Before I start, I have been to one convention and one writer’s forum ever and I failed at networking dismally. I cried at both. Learn from my mistakes! This post is inspired by a similar post for a completely different target audience on the SFWA blog.
Go to the convention. You can do it. You may feel like an imposter, but there is no neon sign above your head advertising the fact. You can put yourself out there as much or as little as you want. Even if all you do is people-watch and listen to panels, I guarantee you will learn stuff.
Bring a friend or meet on there if you can. A wing-person is super helpful. But also, maybe try letting them go from time to time so you don’t use them as a wall to protect you from the new friends you meet.
Volunteer to do something before or at the convention. You’ll meet some people in a more comfortable context, you’ll feel like you’re working instead of being awkward, and you’ll be someone in-the-know.
Twitter. Seriously. Make an account if you haven’t already. Before you get there, follow people on twitter who are tweeting about going. See what you have in common. Be brave and reply. Twitter is where strangers talk all the time. And once you’ve had some interactions, you won’t be strangers if you meet at the convention.
During the convention you can tweet about something you found interesting on a panel. People will reply who you might meet as well. And if nothing else you will make the panel member’s day. The people I met at Twitter before my only convention gave me a big hug when we finally met and let me stand around being awkward with them without judging. Find those people. They are ace.
Someone is going to ask you if you are a writer and what you write. You want to make friends. That means connecting. If you mumble “fiction stuff *cough* it’s not very good though” they are probably not going to find a connection no matter how much they want to. Practise a sentence or two that tells them a little bit more. It doesn’t have to be a super smooth elevator pitch or anything and you don’t have to have been published to talk about what you write. And if you’re blanking, just make sure you ask them something at the end. Apparently other people like talking about themselves? Weird.
Something like “Sci-fi and fantasy. I’ve been playing with censorship and mental health themes lately. How about you?”
If you get invited to join a conversation or lunch/drinks, say yes. People care about including you and it doesn’t matter if they’re only doing it because they feel bad for you. That is just as good a place to start a friendship as any because you already know they are kind. You can always just sit and listen. It will be OK.
Never assume everyone is better than/more experienced than you. Life experience counts. Reading experience counts. Your opinion and your questions are valid and valuable.
Have a drink if you need to. Hell, carry a miniature hip-flask if you need to. We’re not judging.
Find a quiet place if you need to. Go for a walk. Have a little cry. You won’t be the only one (unless I’m the only one? lol). Then get back in there.
You’ve got this. You can do it. And look me up if you need an awkward person to stand with at CoNZealand. :)
Do you have any other tips?