All
hail the SFF highlight of my Memorial Day weekend: Balticon! This year my panels span bureaucracy,
history, worldbuilding, monsters and a reading. Hope you’ll check them out, as
well as all the other wonderful programming available for free! Panel
registration and links can be found here.
While you’re there, I hope you’ll consider supporting the con’s GoFundMe to ensure all this fannish goodness is available in person in 2022.
Friday,
May 28
Beyond
Red Tape: Why Bureaucracy Happens
Time:
5:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Location:
Watertable
Panelists:
Brick Barrientos (Moderator), Doc Coleman, Monica Louzon, Beth Morris Tanner,
Jean Marie Ward
Description:
Bureaucracy can be more than a comical obstacle for characters or a Kafkaesque
nightmare. Societies and organizations create bureaucracy as a tool to solve
specific problems. How can bureaucracy and governance structures be a part of
good worldbuilding and good problem solving?
Sunday,
May 30
It's
A Novel, Not History Class
Time:
1:00 PM ET
Location:
Mount Washington
Panelists: Gail Z. Martin (M), Doc Coleman, R.F. Kuang (2019 Compton Crook
Award winner), Wendy Van Camp, Jean Marie Ward
Description:
When writing in a historical setting creators can greatly over- or
underestimate how much information they’ll need to incorporate for their
audiences to understand what’s going on. We will explore how to immerse
audiences in the past without losing focus on plot and characters. How can a
creator tell how much the audience already knows, and how much needs to be
explained?
The
Motivations of Monsters
Time: 2:30
PM ET
Location:
St. George
Panelists:
Jean Marie Ward (M), John L. French, Lee Murray, John Walker, Sherri Cook
Woolsey
Description:
Science fiction and fantasy have always featured "monsters," going
all the way back to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. While some are mindless
destroyers, many are written with relatable motivations and desires. What are
some monsters who have connected with audiences, and what are ways creators can
make their monsters sympathetic while keeping them in an antagonistic role?
Writing
Characters with Agency
Time: 8:30
PM ET
Location:
Mount Washington
Panelists:
Jean Marie Ward (M), Brenda Clough, Micaiah Johnson (2021 Compton Crook Award
winner), Karen Osborne, Ryan Van Loan
Description:
How do we give characters the power to make their own choices (and make those
choices feel natural) while also moving the plot where it needs to go? What are
some common mistakes that can take agency from a character without the author
intending it? How does this problem affect audience investment?
Monday,
May 30
Reading
Time:
1:30 PM ET
Location:
Readings Break-out Room in the Con Suite
Panelists:
Meeeeeeeeeee!
Description:
According to the schedule, I’ll be reading urban fantasy, Steampunk and
historical fantasy. Hmm, guess I’d better rehearse.
Hope
to see you there!
