Apollocon 2008

Tomorrow I'm hie me over to Houston for Apollocon. This has become one of my favorite conventions of the year, and they always do a bang-up job. If you see some idiot (as George Carlin would say) puttering along at 45 mph on I-10, that'd just be me, trying to save gas money so I don't have to sell the kids off to medical researchers. Here's my schedule:

When You Don't Know What Else to Do, Throw a Dead Body In
Fri 9:00PM - 10:00PM Tucson
Steven Brust, C. J. Mills (M), Gail Dayton, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Jayme Lynn Blaschke
Panelists should discuss various tricks and devices for moving a story forward over unexpected plot hurdles and dry spots. Topics might include (but are not limited to):
Being willing to turn left when the map says right. The freedom planning to revise allows. Devices that can change the situation (deaths, births, letters from abroad, sudden discoveries, legacies, etc.). How to keep on track through dry spots and pump priming.

Comparing SF Lit & SF in other Media
Sat 10:00AM - 11:00AM Tucson
Tim Miller, Beverly A. Hale, Maureen McHugh, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Jayme
Lynn Blaschke (M)
Panelists discuss the differences between SF in literature and SF in other media. Topics might include (but are not limited to): Are there obvious differences and what are they? What are the other, less obvious differences? What influences these differences? How do the differences affect the audience and/or audience perception?

Readings: Jayme Lynn Blaschke, Steven Brust
Sat 11:00AM - 12:00PM Phoenix
Steven Brust, Jayme Lynn Blaschke 25 minute reading session in 50 minute shared slot (I'll probably read a section of "The Whale Below," forthcoming in Jeff & Ann VanderMeer's pirate anthology).

Besides Blood, Sweat, and Inspiration: What Does It Take to Be a Writer
Sat 1:00PM - 2:00PM Seattle II
Martha Wells, Bill Crider, Jayme Lynn Blaschke, Gail Dayton, Maureen McHugh, C.
J. Mills (M)
A variant on Writing 101, this panel should explore some of the talents, personality traits, lifestyle factors, and circumstances that "make" a writer, or at least aid a writer's development.

The Portrayal of Texas and Texans in Spec Fic
Sat 4:00PM - 5:00PM Scottsdale
Scott Cupp, K. Hutson Price, Jayme Lynn Blaschke, Lawrence Person, Bradley Denton, Derly N. Ramirez II (M)
Panelists discuss how speculative fiction portrays Texas and Texans. Topics might include (but are not restricted to): What works have Texas or Texans appeared in? Is "Texas" or "Texan" a cultural shorthand in our genres, and if so, for what? Is the treatment the same or different in fantasy, science fiction, and horror? Is the treatment in our genres different than in the mainstream?

Spec Fic, Social Networking, and the Blogosphere
Sun 10:00AM - 11:00AM Seattle I
Jayme Lynn Blaschke (M), J.M. McDermott, Thomas M. Wagner, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel
Panelists discuss the proposition that new and emergent technologies offer avenues for authors and publishers to lower the threshold of access to their readership, but it's a two-way street with potentially unexpected results for the field. Topics might include (but are not limited to): What opportunities do new and emergent technologies offer writers for promotion, audience interaction, and community development? What are the benefits and drawbacks of community development and audience interaction in the new online environments? Does the ease and speed of feedback change the nature of the writers process and product? Are social networking sites effective marketing tools? How do blogs, websites, and thing like book trailers interact? How do they work? How do they impact the author's primary work: writing?

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