Want to explore a way to reach "Eureka!" moments with your writing? Join Linda Baker for a session about brain waves, specifically alpha waves. She'll explore ways to reach an alpha state--a state of relaxation with awareness--which can give your writing a boost of creativity and energy.
If the big houses turn you down, consider selling your manuscript to a small press publisher. It might be your best chance to get your foot in that proverbial publisher door. Does the small press give more freedom and assume less control? Authors and editors who have worked with small press publishers discuss the benefits and disadvantages.
How can you send shivers down your readers' spines? What is evil, and how can you portray it? Together, let's discover those things that go bump in the night. You don't have to write in the horror genre to deliver a really good scare.
Creating a level of tension in any genre is important if you want to hold a reader's attention. We'll discuss some of the strategies for putting readers on the edge of their seats and keep them turning the pages.
Hoi Chummer! Want to walk down the mean streets of America in 2072, with a cyberarm and a magic spell at the ready? Or perhaps you'd rather go to interstellar war in a 40-foot-tall robot? Join the Novel Line Developer for Catalyst Game Labs, along with a couple of the other folks to find out what is in store for these two fictional futures.
Whether your story is set in an imaginary world or in the real one, things that will pop a reader or an editor out of your story is inconsistency in naming conventions, make-believe words, and invented languages. Join us for a discussion on how to maintain consistency in your writing.
Fantasy and science fiction is rife with main and secondary characters that aren't quite human. It's tough for writers to think like aliens or horses or celestial butterflies, so what can we do to make these characters real? How can you breathe life into them and get human readers to care about them?
Dry spells, poor salesmanship, frustrating editors, and day jobs are the bane of writers. We'll offer you advice on how to overcome unfortunate times, how to deal with rejection, and what you can do to keep plugging away at the keyboard.
It's baaack! The most insanely hilarious (or hilariously insane) public reading of what is arguably the worst (best?) piece of fiction ever! Thrill to the strange noises made by Grignr, the babarian of very little words. Cringe at the purple prose, run-on sentences, and detailed description of how time works. Try to keep your sides from splitting as you watch other hapless victims . . . er, participants, read this story aloud!
A key ingredient to believable characters and stories is food. Heroes, villains, and the supporting cast have to eat from time to time. How can you enrich your writing by adding a dining experience or two? What does food say about the world you've crafted?