Balticon 59 begins in a dozen days, and my weekend will be a busy one. In addition to participating in five programming items, I’m also scheduled to record three episodes of my Eating the Fantastic podcast.

If you’ll be in Baltimore as well, here’s where to find me —

All About That Tense
Friday, May 23, 5:30 p.m. (Mount Washington)
Don’t be tense about tense! There may be twelve different verb tenses, but our experts can help you sort them out.
with Virginia DeMarce (M), Sarah Avery, Mark L. Van Name, and Mark Painter

Howard the Duck Retrospective
Friday, May 23, 8:30 p.m. (Gibson)
Howard the Duck first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 in 1973 and eventually got his own series in 1976. This irreverent character became so popular he received write-in votes for the presidential election of 1976. More recently the pants-less Anatidae made small appearances in several MCU films. Our panelists will discuss the evolution of the character over the years and his impact.
with Neil Ottenstein

Critique: Do’s and Don’ts
Saturday, May 24, 5:30 p.m. (Gibson)
It’s easy to have an opinion, but it’s hard to swallow other people’s. Conversely, it’s very easy to hear critique and internalize it as an attack. What techniques can we learn to give and receive constructive feedback?
with Rosemary Claire Smith, Sarah Pinsker, Micaiah Johnson, and Larry Hodges

In Defense of Short Fiction
Sunday, May 25, 10:00 a.m. (Mount Washington)
In the Golden Age short stories were the cutting edge of SFFH. Today, the short story in SFFH is still well represented in both print and online magazines, but often is considered the poor cousin to novels. What do short stories convey to the reader that is distinct from novels? What can you do with a short story that you can’t in longer fiction? And why do people want to read short stories? Our panelists will discuss the importance of short form fiction.
with Andy Love, Carolyn Ives Gilman, L.H. Moore, and Samantha Mills

Monday, May 26, Short Fire Readings
11:30 a.m. (St. George)
with Miguel O. Mitchell, Andrija “Andy” Popovic, Mark Painter, and Ian Randal Strock

If you’ll be there as well, please say hi!

Balticon 58 begins in a dozen days, and my weekend will be extremely busy — I’ve been placed on ten programming items, plus I’ll be recording three episodes of my Eating the Fantastic podcast. I could have been on eleven items, but decided to turn down the offered reading slot because that would have made my days much too crowded.

If you’ll be in Baltimore as well, here’s where to find me — when I’m not off getting early morning donuts or late night cannolis, that is!

No Sh*t, There I was!
Friday, May 24, 8:30 p.m. (Guilford)
Everyone has one of these stories. Our panelists will share theirs.

How to Keep Writing After the Workshop
Saturday, May 25, 11:30 a.m. (Club Lounge)
Writing workshops can be energizing and inspirational, but not everything can be done within a workshop environment. How can we take what we learned and apply it to our writing process? What ways can you build on friendships made during the workshop, like building accountability or sprinting partners? Let’s talk about how to keep the benefits of a workshop going over the long term.

Autographing
Saturday, May 25, 4:00 p.m. (5th Floor Lobby)
with Adeena Mignogna

Podcasting on the Cheap
Saturday, May 25, 5:30 p.m. (Mount Washington)
Podcasting requires the use of specialized hardware and software, but starting your podcast doesn’t have to break the bank. Come learn about the best tools you can assemble on a budget, where to find free-to-use content, and production techniques you can use make even the cheapest gear sound good.

Structuring Your Story
Sunday, May 26, 1:00 p.m. (Club Lounge)
We’ve gone way beyond the Three Act structure. We have things like, the Nine Act structure, Beat Sheets, the Snowflake Method, and more. It’s all very confusing. If you’re a new writer, where do you start? If you’re an established writer, which of these techniques are useful to you, are you using them already? Our panelists will help you navigate the dangerous shoals of writing structures and new (or not so new) techniques.

Double Threats: Writing Both Science Fiction and Fantasy
Sunday, May 26, 4:00 p.m. (Mount Washington)
There are many authors who write both Science Fiction and Fantasy. How do writers approach writing each genre? Do writers tend to be better at one genre than the other? How do writers decide which genre suits the story they want to tell?

