FOGcon 2015 Writing Workshop - Interested?
I've blogged before about FOGcon, the 'Friends of Genre Convention' held in the San Francisco Bay Area. (It's not to be confused with 'Fans of Gaming convention' that goes by the same acronym.) It's a lovely laid back Con, full of interesting people and conversations - small enough to be comfortable, large enough to be engaging.
FOGcon 5 is to be held March 6-8, 2015, at the Walnut Creek Marriott. It's the same hotel as last year and the year before. This time, the theme is The Traveler, and the Guests of Honor are Kim Stanley Robinson and Cat Valente. (Warning: We're still updating the website, so some bits are still talking about the previous Con. You can email us if you have specific questions.)
But what I want to talk about is the FOGcon Writing Workshop (which I'm coordinating again this time) and give a heads up if you're interested. I blogged about it after FOGcon 2014. My conclusion is, we're doing something right. Lots of people come back, both participants and instructors. I was particularly delighted when Kaylia Metcalfe - who's attended several times - emailed that it was "One of the highlights of the year!"
ABOUT THE FOGCON WRITING WORKSHOP
The workshop consists of small critique groups, led by published authors who volunteer to provide their insights. We get the manuscripts from participating writers about six weeks in advance. The writers are split into groups of three or four, and we put them in touch with each other by email and each group gets all the manuscripts for that group. At the Con, they meet for a roughly one-hour session (which can sometimes go to two hours!) There's a workshop fee of $20.
The workshops look to be increasingly popular, so we've been experimenting with ways to accommodate them. Instead of having all groups meet over Saturday lunch hour in the programming space like FOGcon 3, last year we had it in a room behind the Consuite and spread it out through Saturday and part of Sunday. We also tried to set it up so if a group wanted to run over the hour and fifteen minutes allocated, they could do so. We got positive feedback on the new format, and that means we can actually add some more participants.
DEADLINES
Even though we can accommodate a few more people in 2015, places are still limited. So please email us if you want to join. We'll be accepting applicants until we're full, or January 31 2015, whichever happens first.
So here are the steps:
1) Email us at workshop@fogcon.org if you're interested.
2) Once you know that there's space, confirm that you've registered for FOGcon 2015, and we'll reserve a place for you.
3) Any time between December 15th, 2014 and January 31, 2015, submit your <7,500-word manuscript and pay the workshop fee ($20 admin charge) using a special Paypal link we'll send you.
4) In early February, we'll put you in touch with the others in your Critique group, and send you their manuscripts so you can prepare helpful critiques before the Con.
All the details are on our website, HERE. (And if you have questions that aren't answered, email us!)
FOGcon 5 is to be held March 6-8, 2015, at the Walnut Creek Marriott. It's the same hotel as last year and the year before. This time, the theme is The Traveler, and the Guests of Honor are Kim Stanley Robinson and Cat Valente. (Warning: We're still updating the website, so some bits are still talking about the previous Con. You can email us if you have specific questions.)
But what I want to talk about is the FOGcon Writing Workshop (which I'm coordinating again this time) and give a heads up if you're interested. I blogged about it after FOGcon 2014. My conclusion is, we're doing something right. Lots of people come back, both participants and instructors. I was particularly delighted when Kaylia Metcalfe - who's attended several times - emailed that it was "One of the highlights of the year!"
ABOUT THE FOGCON WRITING WORKSHOP
The workshop consists of small critique groups, led by published authors who volunteer to provide their insights. We get the manuscripts from participating writers about six weeks in advance. The writers are split into groups of three or four, and we put them in touch with each other by email and each group gets all the manuscripts for that group. At the Con, they meet for a roughly one-hour session (which can sometimes go to two hours!) There's a workshop fee of $20.
The workshops look to be increasingly popular, so we've been experimenting with ways to accommodate them. Instead of having all groups meet over Saturday lunch hour in the programming space like FOGcon 3, last year we had it in a room behind the Consuite and spread it out through Saturday and part of Sunday. We also tried to set it up so if a group wanted to run over the hour and fifteen minutes allocated, they could do so. We got positive feedback on the new format, and that means we can actually add some more participants.
DEADLINES
Even though we can accommodate a few more people in 2015, places are still limited. So please email us if you want to join. We'll be accepting applicants until we're full, or January 31 2015, whichever happens first.
So here are the steps:
1) Email us at workshop@fogcon.org if you're interested.
2) Once you know that there's space, confirm that you've registered for FOGcon 2015, and we'll reserve a place for you.
3) Any time between December 15th, 2014 and January 31, 2015, submit your <7,500-word manuscript and pay the workshop fee ($20 admin charge) using a special Paypal link we'll send you.
4) In early February, we'll put you in touch with the others in your Critique group, and send you their manuscripts so you can prepare helpful critiques before the Con.
All the details are on our website, HERE. (And if you have questions that aren't answered, email us!)