Nicola Vincent-Abnett

Nicola Vincent-Abnett
"Savant" for Solaris, Wild's End, Further Associates of Sherlock Holms, more Wild's End

Thursday 11 October 2012

Put me on a Panel and watch me Bibble


Crikey!

That was a busy week!

That was the Chestermere Expo. Dan Abnett (the husband), and I, along with Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Graham McNeill, Jim Swallow, Gav Thorpe and Chris Wraight attended the event, last weekend, at the Chestermere Recreation Centre, which is close to Calgary in Alberta, Canada.

I can’t speak for everyone, of course, but I had a great time. I spoke to people and I signed things, and I even took part in my first ever question and answer panels. Those things are fun.

I sat on a high stool on a platform with either three of the guys, or just with Graham, and I took my turn to answer the questions posed by the audience, and there were some great questions, and some tough questions, and some questions that I simply had no sensible answers for. Unfortunately, having no sensible answer didn’t actually seem to prevent me from opening my mouth, but, for the audience, at least, them’s the breaks.

Adrenalin is a funny thing.

Fight, flight, freeze is one thing, but, apparently, one of the things I’m quite capable of doing when backed against a wall is talk too much... much too much. In some instances I have no clue what I said, but I do know that when it was my turn I said stuff, and, when required, I kept talking. I’m not sure I got a laugh, but I did hear someone gasp on at least one occasion.

In the middle of the experience, I really didn’t care. In fact, I rather enjoyed myself. Afterwards, I can’t tell you how grateful I was for the other guys on the panel who looked after me, covered my arse, and made sure, I’m sure, that I didn’t make a total idiot of myself. I also felt rather responsible to the audience. I do hope they got something out of the experience. I hope they got a little of what they were looking for, even if it wasn’t from me.

I sat in on some of the other panels while I was at the Expo, and there’s a real art to performing well on those things, an art that the other guys have learned over long years of experience. Watching the husband is like taking a masterclass.

Can I just say, though, that while some of the questions are well-considered and transparent, others are broad and open-ended and take a hell of a lot of interpreting. That’s OK... of course it is, and, for the panelists, it’s a good thing, because it gives us a chance to give the answers we’d like to give. However, if you get the chance to ask a question in a panel at one of these events and you’re looking for very specific advice, please word your question very carefully. We aim to please, so please help us to do that. I, for one, am apt to bibble, otherwise... and that ain’t pretty.

If you were in Chestermere last weekend, thank you so much for attending the Expo and making my time there so much fun. I do hope we’ll meet again some day.

1 comment:

  1. I for one thought you and the gang were wonderful! Thank you for a very pleasnt conversation and i hope the flight back was good. Church.

    ReplyDelete