100 things #92 - Convention going

[jana_denardo]

There was a lot of angst, disappointment and giddy joy going around on my social media hang outs this past week. It was the sign ups for GRL conference which is a big one in the gay romance genre I write in. I have to say I had disappointment but not because I didn't get a featured author spot (did you see the The Big Bang Theory episode where the boys are frantically clicking on their laptops trying to get Comicon tickets? Yeah it's like that to get a spot), but because I know I can NOT go.

And for the foreseeable future I can not go. It's not a matter of money or desire. I would love to go as a supporting author or just plain guest the first time (I would hate to jump in with both feet having never been there at least once before). But my job gets in the way. And for me this sucks just a little. Certainly GRL and other conventions are not going to suddenly make me a bestseller and I can quit my day job (I'll never be able to quit that unless I write the next 50 Shades of crap, but that's a whole other conversation for another time). That said, going to these conventions is an excellent way to network with other authors (there are some I would very much like to meet.) and with fans.

However, professors don't usually get time off. It's understandable. We DO get off at least part of the summer and between semesters. Now a lot of us do research in the summer so it's not just us lounging pool side for three months. Others, like me teach in the summer too. Here's the rub: if I were an English professor, I could legitimately claim a writing convention as building my craft and making me a better professor. I'm a scientist. Want to know how gay literature relates to my job? Yeah, not much.

In theory I could burn my personal day to go but that leaves me rushing there and back again and paying a lot of money for the experience which won't be as good as it could because I don't have the time to give to it. And that's provided I can find an exercise for my students and/or someone to cover my class. Also it has to be approved before I could burn that day (granted my school wouldn't hassle me over that).

My years before teaching were spent seeing patients. Conventions doubled as vacation. Even now as a professor, they still do. I have trouble breaking that mind-set. So in my head I'm paying 400-500$ for a weekend where I see just the inside of a convention room AND I lose pay to do it. Yes, the other way to see it is doing something positive for my writing career and it's hard to get hard numbers to quantify the value of making the trip.

So I thought okay, let me try a smaller convention. I'd be a little fish in a very big pond at GRl. At least at a smaller con, I might be more noticeable. Shira Anthony mentioned one in Florida in July. I'm assuming she meant Rainbow Con and Queer SF has a table there, which is a good thing since I write genre fiction. Naturally I teach in July. I would have to miss one day of the convention because a day of summer school is like a week of regular school and I would need to be there. I'm not counting it out.

However, if anyone knows any good conventions in May/June, tell me about them please! That would be ideal for me (barring Memorial day weekend when I'm already at a science convention).

Comments

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

I miss going to conventions...

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

I've never been to an author one...okay once but it was very small.

I want it to be fun. I don't want to feel rushed or like I just spent 1500$ all told and never left the hotel

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Yes, I definitely understand that.

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

Like I said to silvrethorn, at least FL isn't new ground for me. I won't feel too bad if I don't go roaming

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Right. Though Tampa/St. Pete does have the Dali Museum. We did do that, didn't we?

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

Yes we did and thank you for reminding me. That might be worth renting a car for

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Since they do change things around annually, you'd probably see something different.

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

True. It probably won't be open sadly when I'm free. this is why I like being able to stay an extra day or two when I go to these things because if you're at the con from 8-3 or 4 then you can't do much else

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

This is definitely true.

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

I still think I need to check all this so I can go.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Definitely.

[silvrethorn.livejournal.com]

Ooo, I see several workshops at Rainbow Con I would like to go to, especially now that I have not one but two gay-couple detective teams in the works. $75 is really reasonable, too. $75 would only get you a Saturday-night banquet ticket to the Florida Writers convention, and you don't even want to know what the whole weekend costs. Too bad I probably won't be free to take an overnight trip in July. We're both out of luck where cons are concerned, aren't we?

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

It would be helpful for you too. I wish you could join me. We could have split a room. No one unfamiliar with the 1001 things a diabetic has to jam into their bodies during the course of the day and the a million times we have to pee should be forced to room with a diabetic.

No I'm sure I don't want to know. It's a tough thing getting to these cons. I STILL might make this one. Someone can take my class for a day. At least in FL I won't feel a major need to get the most out of my air fare. I lived there. It's not shiny and new to me

[silvrethorn.livejournal.com]

The workshops I'm most interested in are on Saturday and Sunday, so that would actually work if we could manage it. I have no problem sharing a room with a diabetic--as long as I stay on a paleo diet I don't pee much, so we wouldn't have to fight over the bathroom, and needles don't bother me. I stick my poor dad all the time. I hate to leave Mom home alone with Dad for two days, but at least she would be there and not at work. Nothing's certain, but we should at least try. It's a professional opportunity for both of us, and yeah, neither of us has a burning desire to go tourist and see more of where we live or lived.

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

Let me have a look at everything. Finances for my trip to San Antonio in May and if I can get someone to cover THursday

You're right it would be very good for us to be there