Wiscon Report

Posted on by scott

I’m back from Wiscon and have at last recovered enough to post. Thanks to so many of you for holding down the fort with so many debates and conversations while I was gone. You managed to cover X-3, The Davinci Code, Hollywood adaptations, and even the dominance of religion in American life, all while staying extremely polite! (The outside-this-blog world of public debate could take a lesson here.)

But back to Wiscon: I had tons of fun. It’s too much to blog it all, so here are some random things to report:

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Justine‘s new collection of eleven science fiction short stories written from 1927-2001, each with a critical essay about the story, sold about 50 copies over the weekend. That’s great for an academic book. (For more about what Justine did during the con, click here. She got to hang out with Ursula K. Le Guine and Samuel R. Delany more than I did.)

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I met Livejournal Diva Cherie Priest, who turned out to be both smaller (size-wise) and more gargantuan (personality-wise) than I expected. It was a gas, and thanks to Liz Gorinsky for taking us out to the same dinner.

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I met Deb Stone at my signing. She’s the American Library Association’s anti-book banning guru, and turned out to be a Serenity-hat-wearing sf fan to boot. (Great combination.) Weirdly, she told me that Uglies and Peeps have both been challenged by (wacko) parents in the last year. Now, I can sort of understand not wanting your kid to read Peeps because it’s so scary, but not wanting your kid to read something and yanking it from the library shelves are two different things. (Methinks the real reason for going after it may have something to do with certain people’s views of evolution.)

And Uglies? Excuse my abbreviated French, but WTF? Deb said it was mostly in middle-grade schools that it’s been challenged, but seventh-graders need bomb-throwing, surgically modifed eco-terrorist heroines too, you know.

Don’t worry, though, neither of the books have ever been successfully challenged. In fact, the ALA has never lost a court case over any book banning. (Rock on with your bad self, Deb.) The real problem is when books are quietly removed by principals who don’t want to make a fuss. When our side fights, we win . . . we just have to make sure we fight every time.

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In related news, our lunch with the local Wisconsin book-protection team, the CCBC, was a blast. They’re a laugh a minute, and are always way up-to-date on the latest manga. Thanks for lunch, guys.

Item:
One of the things I love about Wiscon is the mystically expanding breakfast. If you check out this photo, you’ll see Justine and I having breakfast with seven other con-goers around a table design for TWO PEOPLE. Now that’s just funny. And all of them were brilliant writers!

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Speaking of which, I got to hang out with Ted Chiang, who’s story “Liking What You See” first inspired the Uglies series way back in 2002. If you check out this interview, you’ll see he’s wicked smart. Bouncing ideas off him and all the other cool people at Wiscon led to many a brain-storm.

Of course by the end of five long days, we started to get some very silly ideas too . . .

Scott: So, I just got this idea for a multi-generational starship story.

Christopher: The kind where the passengers don’t know they’re on a multi-generational starship?

Scott: That’s the only kind! Okay, get this: each deck of the starship is designed to represent the same small middle-American city. But each one is set for a different decade. Like, deck three is the 1960s, deck four the 1970s, and so on.

Ted: And these micro-cultures don’t progress from one decade to the next?

Scott: No, they wake up every New Year’s Day with memory resets.

Christopher: And what’s the starship builders’ purpose for setting all this up?

Scott: Uh, well, it’s sort of a way to maintain . . . [masterfully explains].

Christopher and Ted: Yes, that makes perfect sense!

Scott: But the cool part is when the protagonist breaks through the fourth wall and starts taking the elevator up and down, and seeing the past and future of her own culture.

Ted: But without any time-travel paradoxes.

Scott: Exactly!

Christopher: Great, but what’s the plot? Like, exactly what is the protag doing, besides just exploring?

Scott: Um, well [takes long drink] . . . chasing a serial killer?

Ted: I can see you’ve put a lot of thought into this.

Scott: Dude. That’s cold.

Item:
Geoff Ryman, whose novel Air won the James Tiptree Award, charmed us all exceedingly and has become part of the Wiscon family.

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Holly Black was sick all weekend, which made me sad.

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Hanging out with comics writer Doselle Young has made me really, really want to finish my graphic novel. Watch this space for more details.

For more on Wiscon 30, check out Technorati, which already has hundreds of blog entries about the con. Whew.

Me start next novel now.

100 thoughts on “Wiscon Report”

  1. ooooh, never seen “No Comments,” I’m number one! whoot… okay so, welcome back Scott! heh, we kind of created a new breed of “Ranters” over in the comments to your last post… but that’s what comes from intelligent readers who are very very bored otherwise and have no posts to read from the author of the site 😀 (yeaaaaaaah, lame excuse, whatever)
    And now I officially have to be a writer when I’m older, was gonna be a journalist… but Cons sound like SO much fun. Actual conversations… yet another reason to comment here. Oh yeah, and dude, the “multigenerational starship” story sounds awesome! Plot or no plot, that’s what Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is you know… incredibly funny book about absolutely nothing (the whole “finding the meaning of life” thing is kind of a cover-up I think. hehe, 42…)
    “me start next novel now”? YEAH, awesome.

