Advice To A Con Virgin
ENTRY #37
0908.31
Two or three weeks ago, Diana Peterfreund (dpeterfreund) announced on her blog that she would be attending this year's DragonCon. She will be on at least one panel (on writing for the YA market), and will be sharing a booth with a number of other writers, where she will be signing copies of her latest novel, Rampant.
I gave her some advice in a couple of comments at the time. Since then, a few other things occurred to me, especially since this will be her first SF/fantasy convention of any kind. Rrather than go back and comment on that earlier entry of hers, though, I decided to present my advice here:
Advice To A Con Virgin
Diana: Your first convention experience is going to be a bit different than mine. If for no other reason, I attended my first convention as a fan, while you will be attending your first as a Filthy Pro. (Don't worry, that is a term of affection.) But I think there are a few things that will apply to anyone attending their first SF convention.
The first thing to keep in mind is that you will not be able to see or do everything that you would like to see or do. This is especially true for a convention the size of DragonCon. Inevitably, you will find two panels that you want to see that are scheduled opposite each other, or you will be on a panel at the same time as another panel you wanted to see. (In 1995, my friend Tim Lane was was scheduled for two different panels at the same time. He picked the panel that interested him more. I'm hoping that the scheduling people at DragonCon have become a little better since then.)
I know that I've already mentioned this, but it bears repeating: DragonCon is big -- really, really BIG. You're probably going to be doing a lot of walking, so be sure to bring some comfortable shoes.
Another thing I know I've already told you is to keep in mind the 5-2-1 Rule. Every day of the convention, you need at the very least the following:
5 hours of sleep -- DragonCon will run nonstop from the time Registration opens on Friday until the dead dog party sometime Monday. Remember Amy's inability to pull all-nighters, and consider what she would do if she was attending. (And by any chance did this particular attribute come from personal experience?)
2 meals of real food -- The munchies in the consuite do not qualify as adequate meals, only as snacks. The concom will likely be putting out a guide to restaurants in the area around the convention. Study it carefully. In an effort to have more money for the dealers room or art show, some fans will have the bright idea of not budgeting for meals, relying on the consuite or whatever is being served at the various room parties for sustenence. This is rarely a good idea.
And finally, the most important part of the 5-2-1 Rule,
1 shower -- For reasons known only to Ghu and Roscoe (or to Persephone, if you prefer), there are some fen who will consider it a point of honor not to shower during the entirety of a convention. You will be aware of their presence soon enough. It will be memorable, but not in the good way.
From what you've said, you'll be behind the table during most of the day. Be sure to take at least some time to go through both the dealers room and the art show. But it might be a good idea to set yourself a limit on how much you're going to spend, and stick to it.
Introduce yourself to the other writers attending. Yeah, I think you already know about the whole networking thing. But Rampant's publication makes you eligible for SFWA membership, and you should be able to find out from at least one of the writers in attendance what you need to do to join. I would definitely recommend introducing yourself to Lois McMaster Bujold and Mike Resnick. I know both of them fairly well, and they're both nice people.
This is something else that I that I may have mentioned, but since you will be behind the table most of the day, business casual is probably the best. If you're bringing a costume, save it for the evening. A possible exception to this suggestion would be if you're planning to dress up as Astrid.
As for costumes, keep in mind that no matter how fabulous a costume you might have, someone is quite likely to have a more fabulous costume. And some people will do their best to push the envelope with how . . . out of the ordinary their costumes are, This is known as "freaking the mundanes," and is celebrated in this filk:
http://www.dragon-sea.net/songs.php?song=mundanes
You will be seeing plenty of guys in kilts. And if you're in the Marriott lobby at midnight, you will see a young woman wielding a leafblower. This will be Jennie Breeden of the webcomic The Devil's Panties. She does this every year. I think she has even produced a couple of calendars with the photos taken during these sessions.
Be careful at any of the evening room parties. Some of the people like getting creative with the drinks they serve. Some of these drinks can be the equivalent of having an anvil dropped on your head. If you're unsure, ask first.
Pomegranate juice stains. Oh, wait. That's something that I learned from you.
Bring plenty of business cards to hand out, and something to hold the cards that you might collect.
Be sure to check the freebie table.
I guess what I'm saying can be boiled down to this: Use a little common sense. Pace yourself. And don't forget to take a shower.