Best Resources on Writing
Sunday, May 26, 5:30 p.m. (Mount Washington)
What books should you have on your shelf when you’re trying to read about writing? There are some great YouTube channels out there too. Let’s talk about the best resources to help you write your story.

Write What You Love While Paying the Bills
Sunday, May 26, 7:00 p.m. (Guilford)
As a writer, how do you balance writing what you love and writing what the market wants? Balancing what sells with your passion while earning enough money to keep the lights on is a juggling act. How do you decide on your next project? Panelists will discuss how they’ve found their own place in this turbulent mix.

How to Incorporate Critique
Monday, May 27, 10:00 a.m. (Gibson)
Someone’s read your work in progress… and they have feedback. How do you know what should be incorporated, and how can you do it so that changes feel consistent with what you’ve written? How can you deal with conflicting suggestions? How do you tell the difference between impartial constructive feedback and a reader’s personal preference?

Dealing with Literary Rejection
Monday, May 27, 1:00 p.m. (Guilford)
Every creator has received a rejection at some point in their career. Just because you’re been rejected doesn’t mean your story is bad. There can be lots of reasons why your story was rejected. Let’s talk about some strategies to help you move forward and keep writing and submitting.

If you’ll be there as well, please say hi!

Balticon 57 begins in just a few days, and I have a very busy weekend planned — eight programming items, a wedding bifurcating the con, and multiple episodes of Eating the Fantastic to record.

If you’ll be in Baltimore as well, here’s where to find me —

Finding Your Voice
Friday, May 26, 4:00 p.m. (Guilford)
Frequently what makes books by one author different from another is the author’s voice, their personal style. How do you develop your voice and use it to create a unique feel for your books? What defines an author’s style? Can this be developed or is it inborn? What authors have a unique style and how can we learn from them?
with David Keener (moderator), Doc Coleman, and Walt Boyes

Plotters vs Pantsers
Friday, May 26, 7:00 p.m. (Guilford)
How do you plot your book? Do you plan it all in advance or do you simply write what comes out and edit its shape later? What are the benefits of both approaches? Does one approach work better for some types of books?
with David Keener (moderator), D.H. Aire, and Alex Shvartsman

Short stories versus novels: A debate
Friday, May 26, 8:30 p.m. (Gibson)
Are short stories better than novels? What can one form do that the other cannot? Is one form more innovative than the other? Why write stories when novels pay so much more? A debate
with Joshua Bilmes, Scott H. Andrews, Alex Shvartsman, and Mary G. Thompson

Rewriting
Sunday, May 28, 11:30 a.m. (Gibson)
Many professional works were far from perfect in their first draft and only became so through lots of rewriting. Rewriting is more than fixing spelling and grammar. How do writers rewrite their works? What were some of the biggest changes you made in rewriting a book or story and how did that make the work better? What tricks and tips can you give for new/would-be writers?
with D.H. Aire (moderator), Sarah Avery, and Aaron M. Roth

Works I Wasn’t Ready to Write
Sunday, May 28, 2:30 p.m. (Mount Washington)
Sometimes writers get ideas that they are not yet skilled enough to write. Has this happened to you? What did you do? How did it turn out? If you chose to write it anyway, do you think you ever will go back and redo it?
with Alan Smale (moderator), Micaiah Johnson, Tris Lawrence

Digging yourself out of a writing rut
Sunday, May 28, 4:00 p.m. (James)
Many authors find it easier to write things similar to what they have written in the past. But does that leave writers stuck as the “vampire writer” or “space empire writer”? How do you keep your writing fresh by avoiding the rut? What exercises can help?
with Sarah Avery (moderator), Bjorn E. Hasseler, and Carolyn Ives Gilman

Out of Control Characters
Sunday, May 28, 5:30 p.m. (Guilford)
Some authors tightly control their characters, requiring them to follow an outline. But other authors say there are things their characters won’t do. What do authors do when their characters go off script? Do you try to regain control (and how?) or go where the characters take you?
with Jennifer R. Povey (moderator), A. L. Kaplan, and Alan Smale

Reading
Monday, May 29, 10:00 a.m.
Not sure yet, but I believe I might read as much of my recent Lightspeed story “A Man Walks Into a Bar: In Which More Than Four Decades After My Father’s Reluctant Night of Darts on West 54th Street I Finally Understand What Needs to Be Done” as I can get through in the allotted time.
with Doc Coleman

I hope to see you there!

