. I write books. I wear glasses and play video games and watch bad sci-fi movies. I can quote Labyrinth word for word and I have an impressive stash of comic books. I have other a thousand novels in my house and I’ve read almost all of them. I don’t just play World of Warcraft… I AM A GUILD MASTER! I watch Star Trek. I know what Torchwood is. I’ve read the vast majority of the Star Wars and Dungeons & Dragons novels. Neil Gaiman is my hero. I’m an old-school DM for D&D. I collect dice, play multiple instruments, speak two and a half languages, leaned Latin for fun, and I know how to build a computer from the box up.
Am I qualified for this gig? You bet.
So I’ve been stalking Ellie’s blog this month, reading all of her wonderful nerd-centric posts, and enjoying the fact that I’m not alone in my rampant geekery. So far there has been steampunk, Doctor Who, gaming, Star Wars, comics, and even television… but the one thing I haven’t seen so far, and the one thing that unites all of us in Greater Nerd-dom, is The Convention.
Yes, Ladies and Germs, I’m here today to talk about ultimate Nerdvana.
Before I became a writer, I was a con geek. Having a strange and sometimes unhealthy love of things like Star Wars, video games, comic books and all other manner of nerdosity, I found I truly enjoyed wandering through the crowded halls of various and sundry hotels, dodging Daleks and Klingons, all while wantonly letting my geek flag fly. I love the atmosphere, the fun-loving feel of nerds en masse, all there with the same basic goal – to enjoy the finer points of fandom.
Then I actually got brave and published a book. And the experience only got better from there.There’s nothing quite as satisfying as switching sides of the table. Three years ago I was in the audience, a scribbling hopeful with a notebook and a pen who, for some crazy reason, was mildly starstruck by the authors in the hallways hawking their wares. Now that I am one of those authors, I’m still a bit starstruck, actually. The energy is still there, radiating from everyone in attendance.
I signed my very first autograph ever a few weeks ago, and that was a truly transcendent experience. People actually stopped to talk to me, to ask me questions about my writing. They came into the panels to hear what I had to say about my craft. Talk about magical.
But there’s more to it than that. While I do love the attention, I still enjoy wandering the halls, meandering through the Dealer’s Room with the steampunk jewelry, geeky t-shirt stands, and all manner of fandom-themed collectibles. I still attend panels that I’m not on to hear what the others have to say since there’s always something new to learn. I love the idea of gamers coming together as strangers and leaving as friends, uniting and connecting but for the love of the game. It does my heart good to see indie filmmakers releasing their works into the world for others to enjoy, and learning that there are others so passionate about their crafts that they, too, will brave the public and the possibility that someone might not like their work just to find the one or two that do.
It’s also fun to take over bars and hotel lobbies with my writer friends and draw attention to ourselves, but that’s beside the point.
The point is this: at conventions, we nerds can unite. We can come together from all walks of life and proudly admit the things we enjoy, and we can do it all without the fear, because everyone in the building is there for the same reason. We can be ourselves. We can proudly admit to our nerdiness.
We’re nerds, and damn it, we should be proud of it!
***About S.H. Roddey:
Blog: http://creepyauthorgirl.wordpress.com
The Big Bad: http://www.amazon.com/Big-Bad-John-G-Hartness/dp/1937035476/ref=la_B0043EUZHC_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371584904&sr=1-1
Facebook: http://www.fb.com/AuthorSHRoddey
Twitter: @draickinphoenix
Hi, everybody… my name is Susan, and I’m a nerd. I write books. I wear glasses and play video games and watch bad sci-fi movies. I can quote Labyrinth word for word and I have an impressive stash of comic books. I have other a thousand novels in my house and I’ve read almost all of them. I don’t just play World of Warcraft… I AM A GUILD MASTER! I watch Star Trek. I know what Torchwood is. I’ve read the vast majority of the Star Wars and Dungeons & Dragons novels. Neil Gaiman is my hero. I’m an old-school DM for D&D. I collect dice, play multiple instruments, speak two and a half languages, leaned Latin for fun, and I know how to build a computer from the box up.Am I qualified for this gig? You bet.
So I’ve been stalking Ellie’s blog this month, reading all of her wonderful nerd-centric posts, and enjoying the fact that I’m not alone in my rampant geekery. So far there has been steampunk, Doctor Who, gaming, Star Wars, comics, and even television… but the one thing I haven’t seen so far, and the one thing that unites all of us in Greater Nerd-dom, is The Convention.
Yes, Ladies and Germs, I’m here today to talk about ultimate Nerdvana.
Before I became a writer, I was a con geek. Having a strange and sometimes unhealthy love of things like Star Wars, video games, comic books and all other manner of nerdosity, I found I truly enjoyed wandering through the crowded halls of various and sundry hotels, dodging Daleks and Klingons, all while wantonly letting my geek flag fly. I love the atmosphere, the fun-loving feel of nerds en masse, all there with the same basic goal – to enjoy the finer points of fandom.
Then I actually got brave and published a book. And the experience only got better from there.There’s nothing quite as satisfying as switching sides of the table. Three years ago I was in the audience, a scribbling hopeful with a notebook and a pen who, for some crazy reason, was mildly starstruck by the authors in the hallways hawking their wares. Now that I am one of those authors, I’m still a bit starstruck, actually. The energy is still there, radiating from everyone in attendance.
I signed my very first autograph ever a few weeks ago, and that was a truly transcendent experience. People actually stopped to talk to me, to ask me questions about my writing. They came into the panels to hear what I had to say about my craft. Talk about magical.
But there’s more to it than that. While I do love the attention, I still enjoy wandering the halls, meandering through the Dealer’s Room with the steampunk jewelry, geeky t-shirt stands, and all manner of fandom-themed collectibles. I still attend panels that I’m not on to hear what the others have to say since there’s always something new to learn. I love the idea of gamers coming together as strangers and leaving as friends, uniting and connecting but for the love of the game. It does my heart good to see indie filmmakers releasing their works into the world for others to enjoy, and learning that there are others so passionate about their crafts that they, too, will brave the public and the possibility that someone might not like their work just to find the one or two that do.
It’s also fun to take over bars and hotel lobbies with my writer friends and draw attention to ourselves, but that’s beside the point.
The point is this: at conventions, we nerds can unite. We can come together from all walks of life and proudly admit the things we enjoy, and we can do it all without the fear, because everyone in the building is there for the same reason. We can be ourselves. We can proudly admit to our nerdiness.
We’re nerds, and damn it, we should be proud of it!
***About S.H. Roddey:
Blog: http://creepyauthorgirl.wordpress.com
The Big Bad: http://www.amazon.com/Big-Bad-John-G-Hartness/dp/1937035476/ref=la_B0043EUZHC_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371584904&sr=1-1
Facebook: http://www.fb.com/AuthorSHRoddey
Twitter: @draickinphoenix
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