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Norwescon 2013 Schedule

Surviving the Slush Pile
Thursday 4:00pm-5:00pm Cascade 2
If the editor doesn’t read past the first page, it doesn’t matter how good the rest is. How to quickly capture and hold a slush reader’s attention.
Cat Rambo, Gardner Dozois, Jenna M. Pitman, Keffy R.M. Kehrli

Steampunk: What Is It and Why Is It So Popular?
Thursday 5:00pm-6:00pm Cascade 3&4
Steampunk has been referred to as “the Future Trend of Science Fiction” but is the subgenre merely a return to the classics as spun by Verne and Wells? Join our panelists as they look at recent works of Steampunk, share their opinions of what makes Steampunk different from the work of the founding fathers of Science Fiction, and why the genre is so appealing.
Cat Rambo, Chelsea M. Campbell, Corry L. Lee, Karen Kincy

Writing What You Don’t Know
Friday 11:00am-Noon Cascade 7
Many writers have heard the advice to “write what you know”. But, have you really met any dragons, or robots, or zombies, or vampires? How do you write about something that you haven’t experienced personally? Tips for how to (and how not to) use research and common sense to improve your writing.
Stina Leicht, Cat Rambo, Corry L. Lee, Michaelbrent Collings

Cat Rambo reads A Cavern Ripe With Dreams
Friday 2:00pm-2:30pm Cascade 1
An excerpt from the novella. Rated G
Cat Rambo

Your Anti-Procrastination First Aid Kit
Friday 5:00pm-6:00pm Cascade 2
Do you love to write but don’t get as much writing done as you’d like to? Conquer your fears… and your rough draft.
Cat Rambo, Dennis R. Upkins, Ellen Forney, Marta Murvosh

The Comeback Genre: Sword & Sorcery
Sunday 2:00pm-3:00pm Cascade 7
Sword and Sorcery has a rich history, going back to at least Howard and Smith. And it’s making a comeback. Our panelists talk about its rich history and why it’s back and better than ever.
Bart Kemper, Cat Rambo

Reasons to Leave Your Cave
Sunday Noon-1:00pm Cascade 6
Should writing be a solitary profession? How can authors banding together improve their careers? Or is the writing community a distraction from work?
Cat Rambo, Chelsea M. Campbell, Jack Skillingstead, Kevin J. Anderson

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"(On the writing F&SF workshop) Wanted to crow and say thanks: the first story I wrote after taking your class was my very first sale. Coincidence? nah….thanks so much."

~K. Richardson

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Notes from the Internet Presence for Writers Panel

This is from the panel on Internet Presence for Writers from Norwescon a few weeks ago. Participants were K.G Anderson, K. Tempest Bradford (moderator), Chimedum Ohaegbu, and myself.

Panel description: We’ve all heard the warnings, “Be careful what you put online; it’s forever!” Is this really a concern? We’re encouraged to have a heavy online presence, but sometimes it can feel like walking on eggshells. Hear pros share how they balance their fanbase and personal sharing, where it’s gone right and gone wrong.

One of the keys is to be findable on the Internet. You should have a website, and that website should have a means of contacting you. You would be surprised how many writer websites do not have the writer’s name on the front page.

Along the same lines, that website should look professional rather than amateurish. If you must have squid, Karen observed, make them professional looking squid.

Curate your presence and don’t be random about it. You want to think about your online presence. Look at your social media and the last 20-25 things you’ve posted. How many are positive? How many are negative? How many are informative? That’s the presence you’re projecting online. People are drawn to people who care about people.

Have a newsletter. Raven Oak’s was held up as an example.

Facebook groups are more useful than Facebook pages. (note from Cat: I’m been hearing this for a while and it did lead me to start up a group, which so far has been livelier and more active than anywhere else for me on Facebook.)

Post proportionately and consistently.

Don’t let social media overwhelm your energy. You must have something to promote or all of this is pointless.

Use Twitter tools like Buffer or Hootsuite to keep things manageable by scheduling posts. Twitter lists are also useful. Cat keeps a private list marked “interactives,” which is people who frequently interact or repost her stuff, which is the first place she pulls from when scheduling posts. Another is a public list, Women in Fantasy and Science Fiction. To see what lists you are on, go to your Lists page and click on “Member of”.

Explore Twitter hashtags like #writingcommunity, #writerwednesday, #followfriday. On Instagram, look for #bookstagram and other book-related hashtags.

Blogging is coming back, but you need to have content that people want. Mary Robinette Kowal has a series called Debut Author Tips, for instance.

...

What Colors for Worldcon? You Decide.

Picture of pink phlox and orange snapdragons.I’m headed to LoneStarCon3 at the end of August and here’s some of what I’m looking forward to:

Here’s your options, all Manic Panic colors:

After Midnight
Atomic Turquoise (currently at 4 votes)
Bad Boy Blue
Blue Moon (currently at 10 votes)
Electric Amethyst
Electric Banana
Electric Lava
Electric Lizard (currently at 1 vote)
Electric Tiger Lily (currently at 1.5 votes)
Enchanted Forest
Fuchsia Shock
Green Envy
Infra Red (currently at 10 votes)
Lie Locks
Mystic Heather (currently at 21 votes)
New Rose
Pillarbox Red
Pretty Flamingo (currently at .5 votes)
Psychedelic Sunset
Purple Haze (currently at 31 votes)
Raven
Red Passion
Rockabilly Blue
Rock and Roll Red
Shocking Blue (currently at .5 votes)
Sunshine
Ultra Violet
Vampire Red
Vampire’s Kiss
Venus Envy
Violet Knight (currently at .5 votes)
Voodoo Blue (currently at 12 votes)
Wildfire (currently at 1.5 votes)

...

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