“It is important,” the man in the grey suit interrupts. “Someone needs to tell those tales. When the battles are fought and won and lost, when the pirates find their treasures and the dragons eat their foes for breakfast with a nice cup of Lapsing souchong, someone needs to tell their bits of overlapping narrative. There’s magic in that. It’s in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone’s soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do, because of your words. That is your role, your gift. Your sister may be able to see the future, but you yourself can shape it, boy. Do not forget that. There are many kinds of magic, after all.”
– Erin Morgenstern; The Night Circus
No truer words. And as we discovered yet again at SD34, making such magic out of mere words can be exhausting. The emotional reward, however, once such particularly vexing alchemy is made, its spell cast immutably upon the reader, is boundless. Which is why Saturday was punctuated by “Tiara Night,” where indeed we all were rulers of the word.
A hefty thank you to all the who placed their trust in the SCWC, along with Linda & Rick Ochocki on the front desk, our workshop leaders, agents, and advance readers. Thank you to our excellent guest speakers: Tori Eldridge (The Ninja Daughter), Adalyn Grace (All the Stars and Teeth), Holly Kammier (Lost Girl), and Nathan Makaryk (Nottingham). Good job. Now on to the rewards…
SCWC*34 Award Recipients
OUTSTANDING FICTION
Black Unicorn Rampant
By Heather Carter of San Diego, CA
OUTSTANDING FICTION
Black Hole Son
By Shawn Butler of Irvine, CA
OUTSTANDING FICTION
Hashtags and Vampires
By John Goshorn of Anaheim, CA
OUTSTANDING FICTION
King’s Pine
By Jason Hook of Lancaster, NH
OUTSTANDING FICTION
TBA
By William Haupricht of Detroit, MI
OUTSTANDING NON-FICTION
The Reinvention of Ink
By Lynne Friedman of Solana Beach, CA
OUTSTANDING NON-FICTION
Prison is No Place for Penny Loafers
By Dusty Thompson of Long Beach, CA
Oddly enough, given the talent in the room, there was no Topic Award. (Crappy topic, anyway.) Congratulations, all!
San Diego 35 will take place Presidents’ Day Weekend, February 12-14, 2021. Limited to 175 writers, discounted pre-registration opens August 1. Up next, our annual Fall event in Irvine takes place September 18-20, 2020. Discounted pre-registration opens March 1st. Limited to 150 writers, full details can be found here.
Until next time, from Wes, Chrissie and myself, be the writer you aspire to be. Aim for excellence. Settle only for exceptional.
– Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC/SWS