  2. *just realizes the incredible amount of run-ons in that post* wellllll, at school now, can’t expect me to think straight, “I never let my schooling interfere with my education” 😀

  3. Oh yeah, (I’m posting three times, wow I’m pathetic, I blame school… again) the censoring of Uglies and Peeps? Censorship sucks, FREEDOM OF THE PRESS, but if it’s gotten enough attention to be banned…. heh, kind of a compliment if you think about it, Harry Potter’s been banned in school libraries. Yeah, Uglies and Peeps are up there with Harry Potter!

  4. Confuding. I mean, confusing. Oh, just got PEEPS yesterday! And finished it about three hours after I got it! May I just say, you outdid yourself with PEEPS. (BTW, where can I get the parasite? J/K. Sorta.) Where is TLD? I can’t find it anywhere. Oh, also, Barnes & Noble sold out of Specials! Cool, huh?
    Did you say Deb was Serenity/Firefly fan? Where can I meet this person? I love Firefly!
    I’m not as weird as I sound.
    PEEPS is better than the Uglies trilogy, in my opinion. Please, no angry mobs trying to knock down my door because I said that. My parents don’t like company…

  5. In other countries, they actually had book burnings of Harry Potter. I think they’ve done it here too.
    Sorry, I should have announced myself before saying that. Well, I’ll do it now: And Now For Something Completely Different. And insane. Wheeeeeeeeeeeee…

  6. Okay, here I am. Again. Anyway, I went to see your music link, and I went on Google to see who Karen Finley is. May I just say: Ahem. Wow. She is, erm, well, hee.

  7. The Last Days isn’t out yet.

    By the way, at school, I got a whole circle of Scott readers. One girl went out and bought one of pretty much every book that Books a million carried at the time. All because I forced her to read Midnighters and Peeps.

    *slyly raises eyebrow* What is this next novel you speak of?

  8. Novel! Yes, you start next novel now. Yay!
    I like the starship-with-different-eras-on-each-level idea. It’s cool. I tend to come up with really cool ideas lacking a plot as well. Or cool characters lacking a plot. It’s very sad. I need to try and put it all together.
    Isn’t WTF actually German, and not French?

  9. Just to keep the record straight: though I would have ADORED to I did not get to hang out with Ursula Le Guin. I managed a bare exchange of greetings in the lift up to the Governor’s.

  10. WTF is neither german or french, its Badass English. For an example of its use portrayed, accompianed by much inappropiate language, see here: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/end.php … hmm, i hope i dont get in trouble for posting that.

    you may be writing a graphic novel? interested i am… i just recently dipped my left foot into the vast lake of graphic novels, strating with Neil Gaiman (i’m a bid fan of his novels, i reccomend Neverwhere and Stardust, but American Gods is my favorite, and i even saw his movie, MirrorMask) and his Sandman graphic novels. they were incredible, and delightfully grtoesque and mysterious and chock full of gorgeous artwork. i’ve only read the first four, but its enough to make me think i’ll be investigating further into the wild realm of books-by-pictures.

    as far as censoring Uglies and Peeps goes… it’s probably a good sign. if you write a book and it doesnt offend someone somewhere, then things remain the same, no? so by irritating an irate (i love that word..) parent, perhaps some rebellious 13 yearold will rread your book in secret… and consequently discover and underground treasure, with which they will buy a puppy… which will further irritate irate parents… yes, it seems a likely scenario. a nice cycle there. i think my point was that… oh… i dont even know what my point was. at first it was about censorship, but i think it morphed partway through into something about the butterfly effect. hmm.

    man, i feel like writing. normally i do this on my blog or in my journal but today i feel like clogging up the omniscient mr. scott’s blog. so i will. the story about the multi-generational starship kinda reminds me of a story i made up in my head, although they’re not very similar at all. except there is the idea of levels between cultures, except in my story its city, and one part is the ground and the other half of the city is floating (probably supported by giant underground magnets or summat, like in Uglies) above the first. Downtown woudl be dirty and corrupt and disease-ridden and poverty-striken and very very angry, because Uptown would be clean and wealthy and (physically) healthy, although also corrupt. Very likely more corrupt than Downtown, since all the city officials screwing everyone over would live in Uptown (naturally). I think i’d like the story to be one where you swich the point of view in the chapters, like in Scotts books, except i’d have only one or possibly two constant characters point-of-views. so it’s go Main Char, Random Downtwon Policveman, Main Char,Random Uptown Policeman ,Main Char,main char’s friend…etc etc. oh, i’m getting carried away. i really shoudl write it all down sometime. i have big plans for Uptown and Downtown. and i think it involves rabies and a masked villian. mmhmh. stop.

    haha, it’s kinda ironic, just yesterday i read Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones… and as a few of you may know, it mostly takes place at a fantasy/science-fiction writers convention (PhantasmaCon) and it made me laugh a lot. hmm. just a little tidbit. ok, i’ll stop hoggin blogspace now.

  12. i cant tell you how many things i’ve started and never finished… theres just too many. and theres even more things i never even strated. its a shame.

