Showing posts with label Guests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guests. Show all posts
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Why Ian Stewart Goes to Discworld
Just a reminder of the Ian Stewart's great article on The Guardian blog for those of you who missed it by being en route to the Convention:
Monday, 30 August 2010
And so it continues
| by Gaz Webber Wow! Yeah...wow! I'm in the Metropole Hotel in Birmingham, still at the convention...this is almost certainly going to become the traditional all-nighter...but what a day! 3:40 AM, This is why I love Discworld above all other conventions. This morning started with a quick pit-stop at Tesco for a teapot (don't ask) and some food for the journey, and a hat. Especially a hat. Journalists need a hat, it is their raison detre. I purchased a tasteful trilby and asked my style guru and better half, Random_C, about just how much gravitas it provided my already inspiring frame. After she'd finished laughing we set off for the Con. The first hour or so consisted of looking around for and at other conventioneers. At any convention the costumes are impressive. At this one they are incredible. Spectacular. Some soar and tower, confections of cloth and creativity. Mightly magnificent milinary tops coiffure. Glitter and glitz vie against bangles and bling for attention. Polar opposites, costumes consisting of flesh and flair, dimples and daring. Low-and-behold versus *You'll have somebody's eye out!* I was actually heading for the Cavern when I literally bumped into Peter Morwood and Diane Duane. Now, those of you with long memories (or those who have read the foreword in my second book) know that these two people were instrumental in my having the nerve to write a *proper* book at all. And that I have been trying since them to buy them a drink. Yesterday I succeeded ! However... Peter and Diane are time-sinks. On their own they can fascinate, charm, entertain, amuse and eductate. Together they draw you in to their lives, spinning anecdote after anecdote, story after story, picture of food after picture of food. I have to report that watching the culinary pornography on Peter's laptop caused me to gain nearly a stone in weight. Affable and wonderfully friendly, you are greeted like a long-lost friend, especially if you offer wine and beer, and I would suggest that if you finally drag yourselves reluctantly away you are guaranteed to be ligher of heart, more free of spirit, and in danger of a cholesterol crash... However...as I was about to leave Jack Cohen arrived. Jack is, in case you don't know, a young man who has reached the early middle-age of 70. And goodness, what a mind! There are people in who's company you enjoy sitting and listening. There are people in who's company you sit and listen and you struggle to understand, and there are people in who's company you get educated. Jack (and I was specifically informed that he was Jack, not Mr, Dr or Professor Cohen) is firmly in the third group. The line *Put it in the microwave, it will warm it up. Trust me, I'm a physicist* is one that I will dine out with for possibly the rest of my life. From there I met MEG. Now, some of you again may know that our one-time Con chairman is a little poorly. However, she's here in the dealer room, and in the bar, and enjoying the con. She is also one of my dearest friends. Someone I see so seldom that when we *do* meet we tend to talk. Sadly she also brought her husband....and *he* is possibly my favourite raconteur. And there went the evening. Tim finally retired to bed, and MEG said she'd follow when she finished her wine... At 4am we left the Hedgehog Party, MEG having boogied and chatted and, I am pleased to report, had a whale of a time. If she's reading this I'd like to thank her for looking after me so well. So...Discworld conventions. The people are fabulous to a man, woman, child and small radio-controlled luggage. Multi-talented and affable, drunk and sober. You will be drawn in to a circle of old friends you've never met before, and really old friends you talk to all the time. You will be entertained and educated, you will in turn educate and entertain. You may dance and sing, play instruments or sit on the sideline. You may dress up. You may dress down. You may forget to dress at all. You will, however, have a great time. You can't help it. And there are still two days to go! |
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Elves – nasty or nice? A lecture by Jacqueline Simpson
By Jessica Yates
Just after Dr. Simpson began lecturing to over 200 fans, her discourse was interrupted by the Queen of the Fairies, who “froze” her, then announced that she had heard a human was discussing Elves and would be keeping a close eye on the proceedings. Now she would take the spell off our lecturer – and watch from the back.
Jacqueline recovered from her dizzy spell and continued her lecture, speaking mainly by heart with readings from her booklet which contained an expanded version of the talk (just published by Bernard, with a foreword by Terry Pratchett, it is now available in the Dealers’ Room.
Near the end of the fascinating lecture, which there is no need to summarise, the Fairy Queen (Periwinkle) returned and went on the attack, but Jacqueline boldly brandished a silver poker and forced her to retreat!
The Man in the Hat
By Jessica Yates
Terry, later joined by Stephen Baxter, was interviewed by Brian with some questions submitted by the members.
Q: Why does Ankh-Morpork have dollars and not pounds?
A: Many countries use or have used dollars – pounds are too English. Mark Twain introduced dollars in Connecticut Yankee – most people know the film not the book – TP praised the book highly for its exploration the too sudden introduction of technology into a medieval culture.
Q: We heard the extract from Snuff. Country versus city – which are you?
A: My ideal is to be a country man living just beyond easy reach to a city. Cities are where civilization comes from.
He then talked about the freedom of the individual, “your house is your castle” and so on.
The talk then moved to Terry’s sword.
Q: Does it have a name?
A: Albion, and I’m going to get Lionel to christen it.
They talked about the remote possibility of using a sword for a zombie Apocalypse.
TP said that he was not the Discworld chronicler, for example he didn’t know what was happening to Rincewind. Snuff or Midnight reference some of the same places. the important thing is to get the book started.
In answer to a question about why he didn’t save his drafts for literary researchers, unlike other writers, he said he didn’t see it as his job, the finished book was what mattered.
Stephen Baxter came on stage and we were treated to a semi-private conversation in which he and Terry batted ideas about the Long Earth project back and forth. Much needs to be developed before they can start. terry wanted Stephen on board because he wanted science and science fiction but no magic.
With reference to the collaboration Stephen said that to work with Terry was like jamming with Paul McCartney.
Terry, later joined by Stephen Baxter, was interviewed by Brian with some questions submitted by the members.
Q: Why does Ankh-Morpork have dollars and not pounds?
A: Many countries use or have used dollars – pounds are too English. Mark Twain introduced dollars in Connecticut Yankee – most people know the film not the book – TP praised the book highly for its exploration the too sudden introduction of technology into a medieval culture.
Q: We heard the extract from Snuff. Country versus city – which are you?
A: My ideal is to be a country man living just beyond easy reach to a city. Cities are where civilization comes from.
He then talked about the freedom of the individual, “your house is your castle” and so on.
The talk then moved to Terry’s sword.
Q: Does it have a name?
A: Albion, and I’m going to get Lionel to christen it.
They talked about the remote possibility of using a sword for a zombie Apocalypse.
TP said that he was not the Discworld chronicler, for example he didn’t know what was happening to Rincewind. Snuff or Midnight reference some of the same places. the important thing is to get the book started.
In answer to a question about why he didn’t save his drafts for literary researchers, unlike other writers, he said he didn’t see it as his job, the finished book was what mattered.
Stephen Baxter came on stage and we were treated to a semi-private conversation in which he and Terry batted ideas about the Long Earth project back and forth. Much needs to be developed before they can start. terry wanted Stephen on board because he wanted science and science fiction but no magic.
With reference to the collaboration Stephen said that to work with Terry was like jamming with Paul McCartney.
Church of Om
by Jessica Yates
This ever-popular event was supervised by Lionel and Mole under their Omnian soubriquets and was so well attended the leaflets ran out (and could not be caught – sorry!).
