Every time I leave the con, I feel like I can write again. I’m inspired and motivated, encouraged by those who have succeeded.
The con, for those of you who can’t make sense of it, is CONduit. For me, this year. In past years, it has been Bubonicon, Torcon, Marcon… These are science fiction conventions. Most of them are SF&F, science fiction and fantasy.
They are portrayed in the media as gatherings of weirdos in costume, as places where badly-dressed people meet. The local papers send someone out to do an interview – they don’t get a membership, they just talk to one person, and it never portrays the beauty of the con.
The essence of the con is the mingling of many viewpoints, the sharing and learning that goes on. You might think it is all about parading around looking like someone else, but when you enter a panel, all that is left behind.
Sure, you might have to move to see around a set of wings, but now you are in with your people: smart, curious, opinionated, and brave. You listen to your favorite authors read their work and share their experiences, you can ask questions of an editor or publisher, you might learn about or play with a new technology. It is almost never boring. These are people who know how to be creative, to appreciate it in others, who have a sense of humor and a sense of the absurd.
And everyone there is at least a little brave. Even those who don’t dress up or get up in front of an audience – we are brave because we are there, at a science fiction convention. People will give us funny looks when we tell them where we are going. We might end up alone there because nobody else in our family gets it. Although, to be sure, there are whole families who attend together and that is more the rule than the exception. Because once you go, you get hooked, and there is pretty much something for everyone.
Those costumes aren’t just bought off the rack: they are hand-made, often one-of-a-kind creations that win prizes at different levels in costuming contests. There is some serious artistry going on, and some incredible respect earned by those who put in the time and effort. And as a member, you can see them up close, admire the work.
There are artists of another kind, the ones that make more traditional art: paintings, sculptures, drawings. Their work is published as book covers, graphic novels, figurines used in role-playing games, etc. You can meet them and learn how they do what they do.
I learned how to make a mini folded choose-your-own-adventure. I drew a costume design from pattern books. I sat in on a group role-playing game and sang songs during the breaks. I looked through night-vision goggles. I learned about the 8 character archetypes, running a successful writing group, what makes suspense work, and how you can publish and promote your own e-book. I tried but didn’t come up with a three-sentence story I liked enough to submit to the contest. I learned why someone might think that romance with a vampire would be sexy. I started writing a puppet story. I learned that a character in one of my stories might be overstepping class boundaries. I went to a reading by an author who is in grad school and heard something I wanted to read, but there aren’t any plans to publish it yet.
It’s inspiring.
It makes you hope that some day you can make a living doing what you love.
And it makes me smile.
It’s been a couple of weeks, and I needed this reminder. So easy to get caught up in the routine and forget the puppet story. 🙂 Time to play…