  13. ugh, I need one of those pensieve things that Dumbledore has in Harry Potter (weird, I’ve come up with three Harry Potter references today and I’m not even a huge fan…), my problem is that I never START my stories, they’re in my head and then I just kinda… forget them. 🙁 Sad.
    ha, irate is my new word of the day… hehe “irritate irate parents”

  14. Wiscon sounds like my version of heaven. So, even though it’s SF, that term usually includes fantasy/horror writers too. So do they get to come too? (Mwahahahahahahahaha….)

    Debates=cool. And seriously, ditto on the polite thing. That’s hard to maintain, unfortunately.

    Ban Uglies? ARGH! What is with parents and “protecting” their kids? (Who ever heard of free speech? Hahaha.) If they’d just let them make up their own minds about stuff instead of trying to force beliefs on them, the kids would be a lot more likely to not end up hating what their parents stand for. Beliefs are fine. Pushing them on everyone else is not. (rant)

    I like the multi-gen ship idea. Knowing you, you could probably come up with a kickbutt plot for it. Even the serial killer thing could work. 😛 😀 And that was a great dialogue, hehehe!

    Holly Black was sick? That sucks. But she’s a fantasy writer, so that does mean they get to come too, right? 😀 😀

    “I never let my schooling interfere with my education” 😀
    ^That is a nice line.

    “Did you say Deb was Serenity/Firefly fan? Where can I meet this person? I love Firefly!”
    ^Ditto. With a capital “D.” Firefly is my all time favorite SF TV show EVER.

    “*slyly raises eyebrow* What is this next novel you speak of?”
    ^Yeah, Scott, what is this next novel?

    “For an example of its use portrayed, accompianed by much inappropiate language….”
    ^That is the funniest thing ever. I discovered it a while back and have since watched it upwards of twenty times.

    “as far as censoring Uglies and Peeps goes… it’s probably a good sign. if you write a book and it doesnt offend someone somewhere, then things remain the same, no?”
    Hmm….good point. I’m all for causing a stir. So yes. Vair cool.

    “i think it involves rabies and a masked villian. mmhmh. stop.”
    Hehehe! Oh, someone stop me!

    “I started a graphic novel…and never finished.”
    ^Fin and Jane-la, you should check this out: http://www.nanowrimo.org. That’s what got me to finally finish stuff.

    Well, I think I have finally said EVERYTHING. I’m at work, you know, and obviously that means extra long blog comments.

  15. Banning Uglies and Peeps? Thats bogus. I still have to read your Midnighter series but I bet it rocks. I am on page 139 on Specials; love it so far, although her being a special annoys me greatly. And a new graphic novel? Awesome. Glad you had a great time in Wiscon.

  16. KORBE NEEDS A PENSIEVE TOO! when u get one lyra can i borrow it?
    Major congrats Scott on such a wonderfull trip full of inspiration! Cant wait to read the new book!
    now onto censorship of uglies pretties specials and peeps, that is absolutely CRAZY! But its also a great way to sell books, if people want to ban this book, then people will buy it in order to see if its worth banning. And of course they will see that its NOT! so all will be well and you will be a richer man! YAY! and of course when you are a multi billionare you will remember us and send us each 1 thousand dollars! (jk jk jk jk jk)
    Also, that pic was really funny, one of the women in the photo looked like my math teacher, it was really kinda cool (but scary, i dont like math!) but that was really great thanks for sending that to us scott! well i think i have said my peace, ill be back!

  17. Next novel. NEXT NOVEl? NEXT NOVEL??????
    Ok, calmed down now. What is this next novel?

  18. So…. you saw Holly Black? Any chance she happened to mention when her next book comes out? *cough* specifically “Ironside” *cough cough*
    heh, Rebecca: that quote was Mark Twain’s, go figure hehehe
    And yes, people, Nanowrimo ROCKS, they give you a month to write a 500,000 word story (or something along those lines anyway…) I’ve never actually been a part of it, but I’m DYING for the next one to start, not until November or something though…
    Elle, you MUST read Midnighters, they are amaaaaaaazingly good. (don’t let that get to your head Scott!)
    hahaha, Korbe if I EVER manage to find a pensieve, I’ll be sure to let you know

  19. Oh, and with the multi-generational starship story, we also thought that the “Pink Fairy Learns Ballet” sounded good, might want to keep that in mind. lol

  20. Yes, horror and fantasy are allowed and encouraged at Wiscon. We only call it an sf con because it was sf fans who invented conventions in their modern form. (I guess.) But it’s sf and fantasy in equal measure.

    I think Ironsides comes out next spring. Justine’s already read it, though, and she says it’s wonderful. (She and Holly read each other’s drafts. I wish I had more time for that.)

    Hmm, maybe my protag could pursue a machine-gun-wielding Pink Fairy through the multi-generation starship.

    The next novel? Well, so far it has airships, and is set in an alternate 1913 or ’14. That’s all I’m saying right now.

  21. Graphic novel…?
    Oh my god, please say that you are serious. I’d definately buy that :q…
    Lordy, I never have much to say in response to your rants. But keep ranting.