After Mole’s introduction explaining why the Church had sent him to preach in Bonk (you had to be there!) we sang the usual hymn “Om is trampling the unrighteous”. Lionel performed the (real and sincere) Blessing of Sister Periwinkle and Brother Butcher. We accepted our theological instruction and heard the parish notices, especially tailored for Bonk, such as Count von Sturmunddrang invites young ladies to meet for the embroidery circle at midnight – virgins only.
There would be a werewolf awareness meeting, Igor’s Bring and Buy Sale, and the Dwarf Outreach Group had organised a Dwarf speed-dating event – wear leather gear and hoods.
Our final hymn was based on Abide with me, emended to request Om to shield us from vampires and werewolves.
The service was held in the presence of a very fine image of Om, with the guest appearance of Offler and the goddess Libertina and as always, contained a genuine spiritual and ecumenical uplift.
Thanks to Mole for planning the service and organising the A3 leaflets, and Lionel for co-officiating, and Sister torture on the organ.
Going Postal in Technicolor: Behind the scenes of Going Postal with Ian Sharples from Mob Films
By Jessica Yates
Going Postal was filmed in Budapest, Hungary because it was cheaper and the city had a fantastic architecture which fitted Ankh-Morpork. There was a good local tech, the crew had already shot Eragon and Robin Hood for example. The studio already has a fantastic back lot to which they added new sets. They were in regular contact with Terry over the set design.
We were shown drawings of clacks towers and an operator, and photos of the constructing the clacks towers.
The background folk all read the book as well as the script to get the art direction right. We then saw stills interspersed with short videos.
Terry entered and opened the theme of what the next Discworld movie is going to be. Currently it is rumoured to be Sourcery, but there’s a change of heart, going with the cast we have, e.g. Vetinari, Ridcully...
A cast with lots of spectators. Is it going to be the Wee Free Men? But Terry had a football-like ball on the table...
TP complimented Mob on doing Discworld as Discworld should be done. “We know where to get the best extras” he added.
As it’s difficult to get audience on Sky at Christmastime, the next possible showing time is Easter 2012 – that means filming in 2011.
After watching the scene with Moist on the horse, the session closed with a showing of the hilarious DVD extra “Return to Sender”.
So it will be Unseen Academicals – you heard it first!
Going Postal was filmed in Budapest, Hungary because it was cheaper and the city had a fantastic architecture which fitted Ankh-Morpork. There was a good local tech, the crew had already shot Eragon and Robin Hood for example. The studio already has a fantastic back lot to which they added new sets. They were in regular contact with Terry over the set design.
We were shown drawings of clacks towers and an operator, and photos of the constructing the clacks towers.
The background folk all read the book as well as the script to get the art direction right. We then saw stills interspersed with short videos.
Terry entered and opened the theme of what the next Discworld movie is going to be. Currently it is rumoured to be Sourcery, but there’s a change of heart, going with the cast we have, e.g. Vetinari, Ridcully...
A cast with lots of spectators. Is it going to be the Wee Free Men? But Terry had a football-like ball on the table...
TP complimented Mob on doing Discworld as Discworld should be done. “We know where to get the best extras” he added.
As it’s difficult to get audience on Sky at Christmastime, the next possible showing time is Easter 2012 – that means filming in 2011.
After watching the scene with Moist on the horse, the session closed with a showing of the hilarious DVD extra “Return to Sender”.
So it will be Unseen Academicals – you heard it first!
Choice morsels from the “Man with no hat” interview
by Elias Helfer
Displaying a noticeable lack of male figures in headwear, this year’s Guest of Honor interview failed miserably to live up to its name: “The Man with the Hat.” Chairman Brian Nisbet interviewed Terry on subjects ranging from how to come up with names to the possible future of Tiffany Aching, before bringing Stephen Baxter on stage to discuss Terry’s and his coming collaboration, The Long Earth.
Why Dollars?
The first question dealt with the currency of the Disc: why did Terry choose to name the Ankh Morpork currency Dollars instead of pounds?
To this, Terry countered that there are more countries in the world using dollars than pounds, going into the origins of the word dollar from the original word “Joachimsthaler.” Apart from that, he wanted to mix things up a little, not making things too British.
“Besides, they have pennies instead of cents.”
The poor literary historians…
Brian then quoted Terry saying how he saved a number of drafts on his computer, then, when the book was done, shouting “Get a real job, literary historians of the future,” deleting everything but the finished thing. One literary historian had handed in a question citing this quote, adding: “Why?”
Terry quibbed that he’d inherited a certain disregard for literary historians from his father. Though the quote was also made in a time where the technical realities were quite different.
“Back then, I saved my files on floppy discs that were actually floppy,” Terry remembers.
“Nowadays, each new computer has more capacity than all the computers I had before it put together.”
Back then, the limited storage space necessitated weeding out excess files ever so often. Nowadays, saving every draft of a book barely makes a dent in the available space on the hard drive. That means that nowadays, a lot more gets saved.
But that doesn’t mean that Terry would be happy to let people delve into his drafts.
“It’s about craftsmanship.”
And just as a master swordsmith throws away the shards and ashes that have gone into the crafting of a fine swords, the drafts that Terry make are just tools used in the process of writing the book.
“The book that is printed is the book I wanted to write. The rest is just steps on the way.”
Coming up with names
One congoer had wanted to know how Terry comes up with names. In many different ways, it turned out.
One good source is lists of old names
“It’s amazing how few names I actually have to come up with.”
Other names come to more as a matter of inspiration – like Bestiality Carter
“It occurred to me, that if people name their daughters after virtues, they might name their boys after sins. Some people might actually do that.”
Other names have no basis in anything in Roundworld.
“When coming up for the name for Angua, I was just playing around with sounds,” Terry recalls.
Sometimes, of course, a name proves to have unanticipated connotations.
“When I came up with Tiffany Aching, I wanted a name that didn’t sound anything like the name of a witch. Which is a bit ironic, since the name Tiffany comes from the word ‘epiphany.’”
Tifffany also proves the difficulties involved in translating books:
“I know that in some other languages, Tiffany is used to refer to either hairdressers, or women who you bring with you to your hotel room at night.”
I Shall Wear Midnight
On the topic of Tiffany, Brian and Terry continued on to talk about the book I shall wear midnight, which is set to release this coming Wednesday at midnight (when else?).
Terry explained that one American fan of The Boy That We Shan’t Mention had seen the Tiffany books as an attack on J.K. Rowling’s books.
“Which is ridiculous, since Granny were saying those things all the way back in Equal Rites,” Terry exclaimed
“The thing is, magic is hard. And it isn’t sparkly. The only thing you’re allowed – your only right – is your broomstick.”
Terry went on to say that a life as a witch was not glamorous, but rather very hard work.
“It’s a tough life with only a few satisfactions.”
Being a witch is “a dirty job, doing the things society needs someone to do.”
Stephen Baxter and the Long Earth
After talking to Terry alone for some 45 minutes, Brian called Stephen Baxter up to join them on the stage.
First they talked discussed how Terry had gotten into writing fantasy.
“I’ve done two not very good sci-fi novels,” Terry started.
After that, Terry wrote The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic as a spoof of bad copies of Tolkien.
"I thought: let’s treat all these creatures as if they were real people. Now real people are sometime being rational, sometimes being stupid.”
Then, around the time of Equal Rites, Terry found that the Discworld had started making him money. And so, one book took another, and he never returned to sci-fi.
The idea that lead to The Long Earth came to Terry around this time. Seeing a man seemingly pushing a horse into a pub, he started imagining a man who found an entire world, devoid of human life, the man taking livestock etc. with him to this world to live.
