[Writing Post][Conventions] FenCon Part 2
My last post seemed to scare the bejeezus out of some folks. Let me ‘splain…no, it will take too long, let me sum up…
I’m not giving up Guest Relations permanently, not even with FenCon. I’m just not going to be in charge. Guest Relations is not just something I do, it’s part of my personality – as evidenced by the Greg Grungberg story. I can’t NOT do it in some capacity.
As for the rest of FenCon, it’s an awesome time. I loved the Yard Dog Press Road Show. We did a parody of Naked and Afraid, with bubble wrap for pixilation over clothes (yeah, I’m getting the credit/blame for that). But it was hysterical because we have MAD IMPROV skillz now.
Naked and Afraid Parody – photo by Michael Braun
Thanks to everyone who came to the Redheads 10th Anniversary party/panel. I managed to get into the dress (with help from friends) that I bought without trying on because it was $6 at Goodwill and stunning. Couldn’t breathe well, but we all suffer for our art, right? And I looked darned good as the Center Square in FenCon Squares the hour before.
ROTA 10th Anniversary – photo by John Husisian
I got to change back to “me†clothes before the Star Trek panel I was on. Which was fun. A short break before FenCon’s SMALLEST art and charity auction to date. We were done with everything – including sitting around nattering by 9 pm. But that’s when stuff got real. Started feeling bad. Made it to a couple of things before saying, “NO! No more!†– the stomach bug hit fast and hard. According to Sherri Dean, I went from fine to pale to green in about 10 minutes.
FenCon Squares – photo by Michael Braun
Sunday I did somethings I’ve never done. I cancelled coffee delivery, and I bailed on my SECOND Star Trek panel. I did my solo signing and my reading (because those can directly sell books). I had lovely conversations, and to date I haven’t seen a record of sharing the bug. I had to do the reading because it was my Ed story, and it was kind of a final FenCon farewell to him. Robyn was in the front row. Other friends who knew him better were there. I broke down toward the end and nearly didn’t make it through my own story. But I’m a pro, darn it! I did it!
I also handed off my end of con duties to next year’s Guest Relations director and stopped. I was put to bed about 7 pm on Sunday and passed out until nearly 7 am the next morning. I don’t give up responsibility easily, and I’m happy for the slack being taken on my behalf. Next year, my duties will be a lot more passive and pre-show. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do more writerly panels and enjoy it more.
The people are always great. So many people asked how my writing is going, what I’m working on, how we can do things better as a writing community. So now, it’s time to make it all work. Deadlines, darn it! I haz them! Time to do something about them, think about some future projects. I have nothing on my event calendar until December, which makes me super happy. Time for a refresh and kick start to the productivity.