  22. oooh, alternate realities, cooool!
    *gapes* tell Justine that I currently envy her more than anyone in the WORLD
    hehehe, you should do a short story about the pink fairy and the starship, seriously… well, maybe not SO seriously… hhehehe

  23. Would this graphic novel be western-style, or would there be any manga influences? I love both. Please write it!!!

  24. well,
    i have to say that whole spaceship different decade thingy,
    sounds mighty intersting!!!
    I’d so buy it.
    but then again,
    i would buy anything from you…
    book-wise at least.
    lol
    and yeah graphic novels!!!
    also,
    poor holly black,
    may her sickness evaporate!!!

  26. ooooh! i cant wait for the spaceship book to come out, sounds intresting!
    I think you should work on that scott! :]

  27. “The next novel? Well, so far it has airships, and is set in an alternate 1913 or ‘14. That’s all I’m saying right now.”

    Am I pathetic for smiling just at that sentence?

    Alternate times? Airships (how can I resist after the wonders of hoverboards)? Early 1900’s?

    I’ll buy it the day it comes out.

  28. There must be a pink fairy with a machine gun. Somewhere. Anywhere.

    I think that it’s a bit stupid that Uglies and Peeps would be challenged anywere but a middle school (unless it was an elementry school…). So whats “mostly” middle schools about? Huh. I can see why some parents wouldn’t want their 6th grade-age children reading some of the stuff in Peeps and Uglies, but I completely agree with the 7th/8th graders needing to read about a hero like Tally. How many books include grenades, building-eating goo, hoverboards, and plastic surgery all at the same time? Schools should just risk having a few offened parents and put Uglies in the library! Really, there is always someone that is going to be offeneded by anything thats written…
    Peeps though, I could see that one being more of an issue for all middle-school ages. I believe that the book said it was for grades 9+. But It’s really great!! I just finished it yesterday. I feel extremely smart about parisites now…possibly smarter then I wanted to be…ew…anyhow, it would be very lame for them to be totally banned. Especially if it’s just because of different views of evolution. How bogus. Maybe those parents should just take their kids out of biology class too, and ban the science books while they’re at it. Hmph.
    *done with rant-ish-type-thing and moving on.

    Ooh! New novel! Yay!

  29. i cant wait for this new book! and the last days is going to rock! im thinking about going and getting some of your older stuff scott, has anyone read his other books? if so tell me where i can find them! plz! my goal over the summer is to read all of scotts books, o and to learn how to sight read music, but u didnt need to know that because it has absolutely nothing to do with scotts books…..o well. w/e. well yea. if anyone has that info it would be greatly appreciated! thanks ^.^

  30. Hey, this is kinda random but you never told us what you thought of X-Men. (for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, do so now. IT ROCKED!)

  31. *you meaning Scott, or anyone really…. X-Men rocked and always deserved to be talked about lol

  32. dude… i saw x-men… and it was awesome. it was sad at times, but i thought that there was closure.
    whoaa! new book! also awesome.
    definitely gonna read it.
    oh and i finished peeps last week and it was also very cool.
    that is all.

  33. i saw x-men last night. i loved it…although there were bits of it i hated because i’m an emotional female. lol anyway…don’t want to spoil anything, but i’ll just say this: if you haven’t seen it yet, be sure you stay until THE END…i found out today that there is a scene after the credits (or partway through or whatever) and i missed it!! argh. i know what happened, though. guess i’ll have to wait for the dvd to actually see it..

    just started reading graphic novels this summer. or spring, i guess, since it isn’t technically summer yet, but it’s been very hot! anyway, i’ve been reading runaways and fables (recommended by justine in her blog) and have enjoyed them so far. if i can ever find a copy i want to read scott pilgrim, and the sandman books are on my list, too. my husband says, “you’re reading *comics*??!” in disbelief. i love to be surprising, and to be surprised new things. i’ve been checking out manga at the bookstore…that’s next. 🙂 any recommendations?

    scott: a bit off-topic, but do you have cover-art for the last days yet? i’m excited to see it…….and even more excited to read it!!! 😀

  34. you’re trip sounded like fun, Scott
    and that new book of yours……..mmnnn…………i think i’m interested

  35. oh, also…the alternate…er…past….book sounds fun! and who doesn’t like airships?!! (actually, airships always make me think of a series by british author jasper fforde, which is also alternate-past, alternate 1980s, about a girl named thrusday next. *hysterically* funny. but that’s probably another topic. 🙂 )

  36. Wow that all sounded like lot sof fun. BUT guess what!!! I was in Madison on Saturday….AT the farmers market. Then I went to the Concourse Hotel to use the bathroom and there were all these people every where with the Wiscon things around their necks. It was then that I thought of you and the fact you were probably in that same hotel at that same moment but o well. 🙂

  37. Clairo: COOL
    hehe, yeah, for anyone that HASN’T seen X-Men yet (you crazy people) stay AFTER the credits, not just halfway, alllll they way, it’s worth it. Glad I looked at a fansite before I saw it… hehehe (geeky is me)

  38. i just can’t believe i didn’t wait until the very end, i very nearly always do…but i was at the theatre alone, and it was cold (air conditioning cranked way up)…..argh. when i found out i had missed it, i literally felt sick. well, just for a minute, it’s only a movie, but still…..argh.