This evolved into the basic idea for The Long Earth: What if mankind found a way to go to all the earths that could have been – and found that only one of them contained Homo sapiens? Suddenly, scarcity of land would not be a problem – every man could get a galaxy of earths to himself!
Of course, the fact that the other worlds contain no human life doesn’t mean they provide no obstacles to human settlement. First of all, with no human civilization, most of the earth will be covered in woods. So provided the explorers manage to avoid materializing inside a tree, they will be in the middle of acres and acres of forest with a visibility of 15 feet. Secondly, “no humans” doesn’t mean “no threatening creatures,” or indeed, “no intelligent life” (Terry and Stephen were trying to keep quiet about much of the plot of the book, but some things were hinted at).
Another thing that was implied was that there will be at least two strands in the story: the story of someone who goes down the line of the many different Earths, going out to explore alone – and the story of those who stay behind, suddenly finding a world being left behind by everyone else. The phrase used was something of the lines of: “What would happen to the ruling classes if all the workers suddenly disappeared?”
Without promising anything, the two authors indicated that there might well be one or more sequels to The Long Earth, Terry saying that he had a perfect title for the final book set in the world.
Brian ended the interview by asking the authors what they’d say to, say, Discworld fans who were worried about Terry writing a sci-fi book. Stephen answered by saying that “this is Terry going back to his roots!”
Terry followed up on that saying that when writing in the real world, you must follow the rules of the real world, and those rules include science – so it helps to have someone who understands science. But when writing Discworlds, there are rules to follow just the same – only difference is, that those rules were set up by Terry.
And with that, Brian ended the interview, commenting that if one of his guests had run as much over time as he had, he would have been angry with them.
Displaying a noticeable lack of male figures in headwear, this year’s Guest of Honor interview failed miserably to live up to its name: “The Man with the Hat.” Chairman Brian Nisbet interviewed Terry on subjects ranging from how to come up with names to the possible future of Tiffany Aching, before bringing Stephen Baxter on stage to discuss Terry’s and his coming collaboration, The Long Earth.
Why Dollars?
The first question dealt with the currency of the Disc: why did Terry choose to name the Ankh Morpork currency Dollars instead of pounds?
To this, Terry countered that there are more countries in the world using dollars than pounds, going into the origins of the word dollar from the original word “Joachimsthaler.” Apart from that, he wanted to mix things up a little, not making things too British.
“Besides, they have pennies instead of cents.”
The poor literary historians…
Brian then quoted Terry saying how he saved a number of drafts on his computer, then, when the book was done, shouting “Get a real job, literary historians of the future,” deleting everything but the finished thing. One literary historian had handed in a question citing this quote, adding: “Why?”
Terry quibbed that he’d inherited a certain disregard for literary historians from his father. Though the quote was also made in a time where the technical realities were quite different.
“Back then, I saved my files on floppy discs that were actually floppy,” Terry remembers.
“Nowadays, each new computer has more capacity than all the computers I had before it put together.”
Back then, the limited storage space necessitated weeding out excess files ever so often. Nowadays, saving every draft of a book barely makes a dent in the available space on the hard drive. That means that nowadays, a lot more gets saved.
But that doesn’t mean that Terry would be happy to let people delve into his drafts.
“It’s about craftsmanship.”
And just as a master swordsmith throws away the shards and ashes that have gone into the crafting of a fine swords, the drafts that Terry make are just tools used in the process of writing the book.
“The book that is printed is the book I wanted to write. The rest is just steps on the way.”
Coming up with names
One congoer had wanted to know how Terry comes up with names. In many different ways, it turned out.
One good source is lists of old names
“It’s amazing how few names I actually have to come up with.”
Other names come to more as a matter of inspiration – like Bestiality Carter
“It occurred to me, that if people name their daughters after virtues, they might name their boys after sins. Some people might actually do that.”
Other names have no basis in anything in Roundworld.
“When coming up for the name for Angua, I was just playing around with sounds,” Terry recalls.
Sometimes, of course, a name proves to have unanticipated connotations.
“When I came up with Tiffany Aching, I wanted a name that didn’t sound anything like the name of a witch. Which is a bit ironic, since the name Tiffany comes from the word ‘epiphany.’”
Tifffany also proves the difficulties involved in translating books:
“I know that in some other languages, Tiffany is used to refer to either hairdressers, or women who you bring with you to your hotel room at night.”
I Shall Wear Midnight
On the topic of Tiffany, Brian and Terry continued on to talk about the book I shall wear midnight, which is set to release this coming Wednesday at midnight (when else?).
Terry explained that one American fan of The Boy That We Shan’t Mention had seen the Tiffany books as an attack on J.K. Rowling’s books.
“Which is ridiculous, since Granny were saying those things all the way back in Equal Rites,” Terry exclaimed
“The thing is, magic is hard. And it isn’t sparkly. The only thing you’re allowed – your only right – is your broomstick.”
Terry went on to say that a life as a witch was not glamorous, but rather very hard work.
“It’s a tough life with only a few satisfactions.”
Being a witch is “a dirty job, doing the things society needs someone to do.”
Stephen Baxter and the Long Earth
After talking to Terry alone for some 45 minutes, Brian called Stephen Baxter up to join them on the stage.
First they talked discussed how Terry had gotten into writing fantasy.
“I’ve done two not very good sci-fi novels,” Terry started.
After that, Terry wrote The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic as a spoof of bad copies of Tolkien.
"I thought: let’s treat all these creatures as if they were real people. Now real people are sometime being rational, sometimes being stupid.”
Then, around the time of Equal Rites, Terry found that the Discworld had started making him money. And so, one book took another, and he never returned to sci-fi.
The idea that lead to The Long Earth came to Terry around this time. Seeing a man seemingly pushing a horse into a pub, he started imagining a man who found an entire world, devoid of human life, the man taking livestock etc. with him to this world to live.
This evolved into the basic idea for The Long Earth: What if mankind found a way to go to all the earths that could have been – and found that only one of them contained Homo sapiens? Suddenly, scarcity of land would not be a problem – every man could get a galaxy of earths to himself!
Of course, the fact that the other worlds contain no human life doesn’t mean they provide no obstacles to human settlement. First of all, with no human civilization, most of the earth will be covered in woods. So provided the explorers manage to avoid materializing inside a tree, they will be in the middle of acres and acres of forest with a visibility of 15 feet. Secondly, “no humans” doesn’t mean “no threatening creatures,” or indeed, “no intelligent life” (Terry and Stephen were trying to keep quiet about much of the plot of the book, but some things were hinted at).
Another thing that was implied was that there will be at least two strands in the story: the story of someone who goes down the line of the many different Earths, going out to explore alone – and the story of those who stay behind, suddenly finding a world being left behind by everyone else. The phrase used was something of the lines of: “What would happen to the ruling classes if all the workers suddenly disappeared?”
Without promising anything, the two authors indicated that there might well be one or more sequels to The Long Earth, Terry saying that he had a perfect title for the final book set in the world.
Brian ended the interview by asking the authors what they’d say to, say, Discworld fans who were worried about Terry writing a sci-fi book. Stephen answered by saying that “this is Terry going back to his roots!”
Terry followed up on that saying that when writing in the real world, you must follow the rules of the real world, and those rules include science – so it helps to have someone who understands science. But when writing Discworlds, there are rules to follow just the same – only difference is, that those rules were set up by Terry.
And with that, Brian ended the interview, commenting that if one of his guests had run as much over time as he had, he would have been angry with them.
