My Arisia 2017 Schedule
Here's my schedule for Arisia, January 13-16, Westin Boston Waterfront. Hope to see many of you there!
Friday, 8:30 PM
Reading: Greer Gilman & Kenneth Schneyer - Writing, Reading - 1hr 15min - Hale (3W)
Saturday, 1:00 PM
In Praise of Unlikeable Characters - Literature, Panel - 1hr 15min - Marina 1 (2E)
Bring us your curmudgeons, your cantankerous jerks, your deliberately unlikeable characters of all genders without which the plot might not move so smoothly. Someone’s got to do the dirty work, after all. Let’s talk about our favorite unlikeable characters in genre fiction, and the purposes they serve
Gillian Daniels (m), Maya Garcia, Lorrie Kim, Ken Schneyer, Sonya Taaffe
Sunday, 10:00 AM
How to Self-Edit That Steaming Hot Pile of Crap - Writing, Panel - 1hr 15min - Adams (3W)
Have you ever gone back to edit your story, only to ask “Who wrote this $#!t?” Can you fix it? Where do you start? Our experts will teach you how to identify which elements you wish to save, how to spot plotting and pacing issues, why adverbs are so bad, and what tools are available to make self-editing easier. Bring a butcher knife...it’s time to conduct surgery on your baby...
Trisha Wooldridge (m), Jacqui B., Alexander Jablokov, Matthew Kressel, Ken Schneyer
Sunday, 7:00 PM
Grounding Your Audience in a Sensory World - Writing, Panel - 1hr 15min - Douglas (3W)
The five senses are appallingly underrepresented in modern fiction. Without sensory information, it’s difficult to grab your audience and drag them into your protagonist’s body. How do you portray senses other than sight? Can you use it to portray emotion? Where can you scrounge up alternatives for the words see, hear, feel, taste and smell, or ‘sixth sense’ (psychic intuition)? Come learn how to describe your world in all of its glorious, sensory detail.
Ken Schneyer (m), Ruthanna Emrys, Greer Gilman, Keffy R.M. Kehril, Sonya Taaffe
Monday, 10:00 AM
Imaginary Friends: Crafting Memorable Characters - Writing, Panel - 1hr 15min - Marina 3 (2E)
Even the most gripping plot will fail if you don’t have memorable characters. How do you create a sympathetic protagonist? How much backstory should you give them? How do you develop interesting supporting characters to accompany them on their journey? There are many ‘tricks’ you can use to flesh out characters, as well as ways to juggle multiple character viewpoints. Come learn how to write characters so realistic your audience will be talking about them long after they finish your story.
Ken Schneyer (m), Michael Bailey, Justine Graykin, Elaine Isaak, Felicitas Ivey