  39. i always stay to the end of the credits, mostly because my mom used to always make me, and now i’m in the habit and i force whoever i’m with to stay to the end also. “just in case, you never know..” and alot of times i like to see what music they use, adn that s usually near the end.

    i havent seen X3 yet… in fact, i though ti hadnt seen X2 and i borrowed it from a friend to watch it. turns out not only had i seen it before, i own it too! i felt pretty dumb. but oh well, now i’ve refreshed my memory, i suppose.

    hah, orangedragonfly, my dad and sister like to make fun of me for reading “comics?!” and i usually end up all mock-huffy “they’re not comics…. they graphic novels. get it right.” and then i smack them with my book. gently, of course.

  40. The copy of Midnighters 2 you autographed for my friend Olivia earned me three hugs, a lot of high-pitched squealing, and an impromptu dance of joy from its recipient. Also, she started reading it within seconds. I get to say hello to you, Justine, and everyoneelseatwiscon AND I get preteen adoration. Life should always be so rewarding. *grin*

    Also — loved the artwork on the business card! I’ll pounce on Last Days as soon as it hits shelves.

  41. jane-la: the smacking thing is great. 🙂 my husband actually thinks it’s cool. he’s in iraq right now, and he wants me to send the runaways books to him.

  42. I recently discovered a notebook I used to write in to record all dreams that I could turn into novels. It’s hillarious, just a collection of strange ramblings. On another note: You HAVE to include a machine-gun welding fairy, if only in your protagonist’s dreams. Seriously, you promised, you must deliver!!!! Also: I totally found my pre-released copy of Midnighters: The Secret Hour. Turns out my sister swiped it and put it in her classroom. I swiped it back. 🙂 Now write, man, write!!!

  43. “they give you a month to write a 500,000”
    Ack! 500,000? It’s actually just 50,000. Eep. What a thought. 😛 Lyra, are you already signed up on the NaNo forums? If not, even though the actual writing doesn’t start till November, you can sign up on October 1 for the forums. I’m currently trying to convince my writing prof to do it, mwahahahaha!

    Ooooh, yes, Ironsides, me can’t wait! 😀 I still can’t decide whether I like Tithe or Valiant better, very unique take on things too, gaaaah, there is NOTHING TO READ this summer! Not even required summer reading! ‘Tis insane. 🙁

    Yay, well, I don’t think I’ll ever be in Wisconsin, but it’s nice to know that the F/H crowd is included too. 😀

    “The next novel? Well, so far it has airships, and is set in an alternate 1913 or ‘14. That’s all I’m saying right now.”
    *drool*

    Actually, it doesn’t surprise me at all that school libraries are the ones banning books. Schools have a bad habit of infringing on student rights. Grrr. I got lucky with my high school, but middle school was awful, and my little brother has had the worst luck with school all his life. They’re all about control and punishment. And I can’t really see why Peeps should be an issue. The kids at one of my middle schools were doing much worse things than anything mentioned in Peeps.

    “Maybe those parents should just take their kids out of biology class too, and ban the science books while they’re at it. Hmph.”
    ^The scary thing is, people actually do that.

    “has anyone read his other books?”
    I will when I get my paycheck (tomorrow!). I’m going to start with Evolution’s Darling. You can find used copies on Amazon.com.

    “i saw x-men… and it was awesome. it was sad at times.”
    Yeah. I know what you mean. *SPOILER-ISH ALERT* What is it with final movies and people dying? Why do they always think that just because the series/franchise/whatever is ending they have to kill off half the main characters? (Any Alias fans here? Heh heh) *END SPOILER*

    “i found out today that there is a scene after the credits ”
    WHAT?!?!?!?! AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!! Why do they do that?

    “Seriously, you promised, you must deliver!!!!”
    Oooh, yes!!!! Brilliant idea! You should, you could totally pull it off!!!!

    I’m not at work anymore, I have excuse. 😛

  47. except that it wouldn’t be polluting, it would be more like digesting or something…good grief, i need to go to sleep.

  49. I hate it when soooo many people comment before I check this blog. Sigh. ANYWAY. With your graphic novel, are you the actual artist? That would be awesome, being able to draw AND write (WELL!). And it just has to be manga-like. Really. Otherwise it’s not as awesome! Lol.
    Good luck with your new novel!

  50. OKay, will someone tell me exactly WHY Snakes on a Plane is so funny? And why have of the people in the theater shouted out “on a plane!” after the screen showed “Snakes” during the previews? I don’t get it…
    oohhh, only 50,000? hmm… not so hard 😀 I’ll sign up, Oct. 1!
    And with X-Men…. *spoiler* *spoiler* *spoiler* **************

    They didn’t really kill that many people off, and they’ll probably come back in the next movie, because there HAS to be a next movie, that’s why you have to see the credits! And the end of the movie with the METAL chess pieces… and Rogue and Bobby totally ended off at a weird place… it COULD end, but it CAN’T at the same time…. *Grr* I hate it when movie people do that….