After a two-year hiatus, Balticon will be back as an in-person event just a few days from now. Which means I’ll be back at my first in-person convention since December’s D.C. Worldcon. Proof of vaccination will be required to enter the space, and masking will be required to remain there, so I’m feeling relatively comfortable.

Relatively.

I’m still somewhat nervous, but I’ve agreed to appear on four panels and do a reading. I’ll do my best to supress my anxiety and enjoy myself, even though for my own safety and yours, I’ll be testing myself each morning before heading out to mingle, plus once a day after I’m home for the following five days so I’ll be able to estimate the date of COVID onset in the unfortunate event there is one.

Here’s the final Balticon schedule if you plan on attending, too, but if you’re in the mood come hear me pontificate, here’s where you’ll find me when I’m not hanging around the halls —

Revising Your Work
Friday, May 27, 4:00 p.m., Homeland
You love that twist in your story you’ve been planning for ages, but you just realized a key character died 100 pages earlier. Or you just finished your reread and decided your epic space war would work best as a satire. What should stay? What should go? How can you look at your work with a critical eye and turn your story into the tale you always dreamed of telling?
with Gail Z. Martin (moderator), Wen Spencer, Margaret Riley

When To Get Gory
Friday, May 27, 5:30 p.m., James
While gore is usually associated with the horror genre, writers can use elements of gore in non-horror works as well. How do you set reader expectations, and how do you know how much gore your audience will tolerate? What effect does introducing gore into your work (horror or otherwise) achieve, and how can you best use it to tell the story that you want to tell?
with David Keener (moderator), Rena Mason, Hildy Silverman

Reading
Saturday, May 28, 4:00 p.m., St. George
I will probably read from my story “The Letters They Left Behind,” soon to appear in Lightspeed … though don’t hold me to that. I might change my mind!
with Alan Smale

Writing Scary Ghosts
Saturday, May 28, 5:30 p.m., Room 7029
What’s scary about a disembodied spirit? It can take a lot to surprise or scare a modern reader. So, how can authors use ghosts to generate fear? Movies have the advantage of the “jump scare” but what tricks do horror authors have to make denizens of the spirit world more frightening?
with Gail Z. Martin (moderator), L. Marie Wood, Rena Mason, Carol Gyzander

Plotting Character Arcs
Sunday, May 30, 1:00 p.m., Gibson,
Stories are often as much about how the protagonists develop in reaction to events as about how the events unfold. What are some techniques to help you plan out a character’s arc over one or more stories, and how much should you draw the audience’s attention to it? What are some ways to incorporate your character’s development so that it feels natural and consistent with the rest of your story?
with Joshua Bilmes (moderator), Melissa Scott, Scott H. Andrews, Mark L. Van Name

I look forward to seeing you there!

Balticon begins in four days, and it will once again be virtual — which means no matter how far from Baltimore you happen to be, you’ll be able to join me.

Here’s what you need to know about my reading and four panels —

Reading
Friday, May 28, 2:30 p.m.
I’ll either read an opening section from “I Shall But Love Thee Better,” due out shortly in the anthology Prisms, or “Lost Out There in the Stars,” which will be published next year in the third issue of the new magazine Parsec. Or maybe a little bit of each! Both are novellas, and both will be released by PS Publishing.