Interview with Stephen Baxter
by Jessica Yates
Stephen Baxter is one of Britain’s leading novelists of hard SF, and also a veteran conventioneer. Having previously collaborated with Arthur C. Clarke, and being a long-term professional colleague of Terry’s, he developed an interest in Terry’s unpublished writings of the Long Earth (see Convention souvenir book page 23). The pair have now announced they will collaborate on at least two novels to open the series.
This is not about alternative worlds where human history has run a different course, it’s about exploring Earth-type worlds where no humans have evolved. (For example, Britain would be one big forest.)
Mr. Baxter had read many, but not all Discworld books, and among his favourites are Mort, Monstrous Regiment and Feet of Clay. He feels that although they write in different genres, they have plenty in common under the surface to do with the serious purpose of their work.
Would Baxter be fazed by the large number of fans in costume? Not at all, he enjoys the spectacle, and has also attended Fanderson conventions!
As a member of the Guild of Journalists, Stephen Baxter, welcome to Discworld!
Stephen Baxter is one of Britain’s leading novelists of hard SF, and also a veteran conventioneer. Having previously collaborated with Arthur C. Clarke, and being a long-term professional colleague of Terry’s, he developed an interest in Terry’s unpublished writings of the Long Earth (see Convention souvenir book page 23). The pair have now announced they will collaborate on at least two novels to open the series.
This is not about alternative worlds where human history has run a different course, it’s about exploring Earth-type worlds where no humans have evolved. (For example, Britain would be one big forest.)
Mr. Baxter had read many, but not all Discworld books, and among his favourites are Mort, Monstrous Regiment and Feet of Clay. He feels that although they write in different genres, they have plenty in common under the surface to do with the serious purpose of their work.
Would Baxter be fazed by the large number of fans in costume? Not at all, he enjoys the spectacle, and has also attended Fanderson conventions!
As a member of the Guild of Journalists, Stephen Baxter, welcome to Discworld!
Terry and Rob’s Bedtime Stories
by Jessica Yates
First Roba came on, and after some jokes, Terry came on and Robe proposed to read from I Shall Wear Midnight. Terry objected to Rob doing the Feegles – he couldn’t get the accent right. So Rob put away his proof copy of Midnight, and produced a typescript of Snuff – work in progress. (Applause!)
Since nearly everyone at the Convention was at the Dysk, I need not tell you whar we heard, but for those who weren’t we shall meet a newish species and explore a new part of Discworld. Oh – and it’s about Vimes – and Vetinari makes an appearance.
Thanks to Terry for sharing his draft with us, and to Rob for reading it.
First Roba came on, and after some jokes, Terry came on and Robe proposed to read from I Shall Wear Midnight. Terry objected to Rob doing the Feegles – he couldn’t get the accent right. So Rob put away his proof copy of Midnight, and produced a typescript of Snuff – work in progress. (Applause!)
Since nearly everyone at the Convention was at the Dysk, I need not tell you whar we heard, but for those who weren’t we shall meet a newish species and explore a new part of Discworld. Oh – and it’s about Vimes – and Vetinari makes an appearance.
Thanks to Terry for sharing his draft with us, and to Rob for reading it.
Simpson debates the role of fairies
by Cheresse
Jacqueline Simpson risked the wrath of the Queen of the Fairies at 12:00 Saturday afternoon with a bold dive into the history of Man's interaction with the Lords and Ladies, and the differing interpretations of elves and their actions.
Jacqueline Simpson risked the wrath of the Queen of the Fairies at 12:00 Saturday afternoon with a bold dive into the history of Man's interaction with the Lords and Ladies, and the differing interpretations of elves and their actions.
Pat Harkins is reporting from the convention
In this day and age, it can come as no surprise that the Chronicle Live is not the only place you can go to read reports on all the things that are going on at the convention. And whenever we find someone, we shall point you to them, so you can read about the con to your heart's content.
One of the people writing about the con is Pat Harkin.. no, not that Pat Harkin, it's his son [QUACK].
At the time of writing, he's posted two items, the fist being a quick report on Terry's cooperation with Stephen Baxter, the second being a non-report of no non-items concerning Discworld films that Pat never heard at a klatch he didn't attend. No interesting rumours there, I'm afraid.
An Audience with Stephen Briggs
By Jessica Yates
The room was nearly full, and Stephen opened by wondering if he’d come to the right place!
He announced he wouldn’t make a speech, he’d turn the session into a giant Q&A Klatch.
Before he started he showed us a wonderful replica sword, which had come into his possession via his am-dram connections and had originally been a rehearsal sword for The Princess Bride, which he had hoped to adapt for the stage. He draw it and posed as Inigo Montoya with “Hello!” (murmurs of admiration)
The Qs and As began with “Will you marry my mum?”
A: I’m here on my partner’s birthday, every 2 years it clashes with Discworld.
Q: When you read a new Terry Pratchett novel, do you lose yourself into the story or do you think about adapting it straight away?
A: Yes, I start thinking about the play from the outset. A book can change a lot from first idea to publication. The football game in Unseen Academicals was a problem, but most games in drama are off-stage anyway.
The the National Theatre staged Nation, and he saw how the professionals adapted Terry’s work – even more than he does. He saw the cinema version in Oxford and noted big changes.
Q: Is your favourite book the same as your favourite play?
A: Recently we redid Wyrd Sisters which was very well on stage. Mort is my favourite book – it got me into Discworld. It’s where Terry moved from parody into creating his world.
Q: Why don’t we see you on Sky1 as Vetinari?
A: Not for want of asking – a long story but they had decided to go for professional and well-known actors – Charles Dance especially – “out of my league”.
Comment: “Maybe they’ll run out of other people to ask!”
SB: I am on the Colour of Magic DVD as an extra.
Q: What’s it like to play Vetinari?
A: I like it – I wear black, I know everything. It’s been a weird journey. He started out not looking like me, and now he does. I had Ian Richardson in House of Cards in mind – Terry thought the guy who played the villain in Die Hard – he had a beard so I grew one. [that’s Alan Rickman, JY]. Also, TP suggested an Elizabethan feel, Blackadder 2, SB felt like the Cardinal in Amadeus.
Q: What are you doing now?
A: TP’s new books coming out more slowly so I am redoing his canon. Planning to redo Carpe Jugulum, but this November doing Shakespeare’s Dream.
Q: Have you any tips for adapters?
A: Be prepared to throw away stuff you really like.
Q: What scene do you regret dumping most?
A: I cut Death out of Wyrd Sisters first time, second time – he still didn’t fit, he shows up too late. In general, concepts rather than technicalities (e.g. Thief of Time) make it harder to stage some novels. Effects can be done with imagination.
Finally he talked about reading Terry’s books for audio CDs, which he does for American and British companies. The Nac Mac Feegles are hard to differentiate. He is about to read I Shall Wear Midnight – twice!
The room was nearly full, and Stephen opened by wondering if he’d come to the right place!
He announced he wouldn’t make a speech, he’d turn the session into a giant Q&A Klatch.
Before he started he showed us a wonderful replica sword, which had come into his possession via his am-dram connections and had originally been a rehearsal sword for The Princess Bride, which he had hoped to adapt for the stage. He draw it and posed as Inigo Montoya with “Hello!” (murmurs of admiration)
The Qs and As began with “Will you marry my mum?”
A: I’m here on my partner’s birthday, every 2 years it clashes with Discworld.
Q: When you read a new Terry Pratchett novel, do you lose yourself into the story or do you think about adapting it straight away?
A: Yes, I start thinking about the play from the outset. A book can change a lot from first idea to publication. The football game in Unseen Academicals was a problem, but most games in drama are off-stage anyway.
The the National Theatre staged Nation, and he saw how the professionals adapted Terry’s work – even more than he does. He saw the cinema version in Oxford and noted big changes.
