How do you build tension? What’s more ... how can you sustain it and avoid the pitfalls of not having enough in your fiction? Panelists present techniques for turning your work into a page-turner.
Finishing your novel isn’t enough. Now you have to edit it—polishing off the rough edges so it’s nice and shiny before you fire it off to an editor or agent. We’re “old hat” at putting the finishing touches on manuscripts, and we’re ready to dish out our sage advice.
The Buddy System: How to Collaborate Without Killing Your Coauthor
Description:
Some say a co-authorship is twice the work for half the credit and pay. Others say having a writing partner produces better material and makes the task more enjoyable. We’ll look at how to successfully approach a co-author project—whether a novel or game material.
A rose by any other name might smell as sweet, but a book title? You better have something with punch so the reader will pluck it off the shelf. And a title with zing can entice an editor or slush reader to give your story a look. A good name can also make your heroes and villains memorable and help define their character. We discuss the fine are of naming.
New York Times Bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole presents the rules of writing. These are the insider tips and tricks that you'd pick up in the first five years of your writing career, all presented here in an hour. Gleaned from personal experience and the experience of writers dating back to the 1930s, these tricks will cut three years out of your development as a writer.
Well structured scenes make for compelling story telling. How can you construct powerful scenes for a novel or short story? And how do you string scenes together to create a vivid and stirring piece of writing? Learn everything you need to know about the art of structuring scenes.
A rousing sword fight can get the reader churning through the pages of your book. But you better know how to make it feel real. Our master wordsmiths share their expertise in writing the good fight.
Writing three books is more work than one, but it goes beyond the mere output of words. Approaching a three-book arc takes a different approach to plotting and research. In a trilogy, the bar is raised by your publisher and readers. We’ll show you how to reach it.
Is it better to write by the proverbial seat of your pants or to painstakingly outline each chapter? Both approaches to writing novels, short stories, and game material work, but is one method better? Our panelists discuss the pros and cons of plotting in advance.
What’s the hottest thing going “bump in the night” right now? Are vampires still in? Are zombies taking over the urban landscape? What sort of creepies are crawling their way onto tomorrow’s bookstore shelves? And how can you find a piece of the action?