Read from your work in progress and receive safe, supportive feedback.
Description:
Got some writing you'd like feedback on? Join fellow writers and a panel of professional authors, editors, and reviewers for one of our longest-running features, the Read and Critique, where you'll read from your work-in-progress for a few minutes and get some initial impressions and advice from the panel. Some of our Read and Critique alumni have gone on to be members of the Symposium themselves in future years, so, if this interests you, we hope you'll take this opportunity to learn and grow in a supportive environment! Panelists: Karen Menzel, LaShawn M. Wanak, Gregory A. Wilson. Track: GCWS Critique.
Read from your work in progress and receive safe, supportive feedback.
Description:
Got some writing you'd like feedback on? Join fellow writers and a panel of professional authors, editors, and reviewers for one of our longest-running features, the Read and Critique, where you'll read from your work-in-progress for a few minutes and get some initial impressions and advice from the panel. Some of our Read and Critique alumni have gone on to be members of the Symposium themselves in future years, so, if this interests you, we hope you'll take this opportunity to learn and grow in a supportive environment! Panelists: E.D.E. Bell, James Farner, Erin Roberts. Track: GCWS Critique.
Read from your work in progress and receive safe, supportive feedback.
Description:
Got some writing you'd like feedback on? Join fellow writers and a panel of professional authors, editors, and reviewers for one of our longest-running features, the Read and Critique, where you'll read from your work-in-progress for a few minutes and get some initial impressions and advice from the panel. Some of our Read and Critique alumni have gone on to be members of the Symposium themselves in future years, so, if this interests you, we hope you'll take this opportunity to learn and grow in a supportive environment! Panelists: Erik Scott de Bie, Kelli Fitzpatrick, Sarah Hans. Track: GCWS Critique.
Rule the Galaxy Together: Writing in a Shared Universe
Summary:
Writer John Jackson Miller teaches effective techniques for writing exciting, original fiction in a licensed universe.
Description:
In this seminar, veteran Star Wars and Star Trek writer and New York Times bestselling author John Jackson Miller draws upon his experience writing for media franchises to offer pointers to writers looking to write in shared story universes. Whether you’re looking to write tie-ins professionally, writing fan fiction, or collaborating with other authors on a project for prose, comics, or gaming, Miller offers some rules to write by in order to get the most out of your shared universe. Miller will discuss turning continuity problems into springboards, best practices for preserving future story opportunities for others, and the state of the market for tie-in fiction. Questions and answers will be taken in this fun and informative session. Track: GCWS Classroom.
Quiet Fantasy author E.D.E. Bell teaches techniques of organic scene setting.
Description:
Join quiet fantasy writer E.D.E. Bell for a workshop discussing ways to establish worldbuilding in a quiet fiction scene - how to set small details that feel organic to the story while deeply establishing the world and characters. Track: GCWS Classroom.
Writer Jennifer Allaway teaches the nuances of bringing the fantasy to your sex scenes.
Description:
Have a steamy scene in your game or novel that you don't know how to approach? Too scared of making it awkward or cringey? Want something sensual and steamy, not horribly horny? Jennifer Allaway comes to the rescue! Together we'll work through the fundamentals of what makes scenes sexy, how to play with audience fantasies, and leave them wanting more! Track: GCWS Classroom.
Southeast Asian Secret Wars, Mythology, and the Supernatural
Summary:
Writer and poet Bryan Thao Worra teaches an overview of possibilities - and cautions - in writing with Southeast Asian inspirations.
Description:
As more games, films, and stories turn to Southeast Asia, particularly during the Vietnam War and the US Secret War in Laos that ended 50 years ago, there are many opportunities for creators to work with a fascinating range of myths, legends, epics, and supernatural creatures, but there are also risks of outdated and insensitive stereotypes that can limit an audience. From weretigers and serpentine nagas, to spectral phi and shapeshifting giants, to newer creations, author Bryan Thao Worra will provide an overview of your possibilities and resources to improve your projects. Track: GCWS Classroom.
Writer Katherine Monasterio teaches how to gain confidence in bringing a novel to a satisfying finish.
Description:
In this fun and engaging workshop, writer Katherine Monasterio will show you how to gain confidence in the narrative beats, character moments, and payoffs your novel needs to finish with a bang and satisfy your reader to the last page.. Track: GCWS Classroom.
Writer and artist Grace P. Fong teaches the application of artistic tools to storytelling.
Description:
Artists utilize symbolism, color theory, and visual metaphor to communicate ideas in much the same way that writers use words and sentence structure. Led by author-illustrator and former Magic: the Gathering designer, Grace P. Fong, this class will teach you how to apply the artist's tools to your story, adding new levels of meaning that will inspire readers to draw, cosplay, and fall more deeply in love with your narrative. This workshop is ideal for those looking to strengthen their craft of visual worldbuilding and those looking to write stories that can easily translate to movies and games. Track: GCWS Classroom.
Writer Bryan Young explores how watching movies can enhance your writing.
Description:
We all watch movies, but decoding, analyzing, and understanding movies can help us become better storytellers, no matter what medium we tell our stories in. In this class, Bryan Young will show you techniques used in the cinema and how you can adapt them to your writing style to make it more effective and keep you learning for your entire life. Track: GCWS Classroom.