Q: Is your favourite book the same as your favourite play?
A: Recently we redid Wyrd Sisters which was very well on stage. Mort is my favourite book – it got me into Discworld. It’s where Terry moved from parody into creating his world.
Q: Why don’t we see you on Sky1 as Vetinari?
A: Not for want of asking – a long story but they had decided to go for professional and well-known actors – Charles Dance especially – “out of my league”.
Comment: “Maybe they’ll run out of other people to ask!”
SB: I am on the Colour of Magic DVD as an extra.
Q: What’s it like to play Vetinari?
A: I like it – I wear black, I know everything. It’s been a weird journey. He started out not looking like me, and now he does. I had Ian Richardson in House of Cards in mind – Terry thought the guy who played the villain in Die Hard – he had a beard so I grew one. [that’s Alan Rickman, JY]. Also, TP suggested an Elizabethan feel, Blackadder 2, SB felt like the Cardinal in Amadeus.
Q: What are you doing now?
A: TP’s new books coming out more slowly so I am redoing his canon. Planning to redo Carpe Jugulum, but this November doing Shakespeare’s Dream.
Q: Have you any tips for adapters?
A: Be prepared to throw away stuff you really like.
Q: What scene do you regret dumping most?
A: I cut Death out of Wyrd Sisters first time, second time – he still didn’t fit, he shows up too late. In general, concepts rather than technicalities (e.g. Thief of Time) make it harder to stage some novels. Effects can be done with imagination.
Finally he talked about reading Terry’s books for audio CDs, which he does for American and British companies. The Nac Mac Feegles are hard to differentiate. He is about to read I Shall Wear Midnight – twice!
Monday, 25 August 2008
A Wizard's Report - Monday
Junior Klatch: Ah, that most wonderful event, the Junior Klatch. I have had the privilege of sitting through two of these now due to having kids (this is not a reason to have kids by the way, it is merely a very nice bonus).
For those not in the know, the kids ask questions which Terry then answers, displaying his impressive repertoire of stories and anecdotes. All too soon, the time vanished and indeed, we overran a little, but it was worth it for all concerned.
Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities: When not being a Wizard of Unseen University, I am, at heart, a pure mathematician with a penchant for messing about with computers and a comic twist of mind. Having this essential background, I have a love for all things daft and otherwise related to that most fabulous of subjects. I was, therefore, looking forward to this talk more than almost any other within the convention as it tugs at things within me that usually stay buried beneath a thin veneer of sanity and real life. I was not disappointed. Stewart presented many fabulous items rapidly, some of which I recognised, others that made me wonder whether I should actually look into them at some point in the future.
Reduced Discworld Company: Ah, yes. There were some very twitchy watchmen by the time the company were ready for us to get into the Dysk and watch the play. There had been some last minute items that needed to be sorted and this meant that it was running a touch late. In fairness to the people waiting, they were very patient and understanding and mostly figured that there was no way they could miss the closing ceremony since it was being held in the same room.
Once everyone was in and the lights went down we were treated to a rendition of Moving Pictures, done with the style and panache we have come to expect from this item in the schedule.
At the end of this piece, there was a surprise item for one of the ladies in the cast which was roundly applauded from all concerned. Our congratulations go to the both of them and we wish them all the best for their future.
Closing Ceremony: No!!! It cannot be the end!!! As with all good things (this is an odd phrase, since surely it should be "all things" rather than just the good ones) it must eventually come to an end. The speeches from the various people were moving and touching and it gives me great pleasure to bear witness to the various awards and mentions for those involved in making such an event happen. In amongst all of this, special mention must be made to the Unseen University Guild (WE WON!!!! As if this had ever been in doubt). Once the ceremony was over, we left, leaving Terry to clean up the stage behind us.
After a quiet period of contemplation over a pint (or less alcoholic beverages for Darpebble and Darwife), we finally left the convention with a song in our hearts, safe in the knowledge that there would be another convention in 2010.
Now the hard work of trying to return to normal life is required. I can put aside my pointy hat and hope that next time I am once again in the winning guild (2 out of 2 is pretty good by my reckoning). The Wizards of UU have agreed to try and stay in touch over the intervening period, so the hat may be off, but it certainly will not be forgotten and may just sneak out for an airing from time to time.
I hope your convention was as enjoyable an experience as mine has been. It is the people that make it what it is and they are simply brilliant.
Signing off for now,
Darrock (Wizard, 1st Class – Unseen University Guild)
For those not in the know, the kids ask questions which Terry then answers, displaying his impressive repertoire of stories and anecdotes. All too soon, the time vanished and indeed, we overran a little, but it was worth it for all concerned.
Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities: When not being a Wizard of Unseen University, I am, at heart, a pure mathematician with a penchant for messing about with computers and a comic twist of mind. Having this essential background, I have a love for all things daft and otherwise related to that most fabulous of subjects. I was, therefore, looking forward to this talk more than almost any other within the convention as it tugs at things within me that usually stay buried beneath a thin veneer of sanity and real life. I was not disappointed. Stewart presented many fabulous items rapidly, some of which I recognised, others that made me wonder whether I should actually look into them at some point in the future.
Reduced Discworld Company: Ah, yes. There were some very twitchy watchmen by the time the company were ready for us to get into the Dysk and watch the play. There had been some last minute items that needed to be sorted and this meant that it was running a touch late. In fairness to the people waiting, they were very patient and understanding and mostly figured that there was no way they could miss the closing ceremony since it was being held in the same room.
Once everyone was in and the lights went down we were treated to a rendition of Moving Pictures, done with the style and panache we have come to expect from this item in the schedule.
At the end of this piece, there was a surprise item for one of the ladies in the cast which was roundly applauded from all concerned. Our congratulations go to the both of them and we wish them all the best for their future.
Closing Ceremony: No!!! It cannot be the end!!! As with all good things (this is an odd phrase, since surely it should be "all things" rather than just the good ones) it must eventually come to an end. The speeches from the various people were moving and touching and it gives me great pleasure to bear witness to the various awards and mentions for those involved in making such an event happen. In amongst all of this, special mention must be made to the Unseen University Guild (WE WON!!!! As if this had ever been in doubt). Once the ceremony was over, we left, leaving Terry to clean up the stage behind us.
After a quiet period of contemplation over a pint (or less alcoholic beverages for Darpebble and Darwife), we finally left the convention with a song in our hearts, safe in the knowledge that there would be another convention in 2010.
Now the hard work of trying to return to normal life is required. I can put aside my pointy hat and hope that next time I am once again in the winning guild (2 out of 2 is pretty good by my reckoning). The Wizards of UU have agreed to try and stay in touch over the intervening period, so the hat may be off, but it certainly will not be forgotten and may just sneak out for an airing from time to time.
I hope your convention was as enjoyable an experience as mine has been. It is the people that make it what it is and they are simply brilliant.
Signing off for now,
Darrock (Wizard, 1st Class – Unseen University Guild)
Discworld Convention Report The Second, and The Hunter
It is a fact self-evident that Stephen Briggs is the Patrician. Like
the chicken and egg conundrum we will probably never know which came
first (it was the egg, by the way), but Havelock Vetinari and Mr
Briggs are, and will always be, one and the same person.
the chicken and egg conundrum we will probably never know which came
first (it was the egg, by the way), but Havelock Vetinari and Mr
Briggs are, and will always be, one and the same person.
