ericdontigney
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Update: Dragon Con Post Mortem
🕑 Added 2024-09-04 19:31:55 +0000 UTCSo, I finally got home yesterday evening, lasted long enough to unpack my car, and sat down on the couch. That was all she wrote. The next thing I knew, it was morning.
All in all, my publisher seemed happy with the results of Dragon Con, so I'm calling it a win. Not gonna lie, I did a lot of fake it 'til you make it during the convention. I honestly think I spoke out loud more in those five days than I did the entire previous year.
There were upsides. I got to meet a few people who only existed as online entities to me before. I think I made a few new fans. One guy I met in the hotel laundry room actually turned up at my publisher's booth and bought my book. I wasn't there, but it was still a cool turn of events.
On the downside, i definitely caught con-plague. It was almost unavoidable. I think I personally interacted with a couple hundred people. I had tenuous contact with thousands. My immune system is pretty good, but that's asking a bit much of anyone's immune response. Hence, I drove home yesterday with a fever, a persistent hacking cough, and a perma-migraine. I had to pull over and sleep a couple times so I wasn't a danger on the road. That turned an 8 hour drive into a 12 hour slog.
I'm feeling a bit better today. The hacking cough is mostly gone, at any rate. I don't think I'm running a fever anymore, but the migraine is still in place. I'm going to take something for the migraine and hope it works better today than it did yesterday. If it does, I will try to get a chapter out tonight. If it doesn't, there will definitely be fresh Unintended Cultivator tomorrow.
Despite my fervent desire to never, ever, ever go to Dragon Con again, I tentatively agreed to do it again next year. While it was exactly what I expected it to be, and I was horribly uncomfortable with just about everything, I recognize that it was almost certainly good for the series, my career, and my publisher. So, plan accordingly if that matters to you.
Comments
Nim
Yeaaaaah, after walking in the parade I didn't have an hour of standing in line in me.
Emily Gurnavage
Rip =( (Tyvm for the 4 chapter drop)
Eric Dontigney
I hand sanitized pretty regularly.
Eric Dontigney
Yeah, talking publicly is stressful. It’s worse with strangers.
Eric Dontigney
I actually had to stand in that line one of the days because reasons. It did take most of an hour to get inside.
Eric Dontigney
No lie.
Eric Dontigney
I’m too old for that kind of thing anyway. The only things I want to be doing at that hour are sleeping or writing.
Kreylix
Haha, sounds like you failed to go to the yearly Crüxshadows concert (1:30am, I think, last night of show). That was your big chance to restore a massive amount of qi. https://open.spotify.com/artist/64gvvAW80lNmO2Srd0I3MK?si=k6SXI0ydTsWstRzrGTkY_w
Angela Roberts
Leveling up! Congrats. And take it easy!
Keegan Moss
This is why you need that 6 energy body that sen has
Scott, just Scott
You could hire a method actor to impersonate you at conventions. Win-win!
Emily Gurnavage
Con-plague, ew lol. Idk what precautions you may or may not have taken, but perhaps next year/time try lots and lots of hand sanitizer if you didn't? A mask would ruin too much of the fun of meeting someone famous I think, but hand san aint bad.
Nim
Meant to come see you and didn't make it because the line to get into the Mart looked like 45 minutes in the sun. Congratulations on your survival!
Matt Schmauss
Glad to see you level up. I’m an introvert who worked his way into a Director position. I hated every moment of having to talk in front of people. On calls or in person. So I feel your pain. And fake it till you make it is a valid strategy 😎
Sean C Jackson
Congratulations you have advanced
