Wondercon was this past weekend - at some point I considered having a table there for Kodoja, but settled on taking it in from the floor via one-day pass and being a fan. It was my first WonderCon (though I've been to SD Comic Con before and exhibited at APE San Francisco). While it's only in its second year in Anaheim, I was impressed - it's smoothly run, really big (compared to every con that's not San Diego or New York) and chock full of vendors, panels and plenty of other good things.
While the stuff I expected to enjoy was great, it was the pleasant surprise of the day that reminded me why I love going to conventions. I reached my spending budget by 1:30 but wanted to stay around for some panels that started at 6:00, and after walking the floor for a bit I became eager to do something other than walk the floor. The strategy became "find a panel that's at least moderately interesting, even if it's not something you would have earmarked a few hours ago", and before you knew it I was in attendance for a panel on crime fiction. The goal was to detox from the craziness of the floor and rest my legs a bit, but it didn't take long before the panel was riveting.
It wasn't necessarily riveting because I love crime fiction, either - crime fiction isn't really 'my thing' though I have read some books I liked. It was riveting because one of my favorite things is listening to people talk about The Thing That They Are Passionate About. Whether it's Godzilla, fly-fishing, car repair or identifying baseball talent it's always a treat to listen to someone who is an expert in something to talk about that thing. It not only provided interesting insight into the creative process (which as a writer and musician I always enjoy learning from), I walked away with a few things to look for to read or check out - influences you might expect (but were new to me) like Weegee to Edgar Allan Poe, Isaac Asimov and and Robert Heinlein - not what I expected from a crime fiction panel.
It reminded me of my first exposure to excellence - a little pocket book by Jack Nicklaus where he talked about how he plays golf, strategy, mental approach, etc. I played golf competitively as a junior, and reading this book the first time as an eleven-year-old was mind-blowing; Nicklaus was unlocking a new way for golf to be played, a next-level way. When you're eleven it's some serious sh*t! While it influenced my golf game, more importantly it influenced learning - and ever since I always listen to experts regarding their subject of expertise. What started as a way to rest my legs and chill out from a busy convention day turned into an awesome experience and a great way to get exposure to new ideas. And oh yeah better believe I'll be checking out panels this way from now on!
