I’m on the road today, on the way to a science fiction convention in Boston, Arisia. (Yes, we are going towards where the snow is worse.) My friend is driving, and I’ll be keeping track of her two dogs, one of whom is a rambunctious puppy who’s never made a long car journey before. Wish us luck!
I’ll be at the convention through Sunday.
Here’s my schedule (details are subject to change):
Re-Reading Childhood Classics
Douglas, Fri 6:30 PM
Vikki Ciaffone [mod], Greer Gilman, Victoria Janssen
We all have favorites from our childhood, but some of them, when we read them as adults, sour us on our original warm memories. Others surprise us with depths that we never caught the first time. And still others have the lyricism which we first fell in love with. Let’s all look again.
Flirting with the Mainstream: Paranormal Romance
Carlton, Fri 8:00 PM
Vikki Ciaffone, Victoria Janssen [mod.], Nancy Holzner, Gail Z. Martin, Kelley Armstrong, Seanan McGuire
Paranormal romance has staying power on store bookshelves and has taken plenty of heat for diluting SF/F. However, it also has a crossover appeal to women who may not ordinarily be the audience for SF/F. Let’s chat about overlapping genres, mixing stories, and the best paranormal romances for the new reader.
Making Room: Your Day Job and Your Passion
Lewis, Fri 11:00 PM
Victoria Janssen [mod], Steve Sawicki, Mark L Van Name, William Freedman
So many of us have uninspiring day jobs to pay the bills, while we do our real work after we go “home” for the day, whether it be writing, social action, theatre, or something else. How do you juggle work, a vocation, and friends/family/rest?
Character Dynamics
Hancock, Sat 11:00 AM
Nancy Holzner [mod], Gordon Linzner, Jeanne Cavelos, Ellen Kushner, Victoria Janssen
You have your cast of characters, now how do you get them to interact the way you want? How can you make you them fight, love, and laugh at each other convincingly? How do you make changes in a relationship between characters come about naturally, rather than seeming forced? Our panelists will elucidate the finer points of getting your characters to behave with each other on the page the way you imagine them in your head.
From First Draft to Second Draft
Carlton, Sat 5:00 PM
Ellen Kushner [mod], Victoria Janssen, Nancy Holzner, Kelley Armstrong, Rita Oakes
What’s your writing process? Is the first draft a private letter to yourself while the second draft is more accessible? How does the fiction change through the writing and revision process? Our panelists discuss their methods for rewriting.
My Friend Wrote a Book, Do I Have to Buy It? Griffin, Sun 9:30 AM
Elaine Isaak [mod], Genevieve Iseult Eldredge, Felicitas Ivey, Victoria Janssen, Nancy Holzner
Etiquette for friends of authors and other creators. How to support their endeavors without going broke or feeling you have to attend every signing; what to do when you don’t like their creations and are asked (or feel it’s expected) to give a reaction.
Sexuality in SF/F
Hancock, Sun 12:30 PM
Steve Berman [mod], Meredith Schwartz, Genevieve Iseult Eldredge, Victoria Janssen, Trisha Wooldridge
Sexual situations in SF/F books, movies, and television are just as common as in every other genre. Does SF/F do it differently, better, or worse? What discussions of sexuality in SF are significant to read or see, and why? How is a sex scene in a SF/F story different from porn? Where is the line between good and poor taste?
Reading
Hale, Sun 6:30 PM
Authors Laura Anne Gilman, Victoria Janssen, and Stephen R. Wilk will read selections from their works.
