Good afterevenmorn!

I am writing this post rather late, having just woken up from the longest sleep in the history of sleeps following my last convention of the year. Actually, my only convention of the year. I don’t really count Ottawa ComicCon. Anyway, I digress.

As always, I found it a great time.

Now, I have never attended this convention just as an attendee. I have always, since I started going, had a table in the vendor’s room. I have a living to try and make, after all. I’m also extremely introverted; and quickly run out of batteries (or spoons if you prefer) when surrounded by a lot of people and noise, so I am usually utterly unable to do much real socializing. As a result, I don’t really have an attendee’s view of the convention. I have a vendor/participant’s view, which is slightly different.

I began this convention a little more exhausted than usual. I have, in the last three years, offered Can*Con a painting for them to have for a silent auction as a means of raising a little extra funds for the convention. Working two paid jobs, and having a number of other projects on the go, plus my crippling inability to deal well with crowds of people means that I have neither the time nor the ability to be a volunteer. But I still want to help, and so I approached the chair of the convention to ask if I could donate art and see if that might be useful. It was graciously accepted and so I’ve done it ever since. This year’s piece, thanks to having next to no time to do anything, really, remained unfinished the night before the convention, so I stayed up very late to get it completed.

It’s just like my high school assignments…

Anyway, I did manage to finish the piece. I hated it, of course, because for some reason, I can’t find it in me to like much of what I paint. But it was kindly accepted all the same, and ended up doing alright in the end. Here’s a very bad photo of the piece, in case you’re interested:

Incidentally, I don’t hate it as much as I did at the beginning, though I still think it could have been so much better. Also, as I didn’t have time to take a proper photograph of it, there won’t be any prints available of this one. The original is all there ever will be on that paining.

So I was already absolutely knackered by the time the convention began that very evening. It’s not the optimal way to begin a convention, and I don’t recommend it. Happily, I had a table, and it was the first day, so I could avoid swarming crowds of people pretty well. The table is a great way of creating some much-needed breathing room. I also didn’t have any panels on in the evening and could sit at the table and not stress too much.

Saturday was an absolute blur. I teach martial arts classes until mid-afternoon Saturdays, so I couldn’t attend the convention in the morning. I did manage to make arrangements so I could be away before the end of block of classes I teach and make it in time for my first panel at 2:30pm. I did make it in time, thank goodness, but I didn’t have time enough to change, and so sat on the panel in my martial arts shirt and workout pants. I must have looked a fright. It was a great panel, though! It was all about platonic tension. You know, instead of romantic or sexual. Thoroughly enjoyable, and I loved hearing the other panellists. Everyone I know is so clever.

I am very grateful that I had a table, because after finally having something to eat – a very late lunch/early dinner, I could spend some time calming down from the frantic rush of trying to be everywhere all at once. I even was able to change into proper clothing, so… yay!

That evening, Can*Con tried something relatively new. An evening of drinks and readings. There were nine readers, myself included, and we each got exactly five minutes to read a little something, while those who came to listen enjoyed a drink. I read from my free serial. There was much cursing in the bit I chose to read. I probably should have put forward a content warning or something. Oh well. I think it went alright. I was so nervous is nearly started crying at the beginning, and don’t really remember what happened while I was reading.

There was an opportunity to stay and have a few drinks and chat, which I really should have taken part in, but I was bussing home, and so very tired, and my social battery was flatter than flat, so I said a quick hello to friends after the readings ended and went straight home to bed.

Sunday was much more leisurely for me. I had an early afternoon signing slot and was on one further panel; the final panel of the day (Revenge of the Mary Sue). I could spend the majority of time at my table, which was quite the boon. I spent the downtime between chatting with people who came to my table reading. It’s the first time I have been able to sit down for any extended period of time and just… read. Not for any reason but the joy of reading. It was so pleasant. I have missed that a lot.

As far as days go, it was the most pleasant for me.

I didn’t make much in sales at all, but to be fair, I didn’t have the things on my table I wanted to have (I had so much planned, and just… no time to do it), and selling isn’t the reason I attend Can*Con in any case. It’s just an added bonus. Still, I would have loved to have those rebound books, and leather book sleeves, and dice bags and whatnot. Oh well. Maybe next year.

As a panellist, it was a fantastic convention to attend, and I had the chance to chat with so many people I adore and just never get the chance to speak with any other time of the year. The SFF community there really is something marvelous. I’m so pleased to be a part of it.

Being a vendor, I feel, was an advantage to my mental health. I had good people on either side of me, and had space enough between myself and the crowds to avoid any real threats to my sanity (for those not fortunate enough to have the table, Can*Con very wisely created a quiet room, where anyone experiencing serious overwhelm can go. It is quiet and can be such a boon. I didn’t use it this year, but definitely made use of it last year. Highly recommend a quiet room). However, it did mean that I couldn’t attend panels I was really interested in heading to.

I do wonder what it’s like to attend a convention like this just as an attendee. I suspect I’ll find out when I go to my first SFF literature convention that isn’t Can*Con, though I am planning on applying to be on panels. I’m not guaranteed a spot, so might just be completely free to attend with no commitments. I wonder what that’s like!

Conventions are a big, busy weekend full of people. They provide a wonderful forum for ideas and discussions, and for catching up with wonderful, creative people. It really is a double-edged sword, though, as these weekends are also incredibly exhausting. I spent all of today (as in the day of writing this) asleep or near enough. I really needed the rest afterwards.

I highly recommend attending conventions like this, but I would also advise that if you’re anything like me, make sure you give yourself adequate time to recover. You will need it.

Alright, I have blathered on enough, I think. I just want to say a quick thank-you to everyone involved in Can*Con this year. It really was lovely, and I’m so looking forward to next year. Right, I’m off, back to regular life. Have you been to one or many conventions? What’s your one piece of advice you’d offer newbies to the scene. Let me know in the comments!

---

When S.M. Carrière isn’t brutally killing your favorite characters, she spends her time teaching martial arts, live streaming video games, and cuddling her cat. In other words, she spends her time teaching others to kill, streaming her digital kills, and a cuddling furry murderer. Her most recent titles include Daughters of Britain, Skylark and Human. Her serial The New Haven Incident is free and goes up every Friday on her blog.