-30-
0908.31
Two or three weeks ago, Diana Peterfreund (dpeterfreund) announced on her blog that she would be attending this year's DragonCon. She will be on at least one panel (on writing for the YA market), and will be sharing a booth with a number of other writers, where she will be signing copies of her latest novel, Rampant.
I gave her some advice in a couple of comments at the time. Since then, a few other things occurred to me, especially since this will be her first SF/fantasy convention of any kind. Rrather than go back and comment on that earlier entry of hers, though, I decided to present my advice here:
Advice To A Con Virgin
Diana: Your first convention experience is going to be a bit different than mine. If for no other reason, I attended my first convention as a fan, while you will be attending your first as a Filthy Pro. (Don't worry, that is a term of affection.) But I think there are a few things that will apply to anyone attending their first SF convention.
The first thing to keep in mind is that you will not be able to see or do everything that you would like to see or do. This is especially true for a convention the size of DragonCon. Inevitably, you will find two panels that you want to see that are scheduled opposite each other, or you will be on a panel at the same time as another panel you wanted to see. (In 1995, my friend Tim Lane was was scheduled for two different panels at the same time. He picked the panel that interested him more. I'm hoping that the scheduling people at DragonCon have become a little better since then.)
I know that I've already mentioned this, but it bears repeating: DragonCon is big -- really, really BIG. You're probably going to be doing a lot of walking, so be sure to bring some comfortable shoes.
Another thing I know I've already told you is to keep in mind the 5-2-1 Rule. Every day of the convention, you need at the very least the following:
5 hours of sleep -- DragonCon will run nonstop from the time Registration opens on Friday until the dead dog party sometime Monday. Remember Amy's inability to pull all-nighters, and consider what she would do if she was attending. (And by any chance did this particular attribute come from personal experience?)
2 meals of real food -- The munchies in the consuite do not qualify as adequate meals, only as snacks. The concom will likely be putting out a guide to restaurants in the area around the convention. Study it carefully. In an effort to have more money for the dealers room or art show, some fans will have the bright idea of not budgeting for meals, relying on the consuite or whatever is being served at the various room parties for sustenence. This is rarely a good idea.
And finally, the most important part of the 5-2-1 Rule,
1 shower -- For reasons known only to Ghu and Roscoe (or to Persephone, if you prefer), there are some fen who will consider it a point of honor not to shower during the entirety of a convention. You will be aware of their presence soon enough. It will be memorable, but not in the good way.
From what you've said, you'll be behind the table during most of the day. Be sure to take at least some time to go through both the dealers room and the art show. But it might be a good idea to set yourself a limit on how much you're going to spend, and stick to it.
Introduce yourself to the other writers attending. Yeah, I think you already know about the whole networking thing. But Rampant's publication makes you eligible for SFWA membership, and you should be able to find out from at least one of the writers in attendance what you need to do to join. I would definitely recommend introducing yourself to Lois McMaster Bujold and Mike Resnick. I know both of them fairly well, and they're both nice people.
This is something else that I that I may have mentioned, but since you will be behind the table most of the day, business casual is probably the best. If you're bringing a costume, save it for the evening. A possible exception to this suggestion would be if you're planning to dress up as Astrid.
As for costumes, keep in mind that no matter how fabulous a costume you might have, someone is quite likely to have a more fabulous costume. And some people will do their best to push the envelope with how . . . out of the ordinary their costumes are, This is known as "freaking the mundanes," and is celebrated in this filk:
http://www.dragon-sea.net/songs.php?song=mundanes
You will be seeing plenty of guys in kilts. And if you're in the Marriott lobby at midnight, you will see a young woman wielding a leafblower. This will be Jennie Breeden of the webcomic The Devil's Panties. She does this every year. I think she has even produced a couple of calendars with the photos taken during these sessions.
Be careful at any of the evening room parties. Some of the people like getting creative with the drinks they serve. Some of these drinks can be the equivalent of having an anvil dropped on your head. If you're unsure, ask first.
Pomegranate juice stains. Oh, wait. That's something that I learned from you.
Bring plenty of business cards to hand out, and something to hold the cards that you might collect.
Be sure to check the freebie table.
I guess what I'm saying can be boiled down to this: Use a little common sense. Pace yourself. And don't forget to take a shower.
-30-