Have you written a short story or novel and want professional feedback? If so, Dragon Con’s Writers’ Workshop offers a rewarding way to find out how to polish your writing. Led by Jodie Lynn Nye, author of 56 books and 200 short stories, this year’s two-day workshop gave attendees a chance to get pointers and critiques on Thursday and Friday from 9AM to 5:30PM in Hyatt Kennesaw.
Nye began the workshop by encouraging writers to be “open to discovery” while writing their first draft. Themes often develop as you delve into the story. After listing the crucial elements of a SF/F story, she explained each, such as making sure the science or fantasy component in the story has direct impact on the ending. She also discussed how to develop characters, use motivation, incorporate tension, and more.
After imparting her storytelling wisdom, Nye led a discussion of each writer’s submission. All the attendees gave helpful feedback, which included comments on what worked for them and what didn’t as well as suggestions on how to improve the story. At the end of the round-robin critiques, Nye gave her professional critique of the piece.
Nye also arranged three guest speakers for the workshop. On Thursday, Courtney Lytle Sarnow, an intellectual property attorney, gave a talk on copyright law. It’s comforting to know that the minute you’ve written something, it’s protected under the federal copyright law. Afterward, A.J. Hartley, a New York Times bestselling author and professor emeritus, discussed the pitfalls of writing characters from diverse cultures. Friday afternoon, Toni Weisskopf, publisher of Baen Books, shed light on the inner workings of traditional publishing houses and how to navigate the submission process.
The workshop also gave attendees the invaluable chance to meet other SF/F writers, find future beta readers and critique partners, and enjoy the company of fellow aspiring storytellers. Given all the excellent information and advice, now it’s up to the attendees to make their stories shine and send them out into the world.