  51. ehz
    my first time on this site.
    Just finished reading peeps today – i borrowed it from the school library – at the same time that i realised that they had pretties too – and that someone else had reserved it. Can’t wait to read it and Specials. I borrowed Uglies from the school library too a while ago. I recommended it to a friend who’s one of those people who just can’t be bothered reading books with many pages but i told her it was really good and she ended up loving it. I love how perfectly all the covers match with the stories. Especially uglies. The girl on the cover looks average and yet beautiful all at the same time. I have a different cover for peeps than the one that’s shown on the website. The girls’ face is white and her eyes look so.. i don’t know what the word is but it looks really good. *nothing to do with the fact that i love black and white* This guy is my favourite author right now. My favourite before him was franscine pascal but after reading uglies she was gone. I should really be getting to sleep now..

  52. 51 comments before me!! *ugh*
    oh well, and about the banning, i think it’s probably because it’s got some adult concepts in it. The thing is, most adults haven’t een read half the books that we people read, but when a book get’s really famous and big, like yours, then they read it and go OH MY GOSH! when really all the lame stuff like gossip girl is more dramatic , stuff like Stephen King is way more scairy, and stuff like alex rider has way more dumb stunts that their kids could try. I think it’s sort of like a compliment, cause it means that your books are so well known that even parents have gotten into them. Just don’t let them win, like you said. That way it will be like even more of a special thing to read your books. Like since it was going-to-be-banned more kids might read it and then be like, “dunno y it was gonna be banned, but this is really good!”, lol,
    and, new book???!!! 😀 😀 :D,, the starship idea…. maybe you could make it like where the character is like special, and she has like a sense of deja-vu, so she like leaves herself a message, and then is like WTF? so she like investigates, but then the authorities who are trying to like so wome wierd human nature experiment are on to her, and besides all of this she falls in love with this guy in the future era, who discover’s is actually her son or something… nvm, wrong track. I think i’ll leave the planning up to u , lol
    (snakes on a plane?? more scairy than funnny but wuteva)

  53. Hmm, where to start, where to start. (I am at school at the moment, computer class, so naturally I read all of the comment and have lots of time to reply.)
    Well, first of all I really see no reason for UGLIES to be banned. I mean, there’s a lot worse books that could be banned. Though I do agree, attention is good, just can’t let it get too far. I haven’t read Peeps yet (my bookstore didn’t have it last time I went!), so can’t really say anything about it yet.

    While we’re on the subject of books XD, are you going to write novels from now on, or are there going to be trilogies in the near future? I like novels, but they’re so short! The fun ends too quickly.
    The starship idea sounds so awesome. It would be really cool if you had it from different characters’ points of view. Like one from each floor or something, then somehow they all discover what’s going on, on some huge adventure battling the pink fairy or something…
    Sounds like you could totally pull it off.

    When is your next novel due to be released? Seems like you’re keeping all info from us (along with the mysterious big news)!

  54. Lyra, there’s going to be a movie called Snakes on a Plane (you probably knew that much) and the thing with it is that it’s just so stupid it’s funny. They have t-shirts and everything. I would totally buy one if I weren’t living in brokeland right now. It’s just so ridiculous. I mean, whoever heard of snakes on a plane? Although rumor has it that the movie is based on an actual occurence. Something about an assassin wanting to kill some guy on a plane, and so he let loose a bunch of poisonous snakes. Probably not the brightest assassin in the bunch. But it makes for a crazy movie. 😀

    And OMG, I won’t quote you due to spoilerage, but I totally know what you mean about X-Men. And HOW am I going to see that end clip? Maybe they have it online somewhere….. Running off to google it now. 😀

    Oh, and just out of curiosity, Lyra, you wouldn’t happen to be a Philip Pullman fan would you?

  55. i dont know about Lyra, but i am big, fat, huge, gluttonous Philip Pullman fan. its disgusting. mmmm. i eat him for breakfast.

  56. i dont know about Lyra, but i am big, fat, huge, gluttonous Philip Pullman fan. its disgusting. mmmm. i eat him for breakfast.

    … oohohohoho. lyra. phillip pullman. rebecca is putting the threads together. dark materials. *wink* gotcha rebecca.

  58. Wow, yes that is one interesting post.

    BTW, do you have to see the first two X-Men to get the 3rd one? I haven’t seen any of them… =/

  59. i too love phillip pullman. i wanted his dark materials to go on forever. and even though i know the ending was the *right* one……argh, it’s like a knife in the heart every time i read it. (incidentally, if you ever get the chance, listen to the books on tape/cd. they’re *amazing*. it’s not just one person reading, it’s a full cast, and phillip pullman himself narrates!!)

    jane-la: do you ever wish you had a daemon, and wonder what he would be?

  60. I want a daemon. He would be a cat. And the ending of those books nearly killed me. Heartwrenching. The Golden Compass was my favorite of the three, but they were all great.

    I haven’t seen the first X-Men but the other two still made sense. It would be nice to know the background though. My friend only saw the third one and she thought it was great.

    “… oohohohoho. lyra. phillip pullman. rebecca is putting the threads together. dark materials. *wink* gotcha rebecca.”
    Yep. 🙂

  61. I have a quick question….Did you post the BIG NEWS or secret yet? sorry latley I have been so anti-social so get me updated!!!!