This leads, at Convention times, to certain traditions. Being a keen
observer of people I tend to notice things, and it is hard not to
notice Stephen at a convention. Firstly he projects, purely through
his mannerisms, his expressions, his personality, the image of a man
who is supremely confident in whatever he does, because he knows that
he is always absolutely right. I really have no idea whether this is
Stephen or Havelock, but the effect causes the second reason Stephen
is easy to notice. He attracts Young Ladies like a Sun attracts
passing planets.
Last night, whilst sat in the bar area of the Convention hotel,
chatting with my friends, I noticed that Terry and Stephen, post Gala
Dinner, were sat at the table next to me. I usually try and avoid The
man With The Hat, because he has a lot of people trying to share his
time with him, he almost certainly has things to arrange and needs
time to think, and frankly I am probably likely to fall over my own
feet and then make bleating noises, because I admire the man, and I am
an idiot when confronted with the great and the good. However, we
stayed, and as the evening developed I noticed something that had me
chuckling quietly to myself.
Sat opposite Terry was Stephen. Sat beside Stephen were...numerous
Young Ladies. Sat behind Stephen were yet more Young Ladies. Sat in
front of Stephen, further Young Ladies.Within 40 minutes the table had
acquired a second ring of chairs, all occupied by Young Ladies. Then
another layer. Like Saturn, Stephen was developing orbital rings...it
was spectacular. A Young lady would wander past, heading Lord knows
where, and suddenly she'd return, chair in hand, and Stephen had
another orbiting Heavenly Body.
And this is the other thing. The bodies were, each and every one,
heavenly. There was far more exposed flesh on display, in brief
costumes, corsets, dresses, strapless evening gowns, gownless evening
straps, than is good for a man at gone midnight. I have a good working
knowledge of physics, and of the calculation of stresses on materials,
and for that matter the mathematical formulae for simple volume
calculations. It occurred to me, as one impressively corsetted bosom
heaved, that the mathematics of the acreage of bosom exposed in that
one area required fractal mathematics, and a total rewrite of the
Mandelbrot set. Quantum was the only thing between Stephen and a huge
Wardrobe Malfunction which would, at the very least, had someone's eye
out.
The second thing I noticed was a side-effect of the corsetry and
magnetism of Mr Briggs. Two waiters arrived at the table to clear the
inevitable glasses and bottles. They probably know as much about
Discworld and its attendant celebrities as I know about wombat
breeding. At the table was a man of immense charisma, and a huge
following. Clearly, therefore, this man was the Guest of Honour. As a
result they cleared the glasses and bottles, with difficulty, all the
time discussing the stunning collection of Bosom (River Deep, Mountain
High, as Terry himself described it) over the head of some balding
grey-haired chap with a beard, entirely unaware that they were
dripping second-hand lager down the neck of Mr Pratchett.
The Hunter
Disc Is Your World
In the format of a well-known television show, Terry arrived on stage to be surprised with friends and colleagues as his guests to tell us a little more about the man we all adore.But as Bruce tried to conduct proceedings, he just couldn't stop Terry Pratchett talking long enough for his guests to tell tales about him. This was perhaps purposefully done by the man distrusting of his friends, but was certainly interesting as Terry regaled us with anecdote upon tale upon yarn about people who have written to him asking for favours and failed to write back to thank him for them.
Those guests we "met" were the lucky few fans who have since become integral to his work, Rob his PA, Colin his agent, Bernard who produces the Discworld figurines, Stephen who brings alive the Discworld on stage, as well as on maps, and Ian and Jack, his mad scientists, who delight in delving into fiction as he delights in delving into their science, as they provide the facts and figures that hold the Discworld together.
It was a delightful evening, essential viewing for any new fans who haven't had the opportunity to meet the rest of the team previously, and who will now recognise the important people throughout the convention, we were treated to so many stories from the man himself, and when they could get a word in, the guests who had joined him on stage, and the event was all thoroughly entertaining.
Sarah Ganderton
Photo: Robert "Otto" Flach
Sunday, 24 August 2008
A Wizard's Report – Day 2 Sunday
To avoid any confusion as to which day it is, the title of this report has been altered. We, the editors, regret any confusion bought about by previous stupidity on the part of Darrock and have ensured that Darrock got the clip round the ear that he deserved.
Ouch! Ok, so it's Sunday. After a brief, interrupted by small cries for food, night of rest, we returned to the venue. Let's get straight into the madness.
The Church of Om: Having missed the Wake Up with Wizards event at 7.30 in the morning (who are those Wizards getting up at that time… must be students who have not gone to bed yet), we arrived in time to join in with the service. This was an event that I had been privileged enough to see last year and which was even better second time around. The singing, the sermons, the revelations at the end and even the venue were superb for the event and I joined in whenever I could catch breath from laughing. If you missed this, you missed a real treat, along with of course inviting the wrath of Om.
Bernard Pearson's Passive Smoking for Beginners: On my way to swashbuckling, I noticed a queue… This queue was outside of the Dysk and I was under the impression, having carefully read my timetable, that it was not in use this hour. After making enquiries of someone in the queue, I discovered, to my horror, that Bernard's event had been moved forward!!!!! I flipped a coin and prayed for guidance from Om and was led to join this queue.
I am incredibly glad that I did. Bernard is a very charismatic person and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him talk about all kinds of things. With thoughts of Bernard with ladies underwear on the outside of jeans and the incredibly hush, hush trade cards that we're not allowed to mention yet, I left with a huge smile.
Puppet Show: Having returned from Bernard's rather sooner than expected, I went off to view the puppet show. Since I have written a review of this show elsewhere, I will omit it from here.
Stephen Briggs Masterclass: I was not certain quite what this event would entail. As it turned out, it involved a discussion about the trials and tribulations of creating the maps of Ankh Morpork and the Discworld. Stephen spoke eloquently regarding how they went about constructing the cityscape that, up until that time, had only ever been in Terry's head. This challenge was not at all straightforward and I was incredibly impressed at the time and energy spent in creating such a detailed work.
Find the Time: Some friendly folks had spent some time (excuse the pun) creating a treasure hunt round the Discworld corridors of the hotel. Darpebble and I spent a frustrating, confusing and eventually rewarding time wandering the corridors in search of piccies. We did manage to get them all (Darpebble: I found the last one daddy!) and arrived back in the Cavern with seconds to spare to receive our just rewards – a laminated picture and a chocolate treat for Darpebble.
Sex on the Disc: Harrumph, harrumph. Less said about this the better. Some wickedly funny jokes and a lot of entertaining discussions regarding whether a Nac Mac Feegle society could exist. Good fun had by all concerned.
Dealers' Room: Wow, I managed to find half an hour to wander around the spectacular stalls in the dealers' room. It always amazed me that people can produce such fine pieces of work, some of which is Discworld related, some of which is not.
That's it forday 2 Sunday. More tomorrow, although obviously the schedule is somewhat shorter for the last day of the Con.
Darrock (Wizard, 1st Class – Unseen University Guild).
Ouch! Ok, so it's Sunday. After a brief, interrupted by small cries for food, night of rest, we returned to the venue. Let's get straight into the madness.
The Church of Om: Having missed the Wake Up with Wizards event at 7.30 in the morning (who are those Wizards getting up at that time… must be students who have not gone to bed yet), we arrived in time to join in with the service. This was an event that I had been privileged enough to see last year and which was even better second time around. The singing, the sermons, the revelations at the end and even the venue were superb for the event and I joined in whenever I could catch breath from laughing. If you missed this, you missed a real treat, along with of course inviting the wrath of Om.
Bernard Pearson's Passive Smoking for Beginners: On my way to swashbuckling, I noticed a queue… This queue was outside of the Dysk and I was under the impression, having carefully read my timetable, that it was not in use this hour. After making enquiries of someone in the queue, I discovered, to my horror, that Bernard's event had been moved forward!!!!! I flipped a coin and prayed for guidance from Om and was led to join this queue.
