I've only had on person comment so far. I know a mouse pad isn't that exciting, but it's free. You know you want it!
Sunday
I attempted to balance hanging with my family and geeking out all weekend. I did pretty good, and everyone had a great time. My spouse was incredibly supportive, and I'm so happy he went. I couldn't have done my reading without him. The kids had fun checking out the artwork and some of the people. However, we were all very tired on Sunday, so we decided to leave after my panel.
The panel was called "I Didn't Mean to Borrow," and there were five of us talking about influences and fan fiction. Basically, we talked about whether or not we "borrowed" from other works intentionally or unawares. For example, in my first novel, Coming from Nowhere, I intentionally used elements from Star Wars and Blade Runner. But sometimes, you don't realize you've borrowed things until someone else points them out.
It's hard not to borrow. As one of the panelists pointed out, our work is the sum total of experiences and influences we've had throughout our lives. Yeah, more than likely, our stories are going to be similar to something else out there.
Another panelist talked about how there are seven basic plots to a story, and all narratives fall into one of those categories. So, really, every story is going to sound like another story. The thing we as authors need to be wary of is not plagiarizing. (Which, honestly, most of us are.)
We also talked about fan fiction and people creating works based off our stories. Personally, I think it would be cool to know I influenced someone like that. It would mean I was making an impact. I would also love to write fan fiction. I have an Aliens story planned out in my head. Now, I just need to figure out how to get it published! (And write it, but I don't want to waste my time if no one wants it!)
I really enjoyed my experience at MileHiCon this year. I hope I found some new fans and people check out my work. If nothing else, I did give people a name. Only time will tell. Keep your fingers crossed!
