Sunday night

[mrissa]

Happy Easter to some of you, and happy Sunday to the rest.

I had a good reading this morning. It made me happy. People laughed in the right places -- in all the right places, in fact -- and made encouraging noises afterwards. I filled the conference room they were holding the readings in (it was a small room), and I didn't even know all the people who came. (At least, I didn't know them when they came. Some of them I know much better now.) Pretty importantly, I was reminded that short stories count. They aren't novels lite. They are their own thing. This is something I usually understand when applied to every single writer in the world except for myself. And sometimes I have a habit of rushing on to the next thing so fast that I forget there was a first thing to begin with. I've sold a bunch of stories. I got to watch how they can make people react. That's good.

I had a last-minute change of heart about reading -- not last-minute enough that I was begging someone to use their laptop to get a different story for me, but still. I decided that while I'd been up for five hours by 11:30, many people had not, and maybe it would be nice to read something with a bit of action, some smacking people with sticks, and also some funny bits. There are a few funny bits in "Singing Them Back," but mostly not. It is mostly a serious fantasy story about families and life goals and math and cookies. What I read instead was "Carter Hall Recovers the Puck," hockey fantasy. I think this was the right choice.

I got to hear other good readings this weekend, from pameladean and mmerriam, and I even went to a panel, and I got to meet some lj friendslist people I'd never met before, and some I'm told I've met before but I don't remember the last time, and some I met before but didn't recognize this time, and some I knew by sight but had never talked more directly to. Which is a lot of lj people, especially when you throw in the ones I know and know I know; and then there are the non-lj people, who do most certainly exist. People and people and people. Only one or two of whom -- and no lj'ers, so don't worry -- tempted me to get out the great sword of smiting, which is a pretty good ratio all things told. (I will give you the high-sign, careswen. Or maybe the hi-sign. Someone on lj knows.)

And it was good to come home and have dinner and silliness with markgritter and timprov, and it was good to talk to my folks on the phone, and the remaining mystery of the evening is which of you called today, because markgritter didn't write it down.

Comments

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

I'm a big fan of short stories, whether SF/fantasy, mystery, or Western. Or even mainstream, whatever that is. I hope that short-story periodicals make a comeback while I'm compos mentis enough to enjoy them.

I hope to see you at the next Minn-Stf meeting, at our house, so I can enjoy your company and return your pan.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

If you were someone else I would make noises about devious methods of getting people to come to meetings. But you're you, so that seems highly improbable. When is it?

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

First Saturday in May, which is...[checks]...the 6th. Our house. Chili at 6 p.m.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

And are things more before chili or more after?

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

It took me a bit to parse that sentence, but I think I got it, and the answer is, more after.

[jenett]

I'm really glad you read the Carter Hall story, and it was really funny. (Even for me, who is not a Minnesota hockey fanatic, due to not growing up in the state...) In the right way, in between the serious bits. (I'm also still sorry to have missed the beginning, but followed it okay because I knew the premise from you talking about it here.)

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks!

[ckd]

I would guess that it's the high sign (as contrasted to the low sign? probably). The crude "google both versions and take the one with more hits" metric agrees with me, 177,000 to 18,600. So does this, which claims to be the American Heritage Dictionary.

Though I have not heard (or read) "Singing Them Back" I also think that you made the right choice for the reading. As someone only marginally hockey-literate (I did go to Boston U, so I couldn't escape it completely) it still managed all necessary incluing about hockey in a way that worked for me without seeming forced. Also, much with the funny, without being slapstick, except of course that there was stick. Because hockey.

Yes, I am tired, why do you ask?

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I am not above a bit of slapstick from time to time, I'm afraid. But not unmixed.

[fmi-agent.livejournal.com]

it was nice meeting you on saturday, however briefly. i added you to my lj-friendslist and thought i'd give you a shout-out.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Oh, nice to meet you, too! You're the one I talked to about yhlee, right? (Don't worry, Yoon, all good.)

[fmi-agent.livejournal.com]

yes, that's right - i first "met" her via the Interactive Fiction community. F.O.Y. (Friends Of Yoon) ...

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Yes, us foyim have to stick together.

[madmanatw.livejournal.com]

Similarly, I very much enjoyed talking to you earlier today, and I have friended you for the heck of it. Just so you know who I am, I'm the one who is taking the class from Will the Nice Mean Man. I'll see him Tuesday, btw, and will try to remember to bring a printout...

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

It was good to meet you, too, and your horde of cool friends.

I'm no longer saying, "I can't believe you [/they] know Will!" in every single gap in conversation. Just, y'know, every fourth one or so.

[madmanatw.livejournal.com]

So, I should tell you that I gave Will your open letter today. He remembered you on very little prompting, and when I told him about your letter he looked floored and said, and I quote, "My flabber has never been so gasted." Upon reading your letter he laughed more than I'd ever heard him and through the entire lesson he would every now and then just stop and chuckle and shake his head again.

In short, his reaction was almost as great as yours was.

I gave him your card.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Hee. Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I'm glad to have made him laugh.

[hilarymoonmurph.livejournal.com]

I am sorry that I could not make your reading, but it was lovely to meet you!

Hmm

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

And it was lovely to meet you and your spouse and adorable kids. And of course, I missed your panel while you were missing my reading, so it's reciprocal.

[zwol.livejournal.com]

I, too, very much enjoyed talking to you at the convention, and have friended you because why not. I'm one of madmanatw's horde (the less talkative one).

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Thanks for speaking up so I could see it was you! (I talked to you more during the convention than I did madmanatw, so the reverse-identification amuses me here.)

[zwol.livejournal.com]

Well, what sticks in my head is the conversation circle near the exit, where I didn't say much.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

True, you didn't. But I have a pretty good memory for people. (Which is why I am absolutely sure I've seen Shweta before and not just someone who looks like her; I think I've gotten my brain settled into "somewhere around Berkeley" as enough of an answer to where. Hope so: there's really no point to overthinking something like that, because now where I know her from is Minicon, problem solved.)

[flewellyn.livejournal.com]

The caller was me.

Mark sounded very confused, so I didn't try to spell things out. :-)

Anyhoo, a shame I couldn't meet you guys, but oh well. Maybe next time.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Yep, maybe next time.