InConJunction 2013

I attended InConJunction 2013, which is my first time attending this convention. The con is run by the Circle of Janus, a science fiction and fantasy fan club in Indianapolis. I really enjoyed this con, which had a set of very author focused panels that I spent most of my time attending. The panels I attended broke down into two categories:

Panels about the profession of being a writerPanels about world buildingPlus a random one here and there. I've always found that writing is one of those activities that you can always have a conversation about and learn something new, even if you've heard it before. A couple of the panels featured some of the anti-traditional publishing tropes often heard these days (not from the panelists but from some audience members). I thought the panelists were calm under the attack, for they were mixed panels of small press publishers, indie authors, and traditionally published authors--all of them able to speak to the pros and cons of the options (no one best path to publication exists).
I enjoyed the "On the Write Track: Writing and Holding a Full-Time Job" panel. Most authors are in this position: the writing does not pay the bills and may never pay the bills. I knew this, of course, but it is sometimes good to hear others say it and see how they handle it.
As I said, I really enjoyed this con, and I'm looking forward to going again in 2014.
Here are a number of the panelists and their websites, etc., that I had the pleasure of listening to:
Matt BettsNicole CushingJohn F. AllenEric GarrisonLou HarryJames O. Barnes of Loconeal PublishingRJ SullivanMark Wandrey