Tag: readings

Virtual Philcon 2020

Next weekend I’ll be participating in Virtual Philcon 2020. While there’s a lot to miss about in-person cons, one plus side of Philcon being online this year: you can attend for free! (Though if you’re willing and able, they do ask for a donation in lieu of membership fees.)

Here’s my schedule:

Reading
Friday, November 20, 8:30 pm EST

I’ll probably be reading a couple flash pieces for this one.

Panel: Heinlein’s Third Rule of Writing
Saturday, November 21, 10:00 am EST

“You must refrain from rewriting except to editorial order.” How useful is this advice? Why do some people swear by it, and others swear that the best thing you can do is ignore it?

Panel: How Many Different Modes of Editing Are There?
Sunday, November 22, 11:30 am EST

Checking for mistakes in grammar or spelling is one obvious focus of editing your work; looking at potential problems with pacing and plot-holes another. But what about edit passes for tone, and examining how your word choices and sentence structures impact the feel of a scene? Or the value of doing a draft that looks solely at removing anything unnecessary?

2016 Philcon Schedule

logo_c6768
I’m going to be at Philcon next weekend (Nov. 18-20), and there’s a shiny programming schedule posted on their site now to prove it!

Stepping Over the Bechdel Test
Sat 3:00 PM in Plaza III (Three)
Barbara A. Barnett (mod), Victoria Janssen, L Hunter Cassells, Anthony Dobranski, Sally Wiener Grotta

“Two women who talk to each other about something besides a man” was intended to be literally the lowest bar you could set for decent female representation in a story, and yet many authors seem to have taken this metric as the sole requirement for being considered feminist. Let’s talk about the myriad of ways we can do a better job of writing female individuals and female groups.

Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Readings
Sat 4:00 PM in Executive Suite 623
April Grey (mod), Elizabeth Crowens, Elektra Hammond, Roberta Rogow, Barbara A. Barnett, D.L. Carter

A group reading by members of Broad Universe, an international organization with the primary goal of promoting science fiction, fantasy, and horror written by women.

Giving and Receiving Criticism
Sun 11:00 AM in Plaza II (Two)
Oz Drummond (mod), James Chambers, Andi O’Connor, Barbara A. Barnett, Ken Altabef, Brian Koscienski

What’s the difference between constructive and destructive criticism? What should a new writer listen to and learn from, either in a workshop critique, or in an editorial rejection? What kind of advice is actually helpful, and how does the framing of feedback impact what an author takes away from it?