Convention Recap: Dragon Con 2024 - A Struggle with Balance (Still)

Last year I talked about how I struggled (and failed) to maintain a proper balance between my 'job' and my friends at Dragon Con. How in my first year of transitioning from attendee to attending 'faux' I didn't spend nearly the time I wanted with my friends, and how I wanted to do better.

This year as an Attending Pro, I think I didn't really do much better.

I did try though.

And I can see how it might be better next year.

But lets talk about it. This year my friend group mostly all arrived on Wednesday, though all off site. The LadyWife and I rode in, set up in the vendor hall, then ubered to an offsite hotel for Wednesday night, then ubered back on Thursday morning in time to go get badges. Once that was done, we mostly just hung loose. I did a little Westin bar'ing. But mostly we just hung out. We got dinner together at the Hard Rock. We went walking and did a little bit of people watching.

But several of my friends are actual heroes, and donated blood right before dinner. So they (wisely) didn't want to go too hard in the paint on Thursday night. And...I didn't realize that was going to be pretty much my only chance to actually hang out with my people at length. I thought there would be times, but they were at most fleeting. I got to grab breakfast with most of them Friday morning, and super with a lot of them Sunday night. I got to go to one panel with some of them. Of course throughout they would pop into some of my panels, or the Gather. And I would catch them here and there for some small hangs, like on late Saturday night. But that was such a tiny fraction of time really. I knew that Saturday was going to be so busy I wouldn't really see them. I didn't expect Friday and Sunday to play out mostly the same way though.

I won't lie, it sucked not getting to hang like we used to. And it's absolutely not on them, this is all me. I'm trying to grow my career, and Dragon comes but once a year. So I have to jump on chances as they come...but fuck me it blows not being there when the inside jokes are made.

Last year I said I was going to try to do better this year. And I did set out to do better, I just failed. Honestly though I didn't really plan on how, I just tried to wing it. But next year, I think I have a plan:

We've all decided that we are going to stay on site Wednesday night next year, together. So Wednesday and Thursday I will get to hang out a bunch. And then I probably am not going to do the Gather. I loved slinging books, and we all know I love me some money. But being tied to one single event for essentially 5 hours (with setup) on Friday night...it was too much. I'd rather do a panel or two, and hang with folks between. And if I can, I am going to try to frontload my signing times more on Friday, and less so on Saturday and Sunday. I will make less money doing so, probably.

But you know what? This is my job, but not my livelihood.

When I am 80, I won't remember how much I sold at the Gather.

But I will remember that year I didn't get to see my non-author friends.

And I never want there to be another one of those.