I am incredibly glad that I did. Bernard is a very charismatic person and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him talk about all kinds of things. With thoughts of Bernard with ladies underwear on the outside of jeans and the incredibly hush, hush trade cards that we're not allowed to mention yet, I left with a huge smile.
Puppet Show: Having returned from Bernard's rather sooner than expected, I went off to view the puppet show. Since I have written a review of this show elsewhere, I will omit it from here.
Stephen Briggs Masterclass: I was not certain quite what this event would entail. As it turned out, it involved a discussion about the trials and tribulations of creating the maps of Ankh Morpork and the Discworld. Stephen spoke eloquently regarding how they went about constructing the cityscape that, up until that time, had only ever been in Terry's head. This challenge was not at all straightforward and I was incredibly impressed at the time and energy spent in creating such a detailed work.
Find the Time: Some friendly folks had spent some time (excuse the pun) creating a treasure hunt round the Discworld corridors of the hotel. Darpebble and I spent a frustrating, confusing and eventually rewarding time wandering the corridors in search of piccies. We did manage to get them all (Darpebble: I found the last one daddy!) and arrived back in the Cavern with seconds to spare to receive our just rewards – a laminated picture and a chocolate treat for Darpebble.
Sex on the Disc: Harrumph, harrumph. Less said about this the better. Some wickedly funny jokes and a lot of entertaining discussions regarding whether a Nac Mac Feegle society could exist. Good fun had by all concerned.
Dealers' Room: Wow, I managed to find half an hour to wander around the spectacular stalls in the dealers' room. It always amazed me that people can produce such fine pieces of work, some of which is Discworld related, some of which is not.
That's it for
Darrock (Wizard, 1st Class – Unseen University Guild).
Guilty of Literature
This was a well-attended panel discussion under the title of the collection of essays originally published by the Science Fiction Foundation.
US Academic Stacie Hanes stated that criticism should not be negative but illuminate reality. She spoke about how Victorian attitudes to women are reflected in the witches' attitudes to decency, especially underwear. Seamstresses were also common, as shown in census records. Laundrywork often involved unpicking garments and sewing them up again when washed.
Next came Carolin Esser of the University of Winchester, a medievalist who has studied "The Devil from the Bible to Terry Pratchett". After a discussion of concepts of evil, concentrating of 'Eric' and 'Good Omens', Jacqueline Simpson took over to discuss literary merit.
She pointed out that Terry's multiple narrative style goes back to the medieval interlace technique, and was also employed by Dickens and TV soap operas of today. Terry is especially good at the rhetoric of anticlimax, or bathos and writes in lyrical style to celebrate the beauty of the Chalk Downs.
Colin Smythe wound up the discussion by saying that academics have come to Terry late and are trying too hard if their criticism doesn't communicate the fun of reading his books.
Jesca Yates
US Academic Stacie Hanes stated that criticism should not be negative but illuminate reality. She spoke about how Victorian attitudes to women are reflected in the witches' attitudes to decency, especially underwear. Seamstresses were also common, as shown in census records. Laundrywork often involved unpicking garments and sewing them up again when washed.
Next came Carolin Esser of the University of Winchester, a medievalist who has studied "The Devil from the Bible to Terry Pratchett". After a discussion of concepts of evil, concentrating of 'Eric' and 'Good Omens', Jacqueline Simpson took over to discuss literary merit.
She pointed out that Terry's multiple narrative style goes back to the medieval interlace technique, and was also employed by Dickens and TV soap operas of today. Terry is especially good at the rhetoric of anticlimax, or bathos and writes in lyrical style to celebrate the beauty of the Chalk Downs.
Colin Smythe wound up the discussion by saying that academics have come to Terry late and are trying too hard if their criticism doesn't communicate the fun of reading his books.
Jesca Yates
A Wizard’s Report – Day 1
Wow, I’m tired… How on earth did I end up this tired at 8pm at night? Ah, yes, the Discworld Convention.
Last time (was it really 2 years ago?) I wrote up some articles based on what I did at the convention as it went along. This time, as it is my second convention, I thought I would be truly original and do the same thing, only with the experience of actually having been to one of these things before.
Some of you will be thinking “What happened to Friday? Surely that was Day 1”. Unfortunately, I was unable to get the Friday off work and so we only arrived at the convention on day 2… which I’m calling day 1… hmm… this could get confusing.
Right, on with the info. We intended to arrive at the convention at 8.30 but, due to us having two small kiddies (Darpebble and Darchip), we ended up arriving at 9. We reached the Lancre Forge (after some initial guesswork) to be told that Registration was being held in Ops. We then went to Ops and were told that they had left 5min ago to transfer to Lancre Forge. All this meant that by the time we reached the Registration, time was running out for the Guild Meetings and we had to scatter. On the plus side, we pretty much knew the layout of the rooms and we knew that the convention was ON!
Wizards Guild Meeting: I can’t tell you what happened in here… no, really I can’t. I was a little late to the show, so I missed a lot of what the guild had planned. I did catch on that they had a few items that they were trying to schedule, such as “Hut, Hut!” and a “Wake up with Wizards” along with some unusual messaging services. More of the “Hut, Hut!” later.
The Weakest Guild: Ah, a quiz! Surely, the wizards (obviously the cleverest of the conventioneers since they have a university) would win this hands down. Unfortunately, this was not to be. Our wonderful, creative, brilliant and downright lethal dictator, The Patrician, had agreed to ask the questions (which were very tough) and he was only slightly biased completely unbiased towards the Assassin entrant.
Our entrant, though brilliant, had been caught before his 12:00 breakfast and was obviously at a distinct disadvantage as no reasonable person should be expected to function before breakfast. He therefore slipped up and was voted out by the Patrician – you know the drill: One man, one vote – when there was a tied vote from the contestants. The winner in the end was the Witches Guild entrant who was obviously cheating as no-one should know all those answers (well done to an exceptional winner).
Time Bending with Lupine: Ah, a crass conjurer. A purveyor of tricks and legerdemain. On behalf of the Wizards of the Discworld, I can, as a previously registered member of the Guild of Conjurers, be absolutely certain that no magic was actually performed. It is our duty as official Wizards to ensure that such tricksters do not use actual magic in pursuit of their craft. All of his incredible feats were done without the use of real magic, despite the somewhat incredible nature of some of the items in his repertoire. Despite my obvious and necessary displeasure at such crafts as his, I was nevertheless somewhat entertained at the obvious delight provided to those of other, less knowledgeable professions.
Candle Making: After the magic show, I took Darpebble and rushed over to the Candle Making to try our hand. She and I were suitably impressed with her creation and she proudly presented it to Darwife after the event. You never know, it might even come in handy for some summoning ritual at some point. After this we did find the time to pop into Chaos Costuming, where there is loads of interesting fabrics and stuff to use if you need it.
Lunch: Wow, we actually found time to take a break and eat something. No really. Maybe those schedulers actually planned it that way. Anyway, onwards.
Puppet Workshop: I had the rather surprising pleasure of taking Darpebble to this while my wife and son spent their time in Disc is Your World. We made ourselves sock Nac Mac Feegles of varying sorts and some of the creations were absolutely incredible.
Bernard had the remarkably tough job of judging the various creations and decided that everyone should win (very magnanimous since my creation was very average compared to some of the others).
My particular favourite was Bernard Nac Mac Feegle which we kept hidden till last. The intention from this event is to hold a Puppet Show Nac Mac Feegle version of Where’s My Cow tomorrow (it’s on the schedule). I hope people enjoy the show. Scheduling may prevent my participation, but hopefully Darpebble will make it.
