Con-goers Enjoy Bravarian Cosplay At This Year's Inaugural "Lederhosen Punk" Convention
I can’t decide which fate would be worse: being “left behind” during the End Times Rapture, or staying home during a weekend when it seems like just about everyone is going to a spec fic convention. I have no experience (yet) with the former, so my money’s on the latter.
After all, chances are nobody is going to be making you feel all bummed out about all the fun you’re missing by sending tweets from the Pearly Gates. But on any given weekend from May until November, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube (that unholiest of trinities) will always be buzzing with news of the latest outrageous con hijinks. It’s enough to make even a saint turn green with envy. And I don’t know about you, but I ain’t no saint.
So what’s a writer (or for that matter, fan) to do? With the recession and all, money’s tight. Authors need to do a lot of thinking about which venues are likely to result in the greatest bang for their buck. Which cons reflect the pond you want to swim in? Which cons give you the best chance to share your latest publications with fans? As for fans (who can’t even deduct con-expenses from their taxes), the money crunch can be even worse. Unless you’ve abandoned your day job and decided to follow Brian Keene or Maurice Broaddus from con to con like a spec fic Deadhead, there’s no way to go to all the events you’d like to.
What to do? Here’s my modest list of survival strategies. Feel free to add more in the comments section!
Survival Strategy #1: Rationalization.
Rationalization is the process in which you convince yourself that those attending the con really didn’t have that good of a time. For example you might say to yourself “True, I don’t have any happy memories of GhostyFest 2010 to cherish along with everyone else, but then again, I heard that everyone there was so trashed that they don’t have any memories of it, either!” Or, perhaps you’ll remind yourself that the internet gossip says that the hotel wasn’t big enough, so you probably wouldn’t have liked it anyway. Or that (insert name of Guest of Honor), was really just a big jerk/bitch.
Rationalization works best for those with a penchant for bitterness. But fear not, if you’re one of the un-bitter, there’s still hope for you in strategies #2 and #3.
Survival Strategy #2: Find Local Peeps To Hang With
While cons are great fun, I find that some of the best times I have hanging with genre folk is in a more laid-back setting. Get to know people in your local area. Hang out with them, and you’ll soon realize that you can have con-sized fun without the con-sized price tag – no plane ticket or hotel reservation needed. Besides those economic advantages, the other plus to this approach is that it fosters the development of authentic friendships. After all, these are the folks in your community. The folks that you have a chance to see over and over again. Go to lunch. Have them over to your house for a get-together. Go see movies together. True, it’s unlikely that Bruce Campbell or Reggie Bannister are going to be making an appearance at the local Thai place, but if you can live with that, this survival strategy is for you.
Survival Strategy #3: Positive Reinforcement
This strategy is probably the most fun of all of them, but is a bit more complicated (it has to be broken into multiple steps). Step 1: In the company of your spouse/partner, log onto your online banking website. Step 2: Point to the balance, and remark on how much money you saved by skipping the con, even though you really wanted to go. Step 3: Use Step 2 as leverage to go on a shopping spree at your local bookstore or Amazon.com, being careful to spend just a tiny bit less money than you would have if you’d gone to the con. Step 4: Bask in the glow of martyrdom.
I’m sure there’s more where that came from. So c’mon folks. What works for you? How do you make it through the weekends when you just know genre folk everywhere are having more fun than you are?
