Imaginarium 2026 begins today. This is my fourth (maybe fifth?) time attending. When I first began going, I went for all the workshops, presentations and panels. I was new to writing as a serious craft, and I soaked it all up. A lot of information was good. Some was fantastic. Some was useless.
Now, the main reason I look forward to Imaginarium and other cons like BoucherCon and LibertyCon is for the networking. Not the “make contacts with people who can help you” kind. The kind where you get together with others who love the craft of writing, so you can talk about it. Share ideas and insights. Share triumphs and commiserate over failures.
I mainly look at the formal panels to learn specific things, like marketing and diversification. I want to learn the advanced stuff, or at least start thinking about it. Mostly I want to meet with and talk to other writers. One of the interesting things is that for the most part, it’s only about writing, editing, and publishing. Politics shows up of course. But rarely in my experience. Some cons are more likely to have it than others of course. Most will lean a certain direction. Some will lean the other. Both groups and those in the middle still can get together to talk, drink bourbon, and encourage one another. Politics be damned.
The second year, local friends joined me, and we’ve all gone together each year. They’ve started their own publishing house called Southern Wilds which is fantastic. Go there. Buy the books. Tell others to do the same.
As for my own writing? It’s been somewhat stalled. I realize I’ve probably gone farther than most who’ve set out to write a novel. I’m on my fifth draft for instance. Most don’t even finish the first. Over the course of those drafts, almost nothing remains from the original except the characters, the institutions, the general idea of the plot and the villain.
I’ve drafted, edited, and discarded maybe a half million words over the course of these drafts. Maybe less. Hard to say. Add in my non-fiction book under a different name, and I’ve easily gone over the half million mark. Depending on who you talk to, I’m either at or halfway to the point where my writing really gets good. Where I’ve actually got the hang of this thing.
I guess we’ll see. Eventually. I’m stalled, but not giving up.