Writing Psychological Horror
Saturday, May 29, 7:00 p.m.
Good horror will go beyond gore and mess with a reader’s mind. What is it about certain ideas and concepts that disturb us and how can you incorporate your personal fears into your works?
with L. Marie Wood, Nick Mamatas, John Wiswell, and Nino Cipri

Using Writing Prompts and Exercises Effectively
Sunday, May 30, 4:00 p.m.
There are a plethora of books, magazines, and websites offering writing prompts and exercises for creators of all experience levels and interests. We’ll talk about how to determine which are the best for you and how you can get the most from them.
with Joshua Bilmes (moderator), Beth Morris Tanner, and Sarah Beth Durst

Non-Linear Narratives
Sunday, May 30, 5:30 p.m.
The end is the beginning is the middle is… and sometimes THAT’S too straightforward! When an author tries to mix up a series of events, the results can be mind-blowing, confusing, or both. What are some non-linear narratives that have worked, some that haven’t, and ways a creator can prepare to tackle one themselves?
with Arkady Martine, Daniel M Ford, Nick Mamatas, and Ada Palmer

Sustaining Tension in Your Writing
Monday, May 31, 1:00 p.m.
Any narrative work will maintain audience interest through the buildup and release of tension. But how do you keep the tension going after you’ve resolved the major plot point and there’s still more story to go? Panelists will discuss writing and organizational techniques for handling multiple sources of tension in a single work.
with Monica Louzon (moderator), Mary Fan, C. L. Polk, and Joshua Palmatier

I hope to see you there!

Due to COVID-19, there’ll be no meatspace Balticon this year, but the wizards behind that con have been working hard to make sure we’ll all still be able to enjoy each other’s company virtually.

I’m sorry I won’t be able to feed you jelly beans this year — because I’ve always believed a fed audience is a happy audience — but if you’d like to experience me virtually, here’s when you can have me popping up on your screen —

Writing While Life Rolls Over You
Sunday, May 24, 10:00 a.m.
How do you survive unexpected life events while trying to juggle both a day job and a writing career? How do you stay organized and get back to a project when everything is trying to tear you away? Lets share the tricks we use to keep ourselves going.
with Michael Ventrella, Doc Coleman, Hildy Silverman, and Javon Goard

Reading
Sunday, May 24, 1:00 p.m.
I will read from my recently published short story “Answered Prayers,” which appeared in the latest issue of DreamForge magazine.
with Ted Weber

There is No Finish Line: Momentum for Writers
Sunday, May 24, 3:00 p.m.
Experienced writers who have been on the roller coaster for a while know the big secret: you never really “make it.” Just because you’ve sold one book doesn’t mean you’ll sell the next one, and just because you didn’t sell the last one doesn’t mean the next one won’t hit big. Our panel offers tips and strategies for maintaining the will to keep creating.
with Joshua Bilmes, D.H. Aire, Keith R.A. DeCandido, and L. Marie Wood

I hope you’ll drop on by!

You can find the full schedule here.

This May is going to be one of my busiest convention months ever, because three cons which usually occur in different months will instead take place this year on three consecutive weekends. First will come Stokercon in Grand Rapids (and I’ve already told you what I’ll be doing there), then the Nebula awards weekend in Los Angeles, and finally, Balticon 53 over the Memorial Day weekend.

The final Balticon schedule has just been posted, so if you’re in the mood to track me down and listen to my ramblings, here’s where you’ll be able to find me—

Recommend Me a Podcast
Friday, May 24, 5:00 p.m.
Whether you love podcasts about scifi and fantasy, gaming, history, comedy, or just want to know where to start when there’s so many out there, we’ve got you covered.
with Scott Roche, John Walker, and Ken Schrader

Sequential Art: From the Comics Page to the Big Screen
Friday, May 24, 8:00 p.m.
The comic was perfect, so why isn’t the movie an exact recreation? A discussion on how comics can and can’t be translated to the big screen.
with Dame Dahlia Cosplay, Charles Brown, and Alex Wittenberg

Captain Marvel and the Retconning of the MCU
Saturday, May 25, 2:00 p.m.
The story of Captain Marvel is set a decade before other films in the main MCU sequence, adding to and sometimes changing backstory of characters, organizations, and setting elements we thought we already knew. Did they get it right or wrong? What might have been done differently? Is there a chance that future MCU movies will also be set in the past?
with John Edward Lawson (moderator), Dame Dahlia Cosplay, Jack Clemons, and Keith R.A. DeCandido

How to Self-Edit That Lousy First Draft
Saturday, May 25, 8:00 p.m.
Panelists will discuss techniques four editing when you don’t have outside reader too help.
Joshua Bilmes (moderator), Jay Smith, Karen Osborne, Ian Randal Strock, and JL Gribble

Reading
Sunday, May 26, 9:00 p.m.
Not sure what I’ll be reading. I might make the audience choose!
with Michael M. Jones

If you attending the con, I look forward to seeing you there!

