As you can tell, ALL of the SIX Risky Regencies are in San Francisco at the RWA National Convention.
There have been excellent workshops, squee-worthy author sightings, some lovely gowns (and pantaloons! Go Amanda!) and the occasional cocktail. Ahem.
But I am not here today to talk about the fun we’re having.
No, as is my wont, I am here to talk about dealing with things that are outside of our normal ken–in my case, dealing with loads of people.
I live in Brooklyn, New York, a city that is quite bustling. I see many different types of people during the course of my daily routine. But, and this is the difference between my usual routine and now, I DON’T SAY HI TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM.
Nor do I have to look and act friendly. Or look good, if I don’t want to.
But here? Here I am wearing my sartorial best, each and every day, wearing make-up each and every day, smiling, saying hi, remembering people’s names and what genres they write, each and ever day.
It’s exhausting. And draining for someone as introverted as me.
But Conference–and its accompanying sturm und drang–comes but once a year. Like Christmas. A gynecological exam. A birthday.
So I remind myself that this is my community, I can suck it up for just a few more days, and I sneak up to the room for naps and alone time.
But I look forward to being back in New York City, where I can finally be alone.
What about you–do you need alone time? Or thrive on company? And do you have any tricks for remembering people’s name without having to stare at the nametag on their chest?
PS: The pic is relevant in that it is a small crowd, but more to the point, has the heroes of both my WIPs–Djimon Hounsou and Sean Bean–together. How cool is that?
I love conference and I adore meeting new people and seeing people in person whom I’ve met over the net. But I do need to sneak back to my room once in a while to recover and give my facial muscles a rest! I totally understand what you mean.
Any post which includes a photo of both Djimon Hounsou and Sean Bean is a good post in my mind.
As for your reactions to attending RWA, I think that may be the natural response of an introvert. My son Noah, also an introvert by nature, liked playing with his friends, but he often needed a nap afterwards. My son Michael, most definitely an extrovert, would come home from one play date and want to immediately go out on another. I think that’s the difference between introverts and extroverts: both may play well with others, but for introverts social interactions require energy and for the extroverts they create it.
Definitely cool.
I also need alone time, tiring easily. My brothers always harassed me about not going out enough.
For remember names, I write them down, but if I don’t use them, I forget. I’ve also tried finger spelling them (with the idea that my muscles will remember), but it only helps me short term. I have found that most people don’t mind simply being asked again and many are relieved because they couldn’t remember either.
~Judy T
I ADORE NATIONAL. And I adored meeting each and every one of the Riskies. Megan is totally so not the introvert she makes you believe she is. She’s classy, fun, and an altogether nice person.
Keira wrote:
Megan is totally so not the introvert she makes you believe she is. She’s classy, fun, and an altogether nice person.
Hmm. Are you implying that introverts are not nice people? Or not classy? Or just not fun? 🙂
Introverts of the world, unite! Or, well, unite a bit, and then go and lie down quietly and read for a while to recover.
Todd-who-will-go-lie-down-now