LITERATURE - LIT
Updated 08/29/2006
(all information is subject to change at any time up to,
during and even after the convention…)

(Note: Thursday programming is open only to those who have pre-registered)

LIT  - ANY NEW TRENDS IN SF/F LITERATURE?  Or is it just more of the same old stuff?  Are publishers and editors pushing everything they get out the door and into the bookstores?  Is there any quality control?
Sat 4p-5p, Cavetto Room.  Michael Wentz (moderator), Tabitha Bradley, Bennie Grezlik

LIT  - BEST BOOK COVERS.  Do we buy books because of the cover art?  Is the art getting better – quality and content?  Should authors have some say?  Or at least a chance to review?
Sun 10a-11a, Cavetto Room.  Tabitha Bradley, Sue Martin, Marc Scott Zicree

LIT- BOOKS TO SCREENPLAYS: Why is the movie different than the book? What does it take to make the novel into a screenplay?
Sat 11a-noon, Colonnade Room.  Marc Scott Zicree (moderator), Adam Niswander, Elaine Zicree

LIT – DIALOG, PLOTTING, CHARACTERIZATIONS. Which one is more important?  Can your novel be strong in one or two only and still be successful?  How can you determine where you’re weak in your story?
Sat 3p-4p, Cloister.  Michael D’Ambrosio, Adam Niswander

LIT  - GOING BACK TO OUR ROOTS.  Most of us have our roots in something we read or watched when we were kids.  Can we trace today’s SF/F literature and movies to the beginning?  For instance: who knows the author who coined the term “robotics?
Sun 11a-noon, Delores Room.  Janeen O’Kerry (moderator), Bennie Grezlik, Peter Morwood, Randall Whitlock

LIT – HOW DO I MAKE CHAPTERS?  Published authors discuss the science of making chapters.  What do you look for, what to consider, and what is the impact on the story itself.
Sun 6p-7p, Colonnade Room  {or you can catch it on Monday}.  Diane Duane (moderator), Tabitha Bradley, Peter Morwood, Janeen O’Kerry
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Mon 2p-3p, Delores Room {in case you missed it on Sunday}.  Diane Duane (moderator), Peter Morwood, Adam Niswander, Michael Wentz

LIT – HOW’S THE SHORT STORY MARKET?  Are there more anthologies than ever?  Are they getting the hardcover treatment or just published as paperbacks?  Are the periodicals a good stepping stone or a truly viable market?
Fri 6p-7p, Colonnade.  David Lee Summers(moderator), Emily Devenport, Bennie Grezlik, Ernest Hogan

LIT  - IS SCIENCE FICTION DEAD YET?  Will bookstores soon be replacing their Science Fiction signs with Fantasy signs?  Why, and what it means to the genre.
Sat 5p-6p, Cavetto Room {or you can catch it on Monday}.  Michael Wentz (moderator), Charles Cady, Sue Martin, John Vornholt
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Mon 10a-11a, Colonnade Room {in case you missed it on Saturday}.  Tabitha Bradley, Bennie Grezlik

LIT – IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT… This is a round-robin storytelling.  Can we make a compelling yet ridiculous story in 50 minutes?  How bizarre will it get?  You won’t know if you don’t come.
Fri 8p-9p, Cavetto Room.  Bennie Grezlik, Rebekah Lamberth, Randall Whitlock

LIT – MEET DIANE DUANE AND PETER MORWOOD.  An hour and a half with two of our GoHs -- household news about their science fiction, fantasy, new books, and other projects recent and upcoming, including the lowdown on the writing of the Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King miniseries... along with the details of living in a two-writer household and dealing with the everyday depredations of four cats, five computers, an active online life, and the busy pursuit of total galactic domination from a two-hundred-year-old cottage in the depths of rural Ireland.
Sat 11a-1230p, Palm F

LIT – MY FANS, I THINK… Published writers discuss how they feel about their fans.  Do we annoy, enrage, baffle, challenge or delight them?  Why don’t writers ask their fans how they liked the last book?  Are they afraid of the answer or is it something else?
Sun 11a-noon, Colonnade Room.  Jack Mangan (moderator), Tabitha Bradley, Diane Duane, Michelle Welch

LIT – PLOT A SERIES OR A STORY? Do you actually plan to write a series or does it just happen? Your story is 1500 pages – the editor wants 3 books. Is it a series? What if you plot a series but your first book fails? Can a writer even sell a stand-alone book today?
Fri 3p-4p, Palm E {you can see this on Monday, too}.  Tabitha Bradley (moderator), Michael D’Ambrosio, Emily Devenport, Ernest Hogan
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Mon noon-1p, Cloister {in case you missed it on Friday}.  Lee Whipple (moderator), Diane Duane, Peter Morwood, Ray Poulsen

LIT - QUICK AND DURTY STORY CREATION, or How to Write for Fun: How to get started writing for those who have writer's block, think they can't write or have other problems beginning a story.  This panel is geared towards beginners and non-professionals, but professionals are welcome to sit on the panel or attend.  I will use the National Novel Writing Month's formula as the basis for this panel.
Fri 4p-5p, Colonnade.  Tabitha Bradley(moderator), Bill Nicholls, David Lee Summers

