Reality in Fantasy: How much does armor really weigh? How fast can a horse run? How far can a longbow shoot? Why is it important to know these things, and how do you use them without letting reality get in the way of a great story? Learn to make your writing feel “real” even when you’re penning a fantasy story.
Writing is largely a solitary endeavor, but there’s a world of resources, organizations, and web sites to keep you company. Our panelists discuss some of their favorite resources ... places they turn to when looking for literary guidance.
It’s often said, “Don’t let the reader hear dice rolling in your fiction.” Roleplaying games make you a better storyteller, help you create balanced, detailed characters, and provide wonderful inspiration, but too much “game” in your fiction can lead to disaster. Our panelists help you figure out where to draw the line.
Selling Short Fiction: Selling short fiction can be a long road, especially in a marketplace with dwindling print anthologies and falling magazine sales. But short fiction is still an art worth pursuing. Our panelists discuss markets, techniques, and how penning short stories can improve your chances of publishing novels.
Where you set your tale can be as important as the characters you populate it with. Crafting a vivid setting that is integral to your plot is an art. Our panelists will discuss how they paint their backdrops and offer suggestions about how you can bring your own settings to life.
For many authors, “shared world” fiction is their ticket into the publishing world. Work-for-hire projects can even land you on bestsellers’ lists. How do you find the work? Just what constitutes work-for-hire? And what are the good, bad, and ugly aspects of it?
Gen Con’s Author Guest of Honor, Anton Strout, will wax eloquent, field questions, and discuss his urban fantasy novels and upcoming projects. Interviewed by Elizabeth Vaughan.
It’s alive and well on the bookstore shelves, but sword and sorcery has evolved through the decades. What makes a modern sword and sorcery tale sing? What can you do to make your book fit into the genre without being clichéd or “old hat?” And who’s publishing sword and sorcery today?
Have you faced a malevolent force that prevents you from finishing your manuscript? How can you defeat the dark power that keeps your fingers motionless on the keyboard and your brain in neutral? Our panelists have battled this dreaded demon, and they’ll teach you how to best it!
Taking Aim: Writing Military Fiction and Non-Fiction
Description:
It takes work and research to get it right, but the rewards can be well-crafted tales that propel you onto the bookshelves and bestseller lists. Moderator Bill Fawcett has several best-selling military-books under his proverbial belt. Come and learn from an expert.