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12:01:00 PM EDT
Hearing Send Your Love -- Sting
The Hugos
Last night was the Hugo Awards ceremony at Torcon, The Hugo being one of the two most prestigious awards in the science fiction literary field (the other being the Nebula award). The Nebulas are decided by writers, but the Hugos are decided by fans, and there were tons of them at the ceremony last night: Thousands of fans were in attendence watching their favorite writers pick up awards. The big winner of the night was Robert J. Sawyer, a Canadian author (somewhat fitting because we're in Toronto), who had been nominated several times before and finally clocked one in for his novel Hominids, which imagines the world if Neanderthals had survived.
Sawyer took time in his acceptance speech to thank the fans of his work, and unlike so many of these ceremonies, those thanks were not just the usual rote thanks. One of the interesting things about science fiction conventions is just how completely the "pros" meld into with the "fandom" -- because so many pros were SF fans before they hopped the fence, the lines between them are really blurred (indeed, Hugos are given out in "fan" categories); well known fans can have higher status at these conventions than some of the writers, including, ahem, yours truly.
As a writer, I have to say I really like this idea. Every artist was a fan first, of course (otherwise they wouldn't do what they do), but the integration between the pros and the fans at SF conventions makes it clear how intimately the two states are interconnected. Not every fan is going to become a writer, and not every writer was a super fan (nor should they be in both cases), but knowing that your public may someday become your peers makes sure respect flows both ways. Thinking that SF fans are just people to buy product seems like a dangerous thing for an SF writer to consider.
Speaking of which, now I'm off to prepare for a reading to these very same fans. Wish me luck.
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Great writing. I'm a big scifi fan, my favorite show is Star Gate SG-1. What exactly do you write? Let me know so I can check it out.
I'm knew to the blog thing and any pointers you could pass my way would be wonderful. Oh, I'm also in Ohio- so hi neighbor :0) -
Great writing. I'm a big scifi fan, my favorite show is Star Gate SG-1. What exactly do you write? Let me know so I can check it out.
I'm knew to the blog thing and any pointers you could pass my way would be wonderful. Oh, I'm also in Ohio- so hi neighbor :0)
10/8/07 6:25 PM