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?
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!
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.
So you want to create a main character that doesn't match your gender. You want the woman believable, and you want to avoid stereotypes and cliches. How do you get into such a character's head? How can a guy 'write' a convincing gal? Our panelists are adept at doing just that and are chomping at the proverbial bit to share their expertise.
Help other writers, and you’ll end up helping yourself. Topics we’ll tackle include mentoring, managing expectations of other writers, when it’s appropriate to pitch ideas to other professionals, the downside of too much shameless self-promotion, and building a writer’s community for support.
This award-winning author manages to hold down a day-job and write practically full-time on top of it. He's experienced in game-writing, fantasy, and all manner of fiction. Want some tips on how to break into the various genres of writing? Park yourself here for the next hour and glom onto his words of wisdom.
Don has had game products, movie and book reviews, a couple dozen short stories, a novella, a novelette, and two or three novels published in the science fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller, and comedy genres. He's also written a couple of screenplays, a TV pilot treatment, creative non-fiction, and (gasp) even poetry. As a legend-in-his-own-mind, he is willing to talk about all of it or about virtual reality, time travel, and more.
USA Today Bestselling author, and Author Guest of Honor, Elizabeth Vaughan is in the mood to chat. Bring your questions and books to sign, and she'll happily accommodate you. Published internationally, Elizabeth is known for her Warlands fantasy romance trilogy from Tor and her new series including Dagger Star, White Star, and Destiny's Star.
With more than two dozen novels and five dozen short stories to her credit, Jean has a wealth of information to share about the writing world and publishing industry ... and is more than happy to also talk about her three dogs, cantankerous parrot, fantailed goldfish, stacks of books, plethora of games, upcoming projects, assorted hobbies, and her wholly messy office. Come have a chat with her and 'pick her brain' about this and that.
She's written fiction and game material for enough years to be called a veteran! Jennifer Brozek is ready to offer advice on both writing fields, discuss her experiences working with Margaret Weis, and answer questions that aren't from the fields of physics or nuclear medicine.