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1 November, 2000
Imagination is a powerful thing. While I think of myself as a practical person with a healthy dose of creativity and imagination, I know that some people think of me as a hopeless daydreamer. And one of the reasons they think so is that I spend a lot of time and energy going to and helping at science fiction and furry conventions.
There are a lot of different kinds of these conventions. Many of them aren't what I call "true" conventions, they're just elaborate commercial affairs sponsored by for-profit corporations and organized by people who know nothing about the literature or history of science fiction, fantasy, et al. These are the ones that can afford to run advertisements on television, and these are the kind of "star trek conventions" that you often see being made fun of by people like Jay Leno. They're not much more than a sales room with an autograph party tacked on.
The "true" conventions are put on by the fans--a non-profit corporation or club sponsors the event and volunteers who actually collect and love the material in question do all the work. The true conventions range from very small "relaxicons" to enormous affairs that make the commercial things look like a very cheap flea market. And while the true conventions usually do have a "dealers den" or other place where people can buy books, videos, comics, and related toys, t-shirts and gee-gaws, there is a lot more emphasis on socializing, meeting creators, and most importanly (in my opinion) teaching people how to write, draw, or otherwise create their own worlds of imagination. Because "true" conventions have panels, clinics, and workshops where aspiring writers, artists, or animators can hear professionals in the field talk about the craft of creating stories or movies or books.
At the commerical cons, the only agenda of the people running the event is to extract as much money from you as possible. The only activities are those which they believe will induce you to buy more stuff. At a true con, the folks putting it on do want to break even, which includes getting enough foot traffic through the dealer's den to keep the dealers coming back year after year. But the folks who run the fan-based cons also attend the con as regular members, and they want to have fun, too. So they have things like dances and socials.
ConiFur Northwest is a "relaxicon." There will only be about three-hundred fans and pros there. And that's where I'll be this weekend. I'll spend most of each day staffing a table in the dealer's den, where the magazine I edit will be available for sale. We're doing a reading, where several of us will read aloud stories written for the magazine. I'm also giving two clinics: one on the basics of writing, the other on know how to revise your work to make it better.
The best part of any con, for me, is just getting away. Some people don't consider a con a success unless they come home with lots of things (and no money). But for me, just seeing everyone and being somewhere that I don't have to think about work, or housework, or any of the ordinary worries of life is all I need to have a successful con.
And it's not just about getting away from the house or the office. There are many ways to do that. How a con is better than those other things is the imagination thing I talked about before. At a con I am surrounded by people who like to experience the same sorts of imaginary worlds as I do. Some of them live a little deeper in those fantasies than I do. Some of them are interested in different areas of those imaginary worlds than I am. But for a few days, instead of feeling like a stranger in a strange land, I'll feel right at home. Yes, at home with the other freaks and geeks.
And the second best part of any con, are the moments when I am reminded (and it will happen sometime, I can guarantee it) that there are people in the world who are even less normal than I am. And that's almost as valuable as the feeling of belonging.
I'm sure there will be a few problems along the way. I'll get stuck talking to someone that I don't get along with or who is just scary in that schizophrenic/manic way that some fans are. But there will be fun times, too.
Someone once said that a good adventure is bad stuff happening to someone else. I try to remember that when things go awry. I think if everyone could do that more, we'd have a lot fewer grumpy people in the world.
So, in a few hours I'll be out of here. Transported to an enchanted place where the natives speak of strange things and practice quaint and sometimes bizarre customs. I shall probably eat too much junk food, stay up too late, and spend far to much time goofing off.
I'll either have a relaxing weekend or an adventure. Either way, it will be fun.
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This page is copyright 2000 by Gene Breshears. Photograph is copyright 1998 by Julie Rampke. All Rights Reserved.
