Missing motivation

should be in the craft room. I should be sewing. There’s less than a month until we leave for Dragon Con and I still have a ton of work to do. So why can’t I make myself go into the sewing room & get cracking?

I guess part of it is that my husband is pressing me to finish. I have this tendency to “rebel” when pushed, and since he is adamant that I keep working on it I’m stubbornly not working on it. Self-destruction at its finest.

This past Saturday, my husband and I went to a friend’s house to work on prop making. It’s going really well, but we had to stop for the day and will be back to it next Saturday. Yesterday, I did a minimal amount of sewing on the corset. I need to finish the boning channels and order the boning, but my procrastinating self just won’t get off her ass and go into the craft room to get to work.

Adding to this is the fact that I have to write interview questions for a phone call I’ll be getting tomorrow evening. I suppose that should take priority, seeing as how the deadline for that is much closer than Dragon Con. I’m glad that the actress (and her “people”–I guess I should thank them, too) was willing to work around my schedule and do an evening interview. I get so frustrated when I can’t take any of the good interviews that Talk Nerdy With Us offers because I’m working all the time. Don’t get me wrong–I need and want the money–but I just miss doing interviews. The email ones are fewer and farther between, and they’re just not the same.

Yeah, I’d better draft up some questions. That’s a good reason to procrastinate on the sewing, and it also will help me get back in the swing of things, interviewingly speaking.

The excitement is Con-tagious

That’s right, this afternoon I leave my humble abode for Phoenix Comicon 2016! I’ll be in cosplay the first three days (I’m wearing my Talk Nerdy With Us t-shirt Sunday–shirts available at talknerdywithus.com), and I’m hoping to get photos galore of all the cosplays, as well as live tweeting and (maybe) Periscoping some panels.

I’ll be representing Talk Nerdy With Us as well, with my sweet press badge:

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Official, and flattering lol

So excited to be going to the con as press, and extra excited because it’s my fifth year in a row at Phoenix Comicon. Each year I go I get more and more thrilled to be there. It’s even more fantastic this year because my little sister is coming with. I can’t wait to introduce her to the addiction that is Con Life.

Of course, there will be the blistered feet, the blistering heat, and the unending exhaustion…but that’s half the fun!

See y’all later! I don’t know if I’ll have time to post any blogs this weekend, but I’ll definitely have an update Monday with all the fun I had! 🙂

T-minus one day, 8 hours

It’s almost that time of year! Phoenix Comicon begins tomorrow, and while I won’t be able to get there until the festivities are already in full swing (have to wait for my husband to get off work at 1pm) I’m sure I’ll have the time of my life. 🙂 My cosplays are complete–I even got the 4ft fighting fan prop in for my Temari cosplay–and most of what we’re taking is already packed and ready to be loaded into the car tomorrow.

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I have three interviews set up so far, and though I’m not overly optimistic at getting more I’m happy that at least a few people wanted to talk to me. I have my questions all ready on little 3×5 note cards that I’ll have handy in my cosplay pocket or purse. My phone has a decent voice recorder app that I’ve tested myself, so that’s taken care of. All I’ll need to do is transcribe and post at the end of each day. Each long day.

This year will be my first attending as media/press, so it will be interesting to see what kinds of things I can do. I know I can’t take photos of the guests without permission, but I plan on taking lots of cosplay photos and Periscoping in the hallways as I go to and fro. Probably won’t be able to Periscope any panels, but maybe I can manage live tweeting a few. And of course, I’ll be on the Talk Nerdy With Us Instagram to document the fun I’m having.

I have a ton of panels that I want to see. Cosplay panels, writing panels, sci-fi panels…things that will help with various different interests I have. I may even go to some of the panels that my sister wants to see. It will be her first Comicon, so I want her to have as much fun as possible. She’s chosen some interesting panels, but there are a few that conflict with panels that I want to see. She doesn’t seem to mind, though, and seems genuinely excited to be going. She’s a bit of a hermit (stays at home when she’s not working & only really leaves the house to go shopping with Mom or to go to Pet Smart) so I’m glad she’s getting excited about going to a big, crowded place full of strangers.

The countdown continues! I may even Periscope or live tweet from the car on the drive up (lol) but not for more than a few minutes. I’m sure no one wants to see 3 hours of interstate. Or 3 hours of me chattering away.

See y’all tomorrow and all weekend on the Talk Nerdy With Us Twitter and Instagram feeds!

A pre-Mother’s Day adventure

It’s off to some historical sites today as we take my mom & dad out of town to celebrate Mother’s Day a little early. Since my husband works tomorrow, we’re doing our day with my parents a day ahead of time.

I’m trying to mentally psych myself up for a day of walking, walking, walking. I considered exercising in the apartment “gym” (translation: about 3 or 4 different exercise machines) early this morning since I was up, but then I reconsidered after remembering that I haven’t really exercised in months and months and I’d likely end up sore beyond belief tomorrow…hell, I still might end up sore as hell.

Gotta get my stamina and fitness up at least a little bit in the next few weeks, though, because Phoenix Comicon starts June 2! There will be so much walking to do as we traverse downtown Phoenix to see all the sights (and be seen in our cosplays). I’ve also potentially got interviews to do; as a media member, I get to fill out a form letting the con know which guests I’d like to interview. The con organizers will forward my info to the various guests, and then they (or more likely their agents) will be in touch with me to set up interviews.

