Impending Con, and what she would do there

[mrissa]

This coming weekend is 4th St. Fantasy convention–it’s not too late! you can still get at-the-door memberships!–and I cannot wait. I love 4th St. so much. It’s the people, and the passionate focus on story, and all the conversation. (I also like music parties. But music parties do tend to come with at least a little conversation too.) I’m hoping to finish the story I’m working on now so that I can have the newish novel stuff at the top of my head while thinking 4th St. thoughts.

Here’s what I’m doing formally this year:

Friday 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM: Short Fiction. Michael Merriam (Moderating), David Levine, Marissa Lingen, Michael D. Thomas. It can be challenging to bring worlds to life at novel length, much less in a handful of pages. What are the specific challenges of writing fantastic fiction at short lengths, and what are some ways in which short fiction’s effects and goals differ from those of novels? What strategies can be used to overcome these challenges, and how much grounding in genre protocols does a reader need to be able to unpack short- form fantasies?

Saturday 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Tell, Don’t Show. Emma Bull (Moderating), Steven Brust, David Levine, Marissa Lingen, Skyler White. Let’s talk about exposition! Authors like James Michener, Kim Stanley Robinson, and Francis Spufford have written novels that break all the “rules” about people hating exposition, and sometimes it’s better to just come out and tell readers things (c.f. Douglas Adams). What’s going on here, and what techniques and insights can we glean from it?

I am also hosting a lunch for people who are new to Fourth Street and want to meet people and hang out and like that. That’ll be Sunday. I have been trying to reach out to new people each 4th St., because it’s my con, and I want it to be friendly and welcoming, so when Cathy started arranging somewhat more formal stuff for welcoming new people this year, I figured I should sign up. I’ll be interested to see how it goes.

Originally published at Novel Gazing Redux

Comments

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

*sigh of envy*

Maybe next year.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

You know we would love to have you.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

I really want to come back--it's such a terrific bunch of people, and the programming is some of the best I have ever seen.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I think everybody involved with 4th St. is really, really committed to the programming. Even people who will spend other cons sitting in the bar will go to programming at 4th St.--or they wouldn't bother to go. This is very hard to explain to some people who haven't been to anything like it. But I'm really glad it worked for you.

[timprov.livejournal.com]

There is some excellent irony in the only 90-minute panel being the one about writing short.

[alecaustin.livejournal.com]

Pretty sure that's a misprint. They're all supposed to be 1 hour.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

So I might get dinner before I have to eat David Levine's arm off? Hurrah!

[brooksmoses]

That seems like a good thing, indeed. It might make it hard for him to be properly present for the 8:00 panel.

[txanne.livejournal.com]

I will be shoving things into boxes while weeping bitter tears. Please have a lovely time from Thursday to Fish for me.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I keep looking at the membership list and not seeing you, and sighing. Farthing, though? Yesmaybe?

[txanne.livejournal.com]

Moar bitter tears, I has them. I don't know about Farthing yet--it depends entirely on the job situation. I kind of think that if I'm unemployed, I'll just eat ramen for a month and go anyway. Because damn it, that's why.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Yeah.

Sighs of sadness

[judith-dascoyne.livejournal.com]

What?
No Texas Ann?
how can this be.
Will miss you.

Cass

[braddr.livejournal.com]

Hrm.. a 3 day conference call? It could work, maybe.