In the “What is Hard Science Fiction” panel I got scolded by Jerry Pournelle when I admitted that I don’t always do my own math. (Hi, Ryan!) I’m leading with that bit, because it was the first session of the day, and that really was the only thing I could consider a “blemish” my Friday. And it’s not even really a “blemish.” It’s just accurate criticism that I can think about the next time I don’t have time to do my own math.

Those of you who think that Schlock Mercenary is “hard science fiction” have probably watched too much Star Trek. 🙂

Following the session with Jerry, I sat down and did a little concept work for a commercial project. Hey, I’m ALWAYS on the clock, these days. I also took a half-nap in a comfy chair with my iPod and Vangelis Oceanic.

After lunch I had a session with Jake Black (Smallville writer and researcher), Lee Allred, and Jeanette Atwood about “writing for comics and graphic novels.” It was fun. Mostly, my contribution was “I’ve got it easy. The artist and the writer are the same person, so I don’t have to write what I’m thinking the action will look like.” Hardly helpful for aspiring writers, but hey, it’s the truth.

I spent a little time between sessions preparing for the Schlock Mercenary session (which I’ve discussed in the previous LJ entry). Afterwards I sat down with some folks and started drawing.

I was pretty jazzed, pretty pumped, and just a little full of myself. Then Sandra came in (she missed the session, but she got to come for the rest of the evening) and I inadvertently introduced her to “my wife Bob Defendi.”

Yeah, I’ll never hear the end of THAT. Bob, you know I can only have one wife, and besides, you and I only just met.

I whipped out caricatures and character sketches (with marker colors, for FREE, no less) and then I did the “Webcomics” panel.

There were a dozen webcartoonists on the panel. I did my best to talk LESS than half the time, but MORE than 1/12th of the time. This crowd was almost entirely Provo-local webcartoonists, and I’d seen exactly NONE of their work before. And you know what? The panel was GREAT. The discussion was solid, the questions were to-the-point, and nobody was pimping their own work (at least not once we’d finished the obligatory introductions.) We had a wonderful discussion of the medium, the community, promotion, crossover, etc.

After the panel, Sandra, Dan, Bob-is-not-my-wife, and I went to Denny’s and shot bull. I drew a Bob caricature (I’d already done one of Dan, and Bob had been watching me crank them out for fangirls earlier that evening, wondering covetously whether he could get one), we talked about LARPing, and basically wound down.

Speaking of winding down, now that I’ve WRITTEN about all of it, I need to get to bed. My first session tomorrow is at 9am.

–Howard

The best session of my day, and one of the very best sessions I’ve ever delivered — EVER — was the 4:00 “Schlock Mercenary” session. It was a solo-session and I nailed it. The crowd had fun, I had fun, and I did something that I’ll probably never do at any convention not being held on-campus at Brigham Young University: I talked honesty, frankly, and with sincere testimony about religious stuff, and I did so using my “Sunday School Teacher” vocabulary.

long-winded semi-sermon behind the cut

Well, as of last count, some four hundred and one of you LJ users have added my personal ramblings to your “Friends” pages.

That hissing sound is me bleeding off the pressure I feel to be funny all the time. I’m not going to tell you which orifice I’m using, but I will point out that if fart jokes are funny all the time, this matter has the potential to stabilize in a stinky sort of equilibrium.

Goodnight. I’m off to dance the insomniata elsewhere.

First panel of the day… “Crispier, Crunchier Writing” — I’m the first to introduce myself.

“Hi. My name is Howard Tayler, and I create a comic strip. My claim to expertise in ‘crispy, crunchy writing’ is the fact that I have to make all my text fit in these little dialog bubbles, but still have it tell a decent story.”

Jerry Pournelle: “You’re the only guy in the room qualified to talk about this. I get paid by the WORD.”

My wife, bless her heart, caught this moment on video. I have proof.