I’ll be at Seattle’s Norwescon this coming weekend (April 21-24), doing panels and a reading. I’ll also be at the banquet on Thursday night.
My big hope for the weekend? The chance to meet Patricia McKillip and tell her how deeply I love her work and how much it means to me.
Here’s my schedule. If you’re planning to attend, please find me and say hello!
Thursday, April 21, 5pm
Banquet
Friday, April 22, 3pm
Editing the Novel
Editing a 5,000 word short story is one thing – how do you edit a 100,000 word novel? A panel of professional editors discuss their own experience in editing the novel – how to keep a work that long consistent, how to maintain energy and enthusiasm, how to liaise with the author over the long haul, and how to decide how long or short a novel should ultimately be.
Kelley Eskridge (moderator), Shannon Butcher, Lou Anders, Nick Mamatas, Jana Silverstein
Saturday, April 23, 1pm
Building Character Using Any Method You Can
How do writers make their characters seem real—what techniques work best? Do characters have to be complex, and how do you get them that way?
Mary Rosenblum, Ted Kosmatka, Nancy Kress, Jack Skillingstead, Kelley Eskridge
Saturday, April 23, 2pm
Kelley Eskridge reads Solitaire
A young woman convicted of a terrible crime is sentenced to eight years in solitary confinement — in a virtual prison cell within her own mind. Solitaire is a New York Times Notable novel and was a finalist for the Nebula, Spectrum and Endeavour awards. Rated PG
Kelley Eskridge
Sunday, April 24, 1pm
The 10% Solution: How to Edit Your Work
Stephen King said says that your final draft is your first draft minus 10%. We’ll discuss how to cut passive voice, unnecessary words, and anything that else slows your fiction down.
Patrick Swenson, Renee Stern, Ted Butler, Craig English, Kelley Eskridge