  64. That’s interesting about Uglies being challenged. It’s on the New York City (3 library systems) summer reading list!

  65. Lyra and Rebecca, you would SO be welcome at Wiscon! Coming out of the fannish tradition, it is a place where the attendees, the con committee and the program participants are a mixture of writers, janitors, professors, clerical workers, clergy, editors, artists, housewives and househusbands, and everybody else who cares about SF/fantasy (a distinction which is itself pretty recent). It’s just that they do it better there than anywhere else in fandom!

  66. if i had a daemon… ho geaz. i have so many ideas. i really think a cat, but at the same time i’m disappointed that it’s something more creative. maybe an ocelot then. it’s just that i’ve always felt catlike…. curious and quiet for the most part, but occasionally wildly hyper and crazy, and i sleep through most of the day, too. nighttime is my time. daemons are so fun to think about. i think it would be killer to have one, just in general. maybe i’d have a otter.. or a meerkat! that’d be neat.

    sigh. i love his dark materials, they’re so great. a few years ago i borrowed the thrid one from my cousin because my mom wouldnt give me the money to buy it and i *accidently* spilt soda on it, deforming it grotesquely. and of course, i couldn’t return that way, so my mom bought him a new one and i got the ugly, but still prefectly readable copy.

    i’m so crafty 🙂

  67. so sir westerscott is hiding something from us… The Big Secert. i mean, The Big Secret. riiight. how does one measure the size of a secret anyhow? is the secret the size of a car, or an elephant… or a sperm whale? or perhaps it is not sizeically (new word!) large, but big in respect to importance. …. no, that couldn’t be it, it makes too much sense. my money’s on the sperm whale.

    or perhaps there is no Secret, and its something we all already know. for instance….umm…

    frodo lives.

  68. “Lyra and Rebecca, you would SO be welcome at Wiscon!”
    YESSSSSSS!!!

    Night is my time too. Or it was, until I got a job that starts at 8. At night, there’s no one around to bother me, so I can work for hours without being disturbed. And then I sleep through have the day, but that’s fine with me.

    “i *accidently* spilt soda on it”
    Mwahahahahahaha! I was known to do stuff like that too. My parents would rarely buy me stuff unless it was birthday or Christmas, even books. I understand your pain.

  70. Good point jane-la but my money is on the blue whale (the largest mammal in existance) ^.^

  71. man, I checked this two hours ago and there are now 10 more posts…
    First and most importantly, YES I have read His Dark Materials, I own two copies of each ehehehe, they’re SO good (I won’t say that they’re the best because that would be stupid on Scott’s blog, but they’re right up at the top of my list, along with the Midnighters and Uglies books of course, and Peeps, and Michael Crichton books and Ken Follett books, and Les Miserables… dude, I read too much) anyway, yes that’s where “Lyra” is from, my email name is actually Lyra Silvertongue 😀 hehehe my personal favorite was The Amber Spyglass, even though the Golden Compass rocked too, the first half of the Subtle Knife was amazing too, but the second half was just Will walking around going “Where’s my dad?” “My hand hurts” “am I gonna die?” course I’ve read the Subtle Knife five times, so I can’t exactly say I didn’t like it lol. The Amber Spyglass was by far and away the best though (I like complications…. the end WAS heartbreaking though, one of the very few books that I cried in), The Golden Compass had a great plotline and if anyone has a chance to go through the book, look at the bit where Lyra is in Lee Scoresby’s balloon, the description is AMAZING. But the Amber Spyglass has a lot of history and religion intertwined into it (mostly religion) and it’s so fun to read, I did my semester bible project on it, comparing bible passages with quotes from the Amber Spyglass (hehehe, I got an A++, which I didn’t even know was possible) As for daemons…. anyone else feel like you’re not alone, even when you are? Not like a weird paranoid “people are watching me” kinda feeling, and not like a God kind of thing, it feels DAEMONISH I swear. To me anyway heheh. But I think mine would be something intelligent, but strong too… I like to think of myself that way. 😀
    Orange Mike: Thanks! Wiscon sounds like some kind of reader/writer’s paradise 😀
    About Kate, you don’t HAVE to see the first two, but you SHOULD. The third one would make a lot more sense if you did, plus they were both GREAT, watch-worthy movies (as opposed to the ones that you fast forward through so you can see one of the later movies with a friend *cough* of course, I’VE never done that *cough cough*)
    ehhehehehe, we need to call Scott “Sir Westerscott” from now on, *giggles into oblivion* So Sir Westerscott…. Big Secret you must tell (Yoda voice, hmmm….) please? 😀
    I still don’t think snakes on a plane is THAT funny, I don’t know why… I think I spent too much time thinking about it lol

  72. heheh, the Secret had BETTER be Blue Whale size, not some disapointing little itty bitty thing that totally wouldn’t be worth wondering about…. like Pink Fairy sitings or something… though that’d be kinda cool, and somewhat worth wondering about… yeah…

  73. okay, that was really creepy-making. i refreshed this page to see if there were any new posts, and it…changed. not new posts, the whole thing was different. there were numbers by each post, and a cool/creepy picture at the top of the page where everyone (i think) had peeps eyes. but when i refreshed it again it said “page not found” and when i did it again it was back to normal. bizarro.

