Jessica Brawner - Charisma +1: The Guide to Convention Etiquette for Gamers, Geeks & the Socially Awkward

Book Description

In D&D there are certain attributes you start with, just as in life there are certain things youre born with: Strength, Will, Charisma, Wisdom, Intelligence and Constitution. Whether youre a veteran convention attendee, a con-virgin, a volunteer, vendor or a guest, everyone can use a bump in their life stats.

Do you know what the 6-2-1 rule is? What do Barbarians and cell phones have to do with hygiene? Do you know when its okay to take a photograph? How do you flirt with that cute girl or guy across the room? Who are Booth Babes really?

In Charisma +1 you will find:

• Suggestions on how to network, flirt, and interact with attendees

• Tips for dealing with crowds, people in costume, and that weirdo that keeps following you around

• Rules for keeping yourself sane, happy and safe

• Advice on shopping, attending panels, dealing with volunteers, vendors, staff and other attendees

The Guide to Convention Etiquette for Writers, Geeks, and the Socially Awkward

Jessica Brawner

Digital Edition 2014

WordFire Press
wordfirepress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61475-219-6

Copyright 2014 Jessica Brawner

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the copyright holder, except where permitted by law. This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously.

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover painting by Anna Velichkovsky / Dollar Photo Club

Cover design by Janet McDonald
and
Art Director Kevin J. Anderson

Book Design by RuneWright, LLC
www.RuneWright.com

Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta, Publishers

Published by
WordFire Press, an imprint of
WordFire, Inc.
PO Box 1840
Monument, CO 80132

Contents

Foreword

Youre an author, congratulations! As someone just beginning an authorial career, as an established author, or as someone somewhere in between, writing a book is a huge accomplishment, but writing the book is only halfway to success. Now that the book is written it has to get out the adoring public.

At some point most successful authors end up selling their work in person. Many authors attend conventions to showcase their efforts to a variety of different audiences and build fan base. As an author, you will (oh the horror!) have to deal with people, which can be difficult for individuals (like writers) who are frequently and naturally introverted.

Charisma +1 was originally aimed at both fans and professionals in the science fiction/fantasy convention arena (hence the references throughout the book to Dungeons and Dragons), however the advice you will find within translates across genres. Its really a book about getting along happily in stressful, crowded situations, with tips and suggestions for how to talk to people in a variety of settings.

As an author, understanding your primary market, and understanding how to talk and relate with them increases the odds of being successful in your endeavors. It will help with selling more books, interacting with organizers, being invited to appear on more panels, and networking with other professionals. Particularly, understanding how to deal with the socially awkward, will make your life and their life easier.

This book is intended to help everyone, the socially awkward, shy and uncertain people within our midst as well as the more socially aware who may be intimidating without realizing it. Writers who want to please their fans need to understand them; understand how to talk to them in person; and understand what some of the good rules of behavior encompass. This basic primer should get you off on the right foot, and help keep you happy, healthy and sane at the same time. Best of luck in your all your endeavors!

Introduction

In D&D there are certain attributes you start with, just as in life there are certain things youre born with: Strength, Will, Dexterity, Charisma, Wisdom, Intelligence and Constitution. Whether you do well or not in your class depends on how many skill points you drop into something, and how well you roll. In life, you gain skill points by practicing and trying new things. When you increase your level, you get to increase your stats.

Charisma plays a large part in life, though in D&D it is sometimes seen as a useless skill. While I cant promise this book will help prevent every faux pas there is, or overcome all social anxieties, it will point out some of the unspoken social rules and provide guidelines for interacting with other convention attendees. There are also tips on how to keep yourself safe; appropriate rules of behavior for a variety of situations; information on how to start conversations; a primer on flirting and how to network; and suggestions on keeping yourself healthy and relatively sane during the course of the convention.

At the time of this writing I have been attending and working at Science Fiction/Fantasy/Comic conventions for about fifteen years (and gaming for longer than that). Its not how I make my living, but it is something I have always greatly enjoyed. The interactions between fans, guests and the general public are fascinating, as is the interplay between the different fandoms.

Working at conventions is in and of itself a unique experience that, for me, has frequently involved ten to fifteen hour days spent talking with convention goers, setting up booths, keeping track of panel and performance schedules, and selling merchandise. It has also involved learning what items are most useful to have on hand and which behaviors are best suited to the convention (and which are not). This environment helped me change from socially awkward and introverted, to vivacious and able to carry on conversation with total strangers. I hope my experiences can point you in the right direction to a more fulfilling convention weekend.

The past several years have seen an increase in the convention-going population. In response, the blogosphere has been shining a spotlight on some of the inappropriate behaviors that can occur. (Sadly they rarely cover the appropriate ones.) In an ideal world, everyone would already know how to behave in every social situation. Of course then life would be boring and we wouldnt have conventions that present us with unique social challenges.

I wanted to provide bits of advice on how to navigate through and survive some of the peculiar situations and denizens that you, the hearty adventurer, may encounter. This is a guidebook or cheat-sheet for some of the more common situations that science fiction and fantasy conventions present to attendees, professionals, volunteers and staff.

This is by no means a comprehensive book on social behavior, just a primer on how to make everyones convention smoother, easier, safer, more fulfilling, and most of all: fun! You may encounter a few terms that you are unfamiliar with throughout the book. If you do, please consult the glossary!

People from across the spectrum of the convention were consulted on which topics to include. If after reading this book you have additional topics to suggest, questions, or comments please feel free to contact me at charisma@lifestats.org