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.
The philosophers say 'Know yourself.' The writing guides say 'Write what you know.' Even though writing about yourself may seem easy, your memoir still needs to have the essential elements of a story and should engage, enlighten, and entertain, all without making stuff up! Panelists will discuss making memoirs more effective, places to publish, and suggestions on how to deal with family members who don't remember the past the same way you do.
Dwarven vampires, space-faring elves, undead detectives, rap artists in King Arthur’s court. Are there lines and genres that shouldn’t be crossed in fiction? If you do cross lines, how many can you tackle? How many genres can you blend before your reader gets too confused and gives up? What combinations are natural? What combinations should be avoided? Are there rules to follow? And what rules should you break?
There is a dark side to the “fairer sex.” In this hour, we’ll focus on female villains, hard-boiled heroines, and tough-as-nails supporting characters. How do you make a female character real without becoming a cliché or done-to-death stereotype?
There’s no doubt the Internet is a great writing tool. But if you spend too much time hooked to it, you won’t have time to write. We’ll show you what resources are worth using, what you should stay away from, and how to avoid Internet addiction. We’ll also look at web pages, blogs, Twitter, and various writer-help sites.
It's baaack ... the most insanely hilarious (or hilariously insane) public reading of what is arguably the worst piece of published fiction--ever! Try to keep your sides from splitting as you watch other hapless victims ... er, participants ... read this story aloud, and attempt to get through it with their sanity intact. All are welcome to join in the fun ... if you dare!
Can you use real characters in fiction? Can Uncle Roger sue you if you put him in a book? Is Attila the Hun fair game? Is changing the names enough to solve the problem? Do disclaimers at the front of the book work? When should you consult a lawyer? How can you protect yourself? Join us for an explanation of defamation and privacy and learn how to distinguish risky material from content you can use. A must for writers.
What are the genres? What are the tropes? And what are the rules? You have to know the rules before you can even think about bending or breaking them. USA Today Bestselling fantasy-romance author and Author Guest of Honor Elizabeth Vaughan leads the discussion.
Many writers dream of doing this full-time ... writing as a “day job.” Indeed, you can make a living as a writer, even if you don’t hit the bestseller lists and find your pot of gold. We’ll look at short-term and long-term goals, non-fiction markets that can help pay the bills, and various things you can do to make this a reality.
Where can you sell your short stories? Even though fewer anthologies and magazines are being printed in 'this day and age', there are lots of places looking for good pieces. We'll provide a list of markets where you can submit short fiction, as well as discuss what you can do to move your submissions from the 'slush' pile and onto the stands.