Building Fantasy Worlds
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Writers of otherworld fantasies set themselves a daunting task: to evoke for readers a setting different from our own world yet familiar enough to be comprehensible and relatable. Where lies the balance between imaginative and often-seen? What aspects must a writer consider in order to bring a fantastic world to life? Are there techniques for conjuring a complex otherworld with a rich history and imagined cultures without delivering a twelve-part lecture? How do writers place readers into new worlds as searingly real as early sunlight gleaming in dewdrops on a spider’s web? Join us as fantasy novelists discuss their challenges and triumphs, their tricks, tips, and trade secrets.

Getting to the Heart of the Story: Writing Romances That Resonate
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

From longing and loneliness to hope and happily-ever-after, romance explores the most enduring questions of the human heart. Join a panel of romance authors as they discuss the art of crafting emotionally powerful stories, unforgettable characters, and relationships that linger long after the final page. Discover how love, in all its complexity, continues to inspire some of today's most compelling fiction. Whether your favorite stories are sweet, steamy, contemporary, historical, or magical, this lively conversation offers an inside look at the craft of writing romance and the enduring appeal of love stories.

Fiction-Crafting
2 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Smoke and mirrors, chiaroscuro, foxfire, gramerie . . . with these and other tactics, fiction writers put pictures into our heads. They take us to places our feet never could. What goes into the weaving of these spells? What does it take for the ghost of an idea to become a story or a novel? How do different writers approach the task, and what are the doorways into story? Where does one start? How does one keep going? How does a writer know when a story or book is finished? And why should we do it at all? Come and hear the cries, groans, whoops, gasps, shrieks, and cheers of three seasoned fiction writers . . . and listen as they spill tips, insights, stories from the trenches, and writerly advice.