Events

2020:

These are the places where I know I’m going to be. Check back often, because you never know…

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This year, in light of current events, the usual Balticon 54 has been replaced by…

Virtual Balticon 54!!!

The virtual con is free to attend, so you can all gather around (virtually) and hand out with your favorite creative folk – all from the safety of your own home!

Here is my schedule. Tune in and see what’s up!

Friday, May 22, 5PM

Adding Love Stories to Genre Fiction

Ted Weber (Moderator), Ken Schrader, Wen Spencer, Mary Fan, L. Marie Wood

Romances in genre fiction often get a bad rap for feeling forced and causing the story to come to a screeching halt. What past and present works resonate in their approach to these problems and what can an author learn by looking at them?

Saturday, May 23, 12PM

Tips for Writing Combat

James Mendez Hodes (Moderator), Jeanne Adams, Ken Schrader, Ryan Van Loan

Even veterans and long-time practitioners can have problems writing fights that are both compelling and realistic; how is someone new supposed to keep up? We’ll discuss getting experience with the weapons you’re writing about, how to handle pacing in brawls, skirmishes, and battles, and how to keep the tension high when your protagonists have to survive.

Sunday, May 24, 6PM

Bad Transportation Math vs the Speed of Plot

Jean Marie Ward (Moderator), Julayne Hughes, Mark Van Name, Ken Schrader, Catherine Asaro

The logistics of travel and travel times don’t always need to be ironclad, but can make for an easily noticed and unpleasant plot-hole, whether in a fantasy setting (with travel on horseback or sailing ships) or in a science fiction setting (with various FTL devices). What are tricks to avoid these holes, and how can apparent errors be reconciled if only caught late in the process?

Monday, May 25, 10AM

The Solo Novel in Genre Fiction

Joshua Bilmes (Moderator), Melissa L. Hayden, Sarah Pinsker, Ken Schrader, Michael M. Jones

The novel series is the current standard in genre storytelling, but there has been a resurgence in solo novels. What are the advantages and disadvantages of telling a story contained within a single book? How does the writer’s approach (and the reader’s perspective) change when they know the final page is truly the end?

Monday, May 25, 1PM

Reading: Schrader and Wiswell

Ken Schrader, John Wiswell