Somehow Arisia has snuck up on me. I’ll be there this weekend, huzzah! Here’s my schedule:
SATURDAY
Crafting Memorable Worlds
10:00am, Faneuil
Before your characters go off on an adventure, you must first set the ‘stage’ upon which they will make their journey. Where do you find inspiration to build your fictional world? What ‘laws’ must your world follow? How do you describe it without purple prose? Our panelists will discuss how to make your world a character in your story and shape a canvas so memorable your audience will never want to leave.
Heard the Dice Hit the Table: Games as Fiction
11:30am, Marina 1
In the last 40 years, SF/F has had an uneasy relationship with the kind of games that generate fiction, both tabletop and computerized. From magazine submission guidelines that warn off fiction that sounds like it came from a tabletop game to stories about people playing games, gaming is clearly part of the storyteller tradition. How does fiction incorporate gaming and game materials, and what in gaming might help us find interesting literature?
Writing YA Fiction Teens Will Actually Read
4:00pm, Marina 3
Young adults are particular about what they read. Vampires? Werewolves? How about a spaceship warrior queen with a sword and a psychic cat? Before you can write it, it seems they’re off to the next great thing. But if you *listen*, young people are brimming with story ideas. Our YA-expert panelists will discuss what teens *wish* authors would write, what makes a teen’s eyes roll, and how to get past the gatekeepers to reach your teen audience. There will be Q&A at the end.
Keeping Long Tabletop Campaigns Interesting
7:00pm, Faneuil
GMs, has this ever happened to you? The campaign has stretched into its winter years, and every companion book and monster manual has been used. Your players are completing each other’s sentences, and you can even recite their likely takeout order from every local place that delivers. Don’t worry for help is here! Panelists will discuss ways a GM can keep a long-running campaign fresh and exciting.
MONDAY
Vertigo on TV: iZombie and Lucifer
11:30am, Faneuil
While neither show really stays close to their comic-book origins, both *iZombie* and *Lucifer* are successful shows that have been adapted from Vertigo books, and both have dedicated fan audiences. We’ll discuss both shows, talking about our favorite and least favorite elements of each, as well as how the process of changing from the comics has made things better or worse.
