Planes, trains, automobiles, griffon chariots, horses, teleporters, dragons, and trolleys . . . how your characters move from one chapter to the next should be interesting and reasonably accurate. We'll give you tips for writing about modes of transportation so that they add spice to your fiction rather than bog it down.
Your panelists have dealt with big publishers, small press publishers, packagers, editors, and agents. They have wisdom to impart on deadlines, galleys, self-publishing, and more. They understand how advances, royalties, and reserves for returns work. They've written query letters, attended pitch sessions, schmoozed at con parties, and written work-for-hire. They've authored, edited, and critiqued. Best yet, they're willing to dish about it.
USA Today Bestselling author, and Author Guest of Honor, Elizabeth Vaughan is in the mood to chat. Bring your questions and books to sign, and she'll happily accommodate you. Published internationally, Elizabeth is known for her Warlands fantasy romance trilogy from Tor and her new series including Dagger Star, White Star, and Destiny's Star.
Time Travel, Parallel Universes, & Quantum Physics
Description:
In a parallel universe somewhere, you've already attended this session and know all about how wav theory, super-strings, quantum entanglement, and things like noetics bear on frequent sci-fi concepts like time travel and mirror Earths. But since you're not in that universe, you might want to attend this panel and get some insight into actual physics ... or just enough gobbledy-gook to make your next story sound credible.
What elements make a good short story? Do you have to like kids to write Young Adult fiction? Who would win a fight between Unicorns and Werewolves? And just how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? Join Kelly Swails as she attempts to answer these questions, as well as those from the audience.
Have a mind-expanding picnic! Why chow-down in the food court when you can listen to the amazing words of John Helfers and Jennifer Brozek. They will wax eloquent by reading from some of their most recent works.
Make war, not peace! Ruffle the feathers of your characters. Stir the pot of emotions. Add a fistfight or two. Craft a clever and entertaining argument among your heroes. Not all conflict has to be bloody or increase the body count, but it does have to keep the reader turning the pages. Our panelists discuss the art of adding a dash of conflict to your pages.
Gen Con is the perfect spot to troll for freelance work in the RPG industry. Our veteran RPG authors provide tips for landing assignments, market suggetions, and how you can make your manuscript catch a game company's attention.
Don has had game products, movie and book reviews, a couple dozen short stories, a novella, a novelette, and two or three novels published in the science fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller, and comedy genres. He's also written a couple of screenplays, a TV pilot treatment, creative non-fiction, and (gasp) even poetry. As a legend-in-his-own-mind, he is willing to talk about all of it or about virtual reality, time travel, and more.
Want to write the next big YA fantasy? You better approach it differently than that adult-horror-splatterfest you've been spending your hours on. The age of your intended readers should dictate your approach to storytelling. We look at the difference in children's lit, YA, and adult genres, including a discussion of markets and agents.