The seventh edition of the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Con is now history and after a couple of days the exhaustion is easing up. Still, there’s no denying that running a conference of this type is among the most rewarding, most empowering, and most exhausting things a writer can do.
Planning an event like this is a year-long effort. Dealing with the hotel is probably the worst of it – someone has to figure out what rooms you need when, plan meals, get coffee and bars in the right places and provide for security. We have to wrangle the keynote speakers- get them to commit, then get them to the event and to their individual presentations. On a lesser scale the same for local guests. Attendees have to be registered, money accounted for and panels thought up, set up, and staffed. We assemble an anthology, build a program book and run a twitter contest. And there’s more.
But how rewarding it is! To hear two great keynote addresses, do great author interviews and sit in on amusing, educational and moving panels. To get heaped with praise by the attendees. To see the faces of writers being asked to sign one of their books (in some cases for the first time.) To hear writers who have been to Bouchercon, Thrillerfest or other major events say that this is their favorite Con. And best of all, to make new friends, not just of superstar authors, but also newly emerging authors and aspiring writers who get inspired by the whole event.
And anything you accomplish on a large scale is empowering, right? What a feeling, to sit in the bar with New York Times bestsellers and hear their anecdotes. To look at a banquet hall full of smiling faces and be able to say, “WE did this!” When it comes off well, when the schedule works, the book signings are successful, the readings at Noir at the Bar bring people to their feet… it can give you the feeling that you can do anything!
Which may be the most important thing writers get from the C3 Con. Hearing David Mack say “The secret is simple…run your own race, don’t quit, and be kind.” John Gilstrap told us that “Failure cannot be inflicted, it can only be declared.” I a sense our Con is rewarding and exhausting for us, but empowering for every writer who attends.