LIT  - SHAKESPEARE IN FANTASY AND HORROR.  Before Brooks, before Anthony, before Tolkien, there was the Bard.  William Shakespeare was not the first to build the genre, but he was the first to make it marketable.  This panel dives into an in-depth look at the works of William Shakespeare and we reflect on Will's way through the genres of Fantasy and Horror.  MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM... MACBETH... RICHARD III... THE TEMPEST... find out the influence of William Shakespeare over the writers of today.
Sat 1p-2p, Cavetto Room.  Tabitha Bradley (moderator), Jack Mangan, Ken St. Andre

LIT  - SHOULD SCIENCE FICTION BE A CASH COW OR A RESEARCH LAB?  Did Star Wars and Hollywood steer an entire generation of SF off course?  Is it the difference between writing something innovative or something that is guaranteed to sell?
Fri 5p-6p, Cloister.  Michael Wentz (moderator), Emily Devenport, Ernest Hogan, Kevin O’Connor

LIT  - SLEUTHING AND CRIME SOLVING IN SCIFI AND FANTASY.  We see a lot of detective stories pop up in our genre.  Wen Spencer, Paul Levinson, Jim Butcher and Tee Morris...they have to have their inspirations!  So listen to our panelists talk about their favorite cop shows and detective novels, figure out who would be their favorite sleuth to solve today's biggest and baddest cases, and reminisce over successful crossovers like THE X-FILES, FOREVER KNIGHT, ALIEN NATION and BLADE RUNNER.
Mon 1p-2p, Colonnade Room.  Lee Whipple (moderator), Nicole Givens Kurtz

LIT - STAR TREK : THE WRITTEN WORD:  Authors of Star Trek novels discuss what inspired them to write in the Star Trek universe, why they chose the series they wrote about, and where writing of Star Trek may be headed in the near future. 
>Sun 4p-5p, Delores Room.  Dave Williams (moderator), Diane Duane, Jacqueline Lichtenberg, Peter Morwood,  Marc Scott Zicree

LIT – TABOOS: WHAT’S LEFT? Are there any sacred cows left untipped-over?  Is it open season on any subject?  Are there any subjects that publishers still won’t touch?
Sat noon-1p, Colonnade.  Bennie Grezlik (moderator), Adam Niswander, Ken St. Andre

LIT – VAMPIRES - HEROES OR MONSTERS – WHAT BITES YOU?  Discussion will include Yarbro’s St. Germain, Nick Knight, the infamous Barnabas Collins and Anita Blake’s vision of vampires.  We also have the southern vampires who came out of the closet in Charlaine Harris’ popular new series.
Sun 5p-6p, Colonnade Room.  Edouard Mesert (moderator), David Lee Summers

LIT – VILLAINS & HEROES: WHICH ONE IS COOLER?  Which one is easier to write?  Is there much difference between the two?  Can a Hero be bad? Or a Villain good? How do we feel about a Hero who becomes a Villain – Darth Vader -?
Sat 10a-11a, Palm E.  Peter Morwood (moderator), Emily Devenport, Ernest Hogan, John Vornholt

LIT – WEBLOGS: USEFUL OR SELF-INDULGENT? Let’s talk about the evolution of ‘blogs. Do they further a writer’s career or if they are just silly and self-serving? 
Sun 2p-3p, Palm E.  Diane Duane (moderator), Don Markstein, Ken St. Andre

LIT - WHAT IS WICCA?  An Introduction to Witchcraft for Writers and Everyone Else: Based on my book for writers, "What is Wicca? A Guide to Witchcraft for Writers", this panel introduces the religion of Wicca to those who are interested. With a slant towards providing writers with valuable information on writing about the practice of Wicca; this panel's information is useful to anyone who would like to know more about "the Craft", the religion of the Witches, made popular by recent television and movies such as "Charmed", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Practical Magic".  Participants will have access to information including flyers and visual representations of the tools used by most Wiccans in their daily practice.
Sun 330p-430p, Xavier.  Tabitha Bradley(moderator)

LIT - WRITER’S WORKSHOP WITH JANEEN O’KERRY.  Story Structure and Why It Matters.  Participants are encouraged to bring some of their own writings for on-the-spot feedback.
Sat 11a-1230p, Cavatte Room.  Janeen O’Kerry

>LIT – YOUNG ADULT FICTION. Is the market good or slow?  What makes a successful YA novel?  Can Rowling’s success be duplicated?  And what boundaries should be observed?  Professionals in the field discuss their successes and failures. 
Sun 1p-2p, Abbey. / Michael Wentz (moderator), Adam Niswander

LIT – YOUR FAVORITE NOVEL.  What was your favorite novel of 2005?  Was it your typical taste or was it something entirely new and different?  What made it the best?
Mon noon-1p, Abbey.  Mark Horning (moderator), Jack Mangan, Ken St. Andre