I registered today for Wiscon! I even put in to be on a panel! Yeah, the panel isn't related to writing craft and such, but I still think there is a multitude of writers out there who know much more than I do about any and all of those panel topics. I'd rather listen to them than myself.
Ya know what else is cool? There are panels specific to self-publishing, and I didn't see a single one with a title akin to, "Is it real?" or "Is it a good choice?" or "Will it ruin your career?" It simply is. Nice.
I mentioned on Twitter that I didn't do much in the way of connecting with folks when I went to Wiscon years ago, and I mentioned that result was deliberate. And then I realized why I like traveling alone.
I am an outgoing introvert. Sounds like a contradiction, yes? It is. I can quite easily spend a few days on my own, with minimal small-talk conversation undertaken with strangers. I can easily show up to teach an all-day seminar, and interact with the attendees for a few hours after. The first is natural, the second was a learned ability, but I do enjoy both.
But that first part--spending days alone--is almost impossible to come by in real life. I'm a mother. I teach. I have friends who deserve interaction. I've community responsibilities. If I want to spend a day hiding in my home, or if I don't seem to be chatty, people start to worry, assume I'm depressed, or think I'm upset.
But when I go somewhere else, no one gives a damn if I don't say a single word for days. No one gets concerned. No one wants a reason. And if someone thinks I'm acting all strange, they'll tell their own friends rather than ask me to explain.
Before Dev came along, I'd take myself camping somewhere in the California mountains or deserts. There was nothing so wonderful as that aloneness.
Travelling by myself is my ultimate introvert indulgence.
But this time! I'm meeting up with Viable Paradise folks (some of whom already experienced my "sometimes I'll disappear at the end of the day" tendencies), and am looking forward to it more than you can imagine.
Even introvert-travel doesn't sound so wonderful as that--likely because I've felt so creatively-lonely for so very long in this town. (And there's a topic I might write of someday: How Small Town Folks Tend To Think You're Stupid If You Don't Have A "Normal" Job.)
If you're going to Wiscon, let me know!
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