Friday, September 23, 2016

The Come Down

The downside of posting on Friday is, you've probably heard everything about Boucher Con you're willing to hear, so I actually have to come up with something to say, rather than reminiscing about a great weekend filled with great writers. I thought I could talk a little about the "come down" that inevitably happens to me after conferences.

First, I have a confession to make:

I am an extrovert, and I don't drink very much.

I know I've just shattered the writer archetype, but it's who I am. I thrive on social interaction, and I love being around people. Whether it's sitting in the LitReactor booth at AWP, talking to anyone who will listen, or hanging out in New Orleans with all my favorite writer friends - I am in my element.

I do, however, drink a lot more in these fun party settings.

So Monday morning I woke up at 7 am, in my own bed, and set to getting the kid ready for school. My husband went back to work, and I found myself at home, exhausted, a little hungover, and alone.

I know a lot of people have written about how Boucher really got them excited to get to work, write as many words as possible, and read everything they can get their hands on - and that's fucking amazing. For me, it's a more uphill battle. I don't think I could have survived another day of drinking and walking those uneven sidewalks, but the absence of 1800 people to bullshit with is palpable.

I've already promised myself I'm going to make the drive to LA more often, to see all the Southern California writers I got to spend time with over the weekend, and I even started logging into Twitter more often. I know for a lot of people, more social media is definitely not the answer, but for me, if I don't get that charge from awesome people, I wilt.

The challenge is to get the charge without screwing up the time management, and it's always a little harder post-conference. As I'm writing this, it's Thursday and I've started to get back into the swing, upping my productivity outside of my daily tasks at Dirge Magazine and LitReactor where stuff has to get done regardless of how I feel. Maybe next week I'll hit full stride again.

In the meantime, I'd love for all my writer friends to share their California events with me so I know where to go to see your beautiful faces.