I’m super excited about this–more than just normal con excitement. I’ve only done one live interview, and that was a disaster. The band (I won’t name names) was so preoccupied with being late to the venue that only two of the five did the interview while the others started setting up for the sound check, and one of those two obviously did not want to be there. He was squirming in his seat, not making eye contact, and giving short answers to the questions. When I asked if they had a message for their fans, his response was: “Come see our shows. Buy our records. Buy our shirts.” Classy.

These interviews should hopefully go much better. I’ve got to figure a good way to keep my questions with me as we walk around, because I won’t have much storage space in my cosplays (just a tiny purse for the Jedi TARDIS and a small hidden pocket for the Temari cosplay). Maybe I’ll grab a small, small notebook at Wal-Mart or something sometime before the con so I can have my questions all written down. Or notecards. I have a shitton of 3×5 notecards…but my purse/pocket are so small I might still have to fold them up to get them to fit. Hindsight, I guess…

Writer’s block of a different sort

Well, here I am, stuck again. For once, I’m not talking about my work in progress; I’m talking about interview questions.

Usually, I don’t have much of a problem coming up with interview questions. I just ask the things that I–and theoretically fans of the musician(s), actor, author, artist, etc–want to know.

My problem? I’m interviewing the head organizer of the anti-bullying charity project that I’m involved in–so I don’t really know what someone unfamiliar with the project would want to know. I already know about the project (I’m even a co-admin and in charge of the American side of production once the anthology is ready), so I’m stuck as to what to ask.

Sure, I’ll ask how the anthology project came to be, about Scribes for Lives in general, about the British charity we’ll be supporting, but then what? I’m stuck.

I suppose the point of this post (as opposed to my usually pointless rambling) is this: Does anyone have any questions about the anthology project? This is my first time actively asking for comments on this blog, so feel free to throw a comment up there! 🙂

Listing Forward

Lists upon lists upon lists upon lists. I have a list for the things I need to finish on our cosplays. I have a list for interviews I want to do for Phoenix Comicon. I’m making lists of lists I need to make.

I don’t know what has brought on this sudden need to organize. I guess I’m afraid I’ll forget something important.

Oh, that reminds me…I need to make a list of things to bring to Phoenix Comicon so I don’t forget any cosplay items when we go.

Maybe it’s the OCD in me. Maybe it’s neurosis. Maybe it’s just procrastinating from the things I’m making lists for.

I should make a list of possible reasons…

Back in the saddle

It has been a long time since I’ve had the time and availability to do a phone interview for Talk Nerdy With Us (well, aside from one Skype interview with someone in Australia, whose lunch time coincided with my just-before-bed time). It felt kind of nice to do an interview again, even if the conversation didn’t last very long.

I need to work on that. Other writers talk about interviews that run over an hour long, or becoming buddies with the person they interviewed to the point where they exchange emails or phone numbers to keep in touch.

I don’t get that. Despite my best efforts to keep a conversation going, I just run out of things to say. I’m not great at small talk, and I get shy and awkward even over the phone. Not that I’m too shy to actually talk with an actor or musician, but I just feel like I don’t have anything important to say. Talked about the weather? Okay. Asked my questions? Okay. Now we can chat about…what? What else is there? If they’re not into nerdy things like I am, I don’t know how to relate.

Hiking and traveling? I don’t do those much. (Okay, hiking never.) Music? I like to listen to it, but I can’t play any instruments or even sing on key.

There was one interview where I had a good conversation with my interviewee, but that was because we had common interests. Pair me with someone who likes Doctor Who or Star Wars or something and we’ll do great. Pair me with someone who’s into working out and venturing into the great outdoors, and I clam up. I can’t relate to that.

So how do I get these long, friendly interviews? What do I have to do to get that? I simply don’t know. They say the “secret” is to just treat it like a conversation, but guess what–I’m a terrible conversationalist. Normally, I hate talking on the phone. I’ll test or direct message any time, but put me on the phone and I don’t know what to say. It’s rather pathetic, really.

Maybe next time will be different. I may not have had the longest interview today, but I felt comfortable talking with the actor (even though I didn’t have anything in common with him to keep the conversation going), so I guess that’s a start.

Not much of one… but a start.

A Question for Another Day

I’ve been doing musician, artist, and celebrity interviews over phone (and now Skype) off and on for over probably six months now, and I have to say, I think I’m finally getting the hang of making it a conversational interview rather than straight-up questions.

Part of it is that I try to write the questions so they flow more organically. I try to gauge how the interview will go, how some questions will be answered, and arrange my questions to that sequence. Part of it is just practice, I guess.

But my one big hang-up (no pun intended) is still how to end the interview. So far, I just say “Well, thanks for talking with us today” if I’ve come to the end of my questions and there’s not really any opening left for continued conversation. That, to me, feels cold and impersonal, but after all this time I have not figured out a better way.

I’ve asked the other writers for the website for advice because it’s a very supportive team, but I feel like I’ve failed by not figuring it out myself. I guess it goes back to when I was a kid and school came easily to me for the most part; if I ever had problems understanding something, I was frustrated beyond belief. This problem doesn’t quite have me at that level of frustration, but it’s getting close.

One day soon I’ll know the answer. But for now, it’s a question for another day. (See? I don’t even know how to end a blog post properly lol)