Face Painting and Tattooing: Hmm… My daughter became a Tiger. I went for a well deserved pint and chat with some of my fellow Wizards. After all the excitement and entertainment of the day, I felt it was necessary. It also gave me time to write up some notes, which you are now reading the product of.
So that’s it. That’s all that I did for day 1 (or is it 2?). We set off for home to recoup and prepare for tomorrow. How will that go I wonder? Well, I’ll let you know tomorrow. I’m completely wiped out – probably has something to do with getting up before 12.
Hut, Hut!: Oops, did I forget this? From what I understand, there are a bunch of people for whom this particular event will not be forgotten. If you want the details, hunt out the gossips. Far be it from me to spoil the fun of this particular tail. The same Wizards are doing the Wake Up with Wizards in the morning, so if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, get up and join in the fun (and ask about Hut, Hut!).
I hope you enjoyed my brief report on the day and that you can take a little appreciation of some of the events that you may have missed. There is always too much to do at the convention and I know that I do not get to everything I would like to (they’d need a week).
Enjoy your convention,
Darrock (Wizard, 1st Class)
Last time (was it really 2 years ago?) I wrote up some articles based on what I did at the convention as it went along. This time, as it is my second convention, I thought I would be truly original and do the same thing, only with the experience of actually having been to one of these things before.
Some of you will be thinking “What happened to Friday? Surely that was Day 1”. Unfortunately, I was unable to get the Friday off work and so we only arrived at the convention on day 2… which I’m calling day 1… hmm… this could get confusing.
Right, on with the info. We intended to arrive at the convention at 8.30 but, due to us having two small kiddies (Darpebble and Darchip), we ended up arriving at 9. We reached the Lancre Forge (after some initial guesswork) to be told that Registration was being held in Ops. We then went to Ops and were told that they had left 5min ago to transfer to Lancre Forge. All this meant that by the time we reached the Registration, time was running out for the Guild Meetings and we had to scatter. On the plus side, we pretty much knew the layout of the rooms and we knew that the convention was ON!
Wizards Guild Meeting: I can’t tell you what happened in here… no, really I can’t. I was a little late to the show, so I missed a lot of what the guild had planned. I did catch on that they had a few items that they were trying to schedule, such as “Hut, Hut!” and a “Wake up with Wizards” along with some unusual messaging services. More of the “Hut, Hut!” later.
The Weakest Guild: Ah, a quiz! Surely, the wizards (obviously the cleverest of the conventioneers since they have a university) would win this hands down. Unfortunately, this was not to be. Our wonderful, creative, brilliant and downright lethal dictator, The Patrician, had agreed to ask the questions (which were very tough) and he was only slightly biased completely unbiased towards the Assassin entrant.
Our entrant, though brilliant, had been caught before his 12:00 breakfast and was obviously at a distinct disadvantage as no reasonable person should be expected to function before breakfast. He therefore slipped up and was voted out by the Patrician – you know the drill: One man, one vote – when there was a tied vote from the contestants. The winner in the end was the Witches Guild entrant who was obviously cheating as no-one should know all those answers (well done to an exceptional winner).
Time Bending with Lupine: Ah, a crass conjurer. A purveyor of tricks and legerdemain. On behalf of the Wizards of the Discworld, I can, as a previously registered member of the Guild of Conjurers, be absolutely certain that no magic was actually performed. It is our duty as official Wizards to ensure that such tricksters do not use actual magic in pursuit of their craft. All of his incredible feats were done without the use of real magic, despite the somewhat incredible nature of some of the items in his repertoire. Despite my obvious and necessary displeasure at such crafts as his, I was nevertheless somewhat entertained at the obvious delight provided to those of other, less knowledgeable professions.
Candle Making: After the magic show, I took Darpebble and rushed over to the Candle Making to try our hand. She and I were suitably impressed with her creation and she proudly presented it to Darwife after the event. You never know, it might even come in handy for some summoning ritual at some point. After this we did find the time to pop into Chaos Costuming, where there is loads of interesting fabrics and stuff to use if you need it.
Lunch: Wow, we actually found time to take a break and eat something. No really. Maybe those schedulers actually planned it that way. Anyway, onwards.
Puppet Workshop: I had the rather surprising pleasure of taking Darpebble to this while my wife and son spent their time in Disc is Your World. We made ourselves sock Nac Mac Feegles of varying sorts and some of the creations were absolutely incredible.
Bernard had the remarkably tough job of judging the various creations and decided that everyone should win (very magnanimous since my creation was very average compared to some of the others).
My particular favourite was Bernard Nac Mac Feegle which we kept hidden till last. The intention from this event is to hold a Puppet Show Nac Mac Feegle version of Where’s My Cow tomorrow (it’s on the schedule). I hope people enjoy the show. Scheduling may prevent my participation, but hopefully Darpebble will make it.
Face Painting and Tattooing: Hmm… My daughter became a Tiger. I went for a well deserved pint and chat with some of my fellow Wizards. After all the excitement and entertainment of the day, I felt it was necessary. It also gave me time to write up some notes, which you are now reading the product of.
So that’s it. That’s all that I did for day 1 (or is it 2?). We set off for home to recoup and prepare for tomorrow. How will that go I wonder? Well, I’ll let you know tomorrow. I’m completely wiped out – probably has something to do with getting up before 12.
Hut, Hut!: Oops, did I forget this? From what I understand, there are a bunch of people for whom this particular event will not be forgotten. If you want the details, hunt out the gossips. Far be it from me to spoil the fun of this particular tail. The same Wizards are doing the Wake Up with Wizards in the morning, so if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, get up and join in the fun (and ask about Hut, Hut!).
I hope you enjoyed my brief report on the day and that you can take a little appreciation of some of the events that you may have missed. There is always too much to do at the convention and I know that I do not get to everything I would like to (they’d need a week).
Enjoy your convention,
Darrock (Wizard, 1st Class)
Saturday, 23 August 2008
A Story At Bedtime
By far the best bit of the first day of my first convention had to be settling down with the man we had all come to adore, as he read us a bedtime story. Dressed mostly as the characters from our story-teller's books, but also in various nighties and pyjamas with teddy bears tucked under sleepy arms, children young and old filed excitedly into "the Dysk" to listen in rapturous awe as our hero read from his new novel, "The Nation" (not officially released until 11 September).It sounds quite a dark endeavour compared to some of Terry's tales, and our breaths were simultaneously held as the wave crashed about the tiny island, leaving Mau and Daphne alone, together, but apart. We laughed with relief when the humour returned as Terry read on, and the time hurried by. Where were the history monks tonight? Too busy at the bar one assumes, when the end of the allotted time was reached and neither story- teller, nor (most of) the audience, were prepared to leave.
It was lovely to see that, despite the trouble Terry had with lighting on stage, with his own head casting a shadow across his page, he enjoyed reading to his devoted audience, as much as we enjoyed the precious creation of his new words. He could quite easily have read the whole book tonight, and we would of course have let him, shuffling out in the early hours of the morning as tired messes, but not caring having been able to share the night with our hero.
But forty-five minutes after he should have stopped, Terry suddenly shut the book and told us all in no uncertain terms to "go away". We cheered, we yawned and we left: happy that the great man we have come to love through his writing, loves us in turn so much that he couldn't tear himself away.
And like a kindly grandfather, Terry Pratchett put his charges to bed. (the conventioneers and his book alike).
Sarah Ganderton
Photo: Robert "Otto" Flach
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