Assuming I survive the upcoming Nebula awards weekend in Pittsburgh, I’ll be attending Balticon 52 over the Memorial Day weekend.

If you’ll also be there, and would like to track me down and hear me pontificate, here’s where you’ll be able to find me—

Crowdfunding New Media
Saturday, May 26, 2:00 p.m.
Panelists who have successfully crowdfunded their non-dead tree projects will discuss the pros and cons of doing so and the hurdles to be aware of.
with Melissa L. Hayden (moderator), J. R. Blackwell, Nobilis Reed, and Nuchtchas

Writing Psychological Horror
Saturday, May 26, 9:00 p.m.
What is it about certain ideas and concepts that disturb us? How can you best incorporate it into your works?
with K. Ceres Wright (moderator), Scott Roche, Paul E. Cooley, Jay Smith, and C.S. Friedman

Best Books on Writing
Sunday, May 27, 11:00 a.m.
What books should you have on your shelf when you’re trying to read about writing?
with Joshua Bilmes (moderator), Val Griswold-Ford, Sarah Pinsker, and Marilyn “Mattie” Brahen

Reading
Sunday, May 27, 1:00 p.m.
I’ll likely share a chunk from my Ray Bradbury-inspired story “The Final Charge of Mr. Electrico”
with Jack Clemons and Tom Doyle

Kaffeeklatsch
Sunday, May 27, 5:00 p.m.

How to Self-Edit That Lousy First Draft
Sunday, May 27, 7:00 p.m.
Panelists will discuss techniques for editing when you don’t have outside readers to help.
with Mark L. Van Name (moderator), John Grant, and Julayne Hughes

Hope to see you there!

It took me 44 years to finally sell a story to Analog—and just a few more months to sell them a second.

Last weekend at Balticon, flanked by Michael M. Jones and Day Al-Mohamed, I shared the opening three scenes of that second story—a novelette titled “How Val Finally Escaped from the Basement,” which will appear in the magazine’s November/December 2017 issue.

If you weren’t there, check it out below. Heck, even if you were there …

Want to know what happens next? Then be sure to track down that issue, which should go on sale around the third week of October.

Balticon 51 ends today, but the fun doesn’t have to be over—because on Saturday, I interviewed a baker’s dozen of attendees about their favorite Balticon memories. And I did it over donuts!

(If you’re a regular listener and were therefore anticipating Episode 39 to be the previously announced dinner with Elizabeth Hand, don’t worry—that’s still planned to appear on June 9. But I thought it fitting that the Balticon episode go live now, to help assuage the sadness some might be feeling as they bid farewell to Baltimore for another year.)

Since last July’s Readercon Donut Spectacular episode of Eating the Fantastic has proven to be so popular, I thought I’d try harvesting memories about another long-running con, and so plopped myself down in a high-traffic area of the Balticon hotel with a dozen Diablo Donuts. But first, I shared this photo on social media so the hungry hordes would know to be on the lookout for me.

Most episodes of Eating the Fantastic involve deep-dive interviews with a single guest, so for the most part, I’m in control, but with something like this, you never know what’s going to happen, because I don’t choose the guests, the guests choose me. But I consider that controlled chaos a feature, not a bug, and think you’ll like what those who did sit down for a bite and a chat had to say about their decades—and in one case, mere hours—attending the con.

Listen as 13 guests begin Balticon’s second half-century with a dozen Diablo Donuts and reminisce about the time George R. R. Martin pretended to beat one of them to death with a cane, how a live birth almost ended up as part of the science programming, why it’s so wonderful to be able to make a Star Trek joke and have people get it, Allen Steele’s wonderful depiction of the 1939 Worldcon in his novel Arkwright, Marty Gear’s indispensable rule for self-care during convention-going, plus more.

Here’s how you can eavesdrop as my guests dig into their donuts— (more…)