I'm excited to be a returning panelist at Norwescon 39 this year, with eleven panels, three moderating -- including a reading (last time there was just someone vacuuming the room, so please come), and an autograph session (and for the latter two I'll have toys, prizes, yummy baked things, and more).
Last year I over-prepared for my nine panels, because I tend to over-prepare. I prepared to the point of saying things like, "So, Yog-Sothoth's Flaugnarde [note: This is not a real panelist's name, and I am absolutely going to make this for breakfast one day], I hear that your pet nutria is your alpha reader, and helped you write the spec-fic story 'Under the Ham.' How does that partnership work, exactly?" (Did you know there are nutrias over at Lake Washington?) This year, I'll have some basic notes on an index card, not the Torah-like scroll I had with me last time — and now that I know what it's like, I'll be more at ease.
Here's my schedule!
Thu 3:00pm - 4:00pm - Cascade 10
WRI07 - Your Story is a Problem & That's Good
Dean Wells (M), Peter Orullian, Frog Jones, Dave Bara, Nina Post
A story is about a problem. Your hero has to solve that problem. How do you balance the two? If your hero is too big, the resolution comes to easily. If the problem is too big, the resolution feels like a cheat. Listen as our pros share how they scale their crises and heroes with a fit that's dramatically plausible and satisfying.
Thu 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Cascade 5&6
FAN01 - What If?
Django Wexler (M), S. A. Bolich, Nina Post, Renee Stern
Historical Fantasy's magical sandbox of looking at real world events and making alterations is discussed. Join our pros as they unpack the tools, methods, and topics that reside in historical fantasy.
Fri 12:00pm - 1:00pm - Cascade 9
HOR03 - Horror Influences
Nina Post (M), K. M. Alexander, Morgue Anne, Alex C. Renwick, Lisa Bolekaja
We talk with our expert panel on who inspired them to write/create horror and on what scares them.
Fri 1:00pm - 2:00pm - Evergreen 3&4
POP02 - Comics on TV
Nina Post (M), Spencer Ellsworth, Lilith Whitewolf, J. Rachel Edidin
DC's television universe continues to expand, and Marvel is utilizing Netflix and ABC to explore very different ideas of what superheroes can look like on the small screen. Shows like iZombie and the Walking Dead are bringing lesser-known comic properties to the masses. The serialized storytelling and shared worlds that work so well in print are a perfect fit for television -- why did Hollywood take so long to realize it, and what's in the pipeline for the coming years?
Fri 3:00pm - 4:00pm - Cascade 3&4
BIO14 - The Languages of Speculative Fiction
Jason Bourget (M), Lawrence M. Schoen, David J. Peterson, Nina Post, Sean Hagle
As a part of their world building, some SFF writers create new languages. Most are used as naming languages or to flavor insults and courtesies; a small few become entities themselves, with thousands of speakers and an impressive body of translated and original literature. Join us as we discuss what is involved in creating your own language, and how much work is needed to get the results you want.
Fri 7:00pm - 8:00pm - Cascade 7&8
HIS07 - Adding Realistic Details to Your Fantasy Writing
Adrienne Carlson (M), Alan Paulsen, Nina Post, Laura Anne Gilman
Anachronisms and just plain wrong details are sure ways to ruin the reading or viewing of otherwise immersive fantasy tale. It is the writer's responsibility to "get it right." We will focus on finding and placing accurate medieval/historical details into fantasy settings to keep the reader engaged and fully immersed in story. We will work on writing rich texture while avoiding common cliches and faux pas, showing rather than telling, avoiding info-dumping, and making the reader's experience smooth, compelling, and exciting.
Sat 2:00pm - 3:00pm - Cascade 9
HOR01 - The Ghostbusters Effect
Christopher Stewart (M), Amber Clark, Nina Post, Nathan Crowder
In which we discuss the impact the movie Ghostbusters made and continues to make on horror over the past three decades, from an increase in interest in parapsychology to a more open inclusion of humor in horror.
Sat 3:00pm - 4:00pm - Grand 2
MISC29 - Autograph Session 2
Amber Clark, Annie Bellet, Brenda Cooper, Carol Berg, David J. Peterson, H.M. Jones, Jeff Sturgeon, Jude-Marie Green, Julie Dillon, Katie Cord, Lawrence M. Schoen, Megan Kelso, Nina Post, Peter Orullian, Raven Oak, Stephen L. Gillett, Todd Lockwood
Sat 7:00pm - 8:00pm - Cascade 3&4
SF15 - You Can't Take the Sky From Me: Mixing Genres
Nina Post (M), Raven Oak, Spencer Ellsworth
A cowboy show in space is silly, right? Nope. We love Firefly. Join us as we discuss cross genre mixes in science fiction. What makes them work? What may be next?
Sun 11:00am - 12:00pm - Evergreen 3&4
WRI11 - A Thousand Words
Brenda Carre (M), Nina Post, Gregory A. Wilson, Luna Lindsey
Literature may be the art of beautiful words, but sometimes great writing comes from--or cooperates with--great images. Come hear how writers use drawings, photographs, and maps for inspiration, worldbuilding, character development, and more.
Sun 2:30pm - 3:00pm - Cascade 1
R41 - Reading: Nina Post