WisCon Schedule (preliminary)

It's almost that time of year again! I'll be at WisCon 39 from Saturday morning (5/23) until Monday afternoon (5/25). Here's my preliminary panel lineup:

Story Submission Clubhouse - Saturday, 8:30–9:45 am

Bring your laptop and learn how to write a query letter, format your story, and choose markets -- and submit it, right at the con! A supportive Den Parent or several will be around for hand-holding and advice. Bond with your fellow writers just starting out, and take concrete steps towards getting published.

"Infodump," "Mary Sue" And Other Words That Authors Are Sick Of Hearing - Sat, 4:00–5:15 pm

Charlie Jane Anders got the ball rolling on io9 by asking some authors what writing workshop critique terms they'd like to see retired (or destroyed). Answers ranged from "Relatable" to "Head-Hopping" to "the distinction between 'hard' and 'soft' science fiction." http://io9.com/infodump-mary-sue-and-other-words-that-authors-are-1663345948 An interesting discussion ensued in many comment threads. Do these critical restrictions do more harm than good? Or is it only when you've mastered the craft that you have the right - and the ability - to break the rules? What terms would you like to see retired, and why?

Penny Dreadful - Monday, 8:30–9:45 am

A ground-breaking female-protagonist show with other complex female characters in it.


And yes, the other participants assigned to those panels are absolutely awesome, but I have to wait until everyone agrees to their schedule assignments before posting names.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

conventions, WisCon