Andrea G Stewart

Art and Writing

So Bad, Even Introverts Are Here, AKA Activism and Introversion

I know: politics.

I grew up with a phone phobia. Anytime I had to make a phone call, my heartbeat would speed up, I'd start sweating, I'd procrastinate like my life depended on it. Sometimes, there were tears. If I could, I'd write a letter instead, or find someone else willing to make that call. I still write down brief outlines of what I want to say when trying to save a voicemail message. Even now, outside the context of work, you have to be a wonderful combination of someone I like very much and whom I feel extremely comfortable around in order for me to call you. It's nothing against the people I don't call, and for some people, it just takes me longer to get to that point.

I like people a lot in general. There are very few people I meet that don't inspire an immediate fondness in me. That said--I don't like crowds. They're noisy, unpredictable, and while I love hugs, I don't like being shoulder-to-shoulder with people I don't know.

Yet, here I am: marching in the Women's March and calling my senators. I ducked out of the Women's March at lunch, and yes, my palms still get sweaty and my neck burns when I make that phone call (What do I say? What do I SAY?).

I understand that it's even harder for some people than it is for me. I just want you fellow introverts to know that you're not alone. If you want to call, if you want to march, if you want to write letters but you're having trouble--you can talk to me (or drop me a line) and I will listen.

This is all overwhelming, I know. There's so much going on and it's difficult to know what to do and when. I just can't bear the thought that I will one day look back and wish I'd done more.

Things that helped (or are helping) me:

March with friends
Being with friends can help insulate you from the crowd, so at least the people who are shoulder-to-shoulder with you are people you know.

Write down what you want to say
Write down what you want to say before you make the phone call. It helps you to not clam up unintentionally or to stumble over your words.

Trello
This can help anyone who wants to do more. I've found it a fantastic organizational tool for projects. Keep your tasks organized on a virtual corkboard with a calendar, notes, and due dates. Checking things off as "done" is immensely satisfying and it helps me to know what I want to accomplish day-by-day.

Templates
Don't know what to write or what to say? Google some templates. If you want to personalize, you can do so from the template.

Good luck out there.

Upheaval

It's been a while, I know! Things have changed quite a bit for me since the last time I posted--I moved, I got a new job, I went to MidAmeriCon in Kansas City and appeared on some panels. I should have updated here, but I didn't. I'm not planning on attending WorldCon in Helsinki, but I will be at DragonCon in 2017 (hope to see some people there!). I'm feeling really good about the manuscripts I'm working on, and have made a couple (relatively) recent sales of stories I feel strongly about.

Just as I've reached a good place in my personal life, the world seems poised on the precipice of uncertainty.

I'm not quite sure what to say, and even less sure how to feel.

The only thing I'm sure of right now is this: for my friends who feel vulnerable, I have your backs. Always.

Sasquan Schedule!

I'll be attending WorldCon again this year (labeled in 2015 as Sasquan, for it's Pacific NW location). Please feel free to say "hi" if you see me!

In addition to the panels I'll be moderating and guesting on, I'm also doing a reading and volunteering at the SFWA table on Friday morning. I've sold a very, very short (400 words) story to the new ezine Mothership Zeta, and it'll be circulating at the con on the back of a postcard. I'll try to bring some copies to hand out at my reading, as well as any extra copies of the Galaxy's Edge sampler I can nab (my story, "The Unchanging Nature of Stones" is in it), extra copies of my book, Loose Changeling, and Changeling Wars bookmarks. So there SHOULD be enough free stuff for everyone!

Schedule:

Female Characters in Video Games

Thursday 12:00 - 12:45, Bays 111C (CC)

How are female characters rendered and scripted in video games? How can we get more realistic female characters rather than the juvenile male fantasy that predominates the field?

Andrea G. Stewart (M), Tanglwyst de Holloway, Annalee Flower Horne, Lauren Roy

Worldbuilding And Sandbox Games

Thursday 15:00 - 15:45, 303A (CC)

Fantasy games such as Skyrim and Dragon Age: Inquisition, along with science fiction games such as Elite: Dangerous and Great Big Sky, provide an enormous open-world sandbox for players to explore.  What is the draw of these games, and the challenge of designing them?  What lessons can authors learn from games like these?

Brooks Peck (M) , Esther Jones, Lauren Roy, Andrea G. Stewart

We Won: How SF, Fantasy and Comics Have Taken Over TV

Thursday 17:00 - 17:45, Bays 111B (CC)

Not very long ago it was hard to find any SF on TV, let alone good SF.  But today, every night has multiple shows. Some of the most talked-about shows on TV -- Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead -- are genre shows, Doctor Who is a worldwide phenomenon, and even shows that started as thriller shows like Person of Interest are clearly SF.  Agents of Shield, Grimm, The Flash, Gotham, Orphan Black ... the list goes on.  And what about the shows that start of promising and collapsed quickly (Twelve Monkeys)?  Is the zombie-takeover of TV starting to peter out?

Darlene Marshall (M) , David Peterson , Andrea G. Stewart , Annie Bellet

Reading - Andrea G. Stewart

Friday 13:00 - 13:30, 301 (CC)

The Best Video Games Ever!

Saturday 17:00 - 17:45, 300D (CC)

Halo?  Tomb Raider? Mass Effect?  Pac-Man?  What are the best video games ever? 

Joy Bragg-Staudt (M) , Caren Gussoff , David Peterson, Andrea G. Stewart