  74. okay, maybe i’m not so crazy, it’s back to the changed way again. glad to know i’m not losing my mind. lol

  75. i think i *am* losing my mind, because it’s normal again. i’ll be quiet now.

  76. heheheh, poor orangedragonfly, you SOUND like you’re losing your mind *shakes head* just the new look according to Scott’s post, COOL new look, creepy picture at the top, but COOL

  79. insanity is the only true relief to life. umm, i didn’t say that, if any one asks.

    i’m glad someone besides me liked the name sir westerscott. i think it just has this really nice ring to it.

  80. im glad to hear your not crzy (the same thing happend to me, but i was waaaay to afraid to say anything for fear of being accused of witchcraft *sorry just studies salem witch trials, do forgive*)

  81. Hey, I know this is totally random, but have any of you guys read Jasper Fforde’s books? They start with the Eyre Affair, and tell the story of Thursday Next, a LiterTec? I’m just curious because right now I only know one other person who has read them and they’re awesome books.

  82. amanda–i *love* the thursday next books!!! i think literatec would be the greatest job, especially if you really could…er…jump..into books the way she can. fantastic!! highly recommended, too funny to pass up. i actually wrote about them on here recently, i think maybe in the last blog entry (wiscon schedule). either that or i *meant* to…maybe the trippy changing of the blog is messing with my brain. 🙂

  83. amanda: it was actually up higher on this page, post 35. 🙂 (see, trippy-making!)

  84. Wow, I actually didn’t see that… I just posted about it ’cause I recently rechecked them out of the library. Now I feel kinda awkward… Yeah…Well… Read them if you haven’t ’cause they’re awesome.

  85. lol, never feel awkward about recommending a good book!! who cares if someone else recommends it too…that’s even better, actually! 🙂

  86. Wow, orangedragonfly well glad that I wasn’t the only one feeling a bit insane after first seeing the change. *nods* Insanity, good.

  87. “anyone else feel like you’re not alone, even when you are? Not like a weird paranoid “people are watching me” kinda feeling, and not like a God kind of thing, it feels DAEMONISH I swear”

    Yeah, I do, although fifty percent of the time I feel like the person(?) doing the watching is playing jokes on me. Like hiding my keys, for instance. Seriously, either that or I have a serious memory disorder. 😛

    I hope the secret is sizically on the scale of blue whales because the bigger the better, I say. 😀

  88. I love thc convo… haha… Wow, is it just me or has your fanbase really grown? Look at all these comments! This many used to be reserved for spoiler sections…

  90. I think that we all have so much to ramble about because we’re all fans of the same books and feel connected. Like a special club, so therefore we’re all automatically friends. Or something. =P

  91. personally I think we’re all linked by geekiness and insanity, but that’s just me… every forum I go on, same thing: geekiness and insanity *shrugs*

  92. Hmm, I dunno I wouldn’t really say that. Since not everyone has to be a geek to go on blogs and read sf books.

  93. I love this place, even though my friends think im kinda weird because i talk to authors, but i think they are the strange ones, cause its soo much fun to be here. Like this may just be me, but i really like it here, its a place to be around people kinda like me, its kinda like having some crazy people to relate to (not that all u guys are crazy, but there are at least a couple among us *raises hand* lol) but seriously thanks scott, even though we dont always talk about ur books and stuff thanks for making this and letting us talk here. Its totally fun-making

  96. A Jayne hat wearing Serenity lover? She must be awesome.
    Even more awesome if she loves Firefly, because Firefly beat out Serenity by a long shot.
    Damn it, Fox!
    Having a Jayne hat would be so amazingly cool.
    -Sigh-.
    If only I had the skills to knit xD

  98. Dear Mr. Westerfeld,
    I am a HUGH fan of the Uglies series you recently finished. I was so happy when I saw that the last one was out. As soon as I finished it though, I started wondering something and thought I should ask the only person that would really have an answer. My question is if you had ever thought of making these books in to a movie, or 3 movies, because it would be so cool to see how you or someone else visualized the amazing world you have created. To get to see some of the places and things you have thought up, I love them. I do hope you write back with an answer, what ever it my be.

    Best Wishes from a Hugh fan,
    Skylar from Salem Oregon USA.

    P.S. Please say yes.

  99. that’s rubbish, trying to ban uglies and peeps…
    heck, we live in the world of resident evil and grand theft auto..
    btw, love the spaceship idea in your dialogue with ted chiang!

  100. that is ———–. Let’s not even go into that. Anyway, that makes me quite angry…okay listen those books are GOOD for you! at least Uglies is….I mean, before I was PARANOID of needles and after reading the Uglies trilogy I can go get a shot and now I’m not paranoid anymore!! Although the downside is, now that I’m over my fear of surgery and shots my parents have me scheduled for plastic surgery next week which probably wouldn’t be what most parents would be going for… my parents, who haven’t read the books of course, keep saying “You’ll be so PRETTY”, which doesn’t exactly make me feel so great…I have visions of scary people trying to mess with my brain….like my new principal….*shiver* my friend and I swear she drags people in the other room to give them brain lesions…

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