Debra Dixon, author of GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict, presented an abbreviated version of her three-hour GMC workshop to Dragon*Con writers. Featuring principles explained in her book, Dixon fielded questions and outlined her “who, what, why, and why not” approach to writing fiction, drawing on examples from The Wizard of Oz and other well-known movies. Dixon stressed that conflict was… Read more →
Authors Janny Wurts and James “Hawk” Bassett joined afternoon panels in a merry romp through fantastic fiction. The first panel featured Wurts and authors Michelle Belanger, Holly Black, Glenda Finkelstein, Mitchell Graham, and Nancy Knight. Storytelling was the topic, which included not only the panelists’ own personal favorite writers, ranging from Homer to Tolkien to Ray Bradbury and Ellen Kushner,… Read more →
The “Religion in SF and Fantasy” panel in the SFLIT track packed in SF&F literati as moderator John Ringo with fellow authors Glenda Finklestein and Van Plexico discussed the fixation of speculative genres on religion. Laurel Lawson, a priestess and mythological and theological synthesist, added a distinctive perspective as well as scholarly and spiritual dimensions to the panel. Lawson explained… Read more →
Moments after writers Dan Jolley and Marie Croall finished telling a room full of aspiring comic book writers how hard it is to break into comics, one writer found out all he needs to do is make one phone call. “The only way to learn to write scripts is to write scripts,” Croall said. “You have to get out there… Read more →
Husband and wife writing team Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta shared a myriad of professional advice Saturday afternoon at the panel, “What Every Writer Needs to Know.” From tax tips to sage tidbits, they gripped the audience with anecdotes of successful and, in some cases, misguided writers. Always be professional, they emphasized, appear and behave respectfully, and arm yourself… Read more →
Author Esther Friesner, well known for her comic touch, and author/editor Teri Smith joined humor master Robert Asprin, author/editor Bill Fawcett, and author Richard White for a lively discussion about writing humor in science fiction and fantasy. Lawrence Barker made a brave attempt to moderate the Friday night fray, but it soon became apparent that conflicting ideas were flying through… Read more →
The world fantasy characters inhabit is often as important as the players themselves. Saturday night, six pros shared their tips for memorable worlds. Dragon*Con institution Josepha Sherman joined Robert Asprin, Brad Strickland, Kathryn Sullivan, Chesya Burke and Wesley Lowe on Sunday night for an authors’ look at world-building in science fiction and fantasy. “You need to think about your world… Read more →
Horror writers made a late night attempt Friday to determine “What Makes a Horror Story?” moderated by author/editor Eric Griffin. They also debated the classification of horror as a genre versus the appearance of dark fantasy and horror elements in the broader category of speculative fiction. Cherie Priest suggested that the difference between a horror story and a thriller is… Read more →
