Context Writing Workshops
updated Sept. 18, 2008
We've expanded our writing workshops track this year and will be offering a mix of critique and topic workshops. Most of the workshops listed on this page require an additional fee to properly compensate the instructors for their time and preparation; however, there will also be plenty of writing-related panels included at no extra charge with your convention registration.
Due to the nature of these workshops, we must have a valid email address for each participant, so be sure to include one when you register. If you register by postal mail, send an email to workshop coordinator Lucy Snyder immediately at contextsf[at]gmail.com to let her know what you've signed up for, or else we can't guarantee you'll get a spot.
Friday Workshops
Michael A. Arnzen: Fiction in a Flash
(Friday, September 26th, 7:30-9:30 pm)
Join award-winning writing professor Mike Arnzen as he leads a 2-hour workshop on writing flash fiction.
Flash fiction – short-short stories no longer than 1500 words – is a form that is becoming more and more popular in genre publications, especially
online, where tight stories that can fit on one or two screens are the ones
that sell. A good short-short – like a good hit of espresso – can be a potent form of storytelling that not only excites a reader, but also helps
the writer sharpen and hone his/her skills to a fine point.
In "Fiction in a Flash" we will analyze successful flash fiction, discuss the strategies that writers can employ to approach this form like an expert, and critique one another's "sudden storytelling" written live (with help) in this
two-hour workshop. Bring a pen and paper. $15. SOLD OUT
Gary A. Braunbeck: Short Story Masterclass
(Friday, Sept. 26th, 7:30 - 10:30 pm)
This small-group short story critique workshop is intended for writers who have sold at least one short story. Students should submit a story of up to 6,000 words at least 1 month before the convention; submission details will be sent to students after they register.
This is an intensive, hands-on workshop, so come prepared to participate. Bring your laptop (if you have one) or pen and paper. In addition to in-class Milford-style peer critique, students will receive a written critique from Mr. Braunbeck. $50. SOLD OUT
Saturday Workshops
Paula Guran: Novel Package Critiques
(Saturday, Sept. 27th, times TBA)
Editor Guest of Honor Paula Guran will be offering individual critiques of novel submission packages. Fantasy, horror, cross-genre, and paranormal manuscripts will be accepted. To participate, you will need to submit the first three chapters and a one-to-five page synopsis of your novel between August 1st and September 5th; submission details will be sent to students after they register.
At the convention, Ms. Guran will meet with you individually to discuss your manuscript. In addition to the discussion, she will give you a written critique of your work. Students will be scheduled for their 20-minute sessions during the morning and early evening Saturday based on other workshop scheduling. Not for those with easily hurt feelings as comments will be direct. $85. SOLD OUT
Tim Waggoner: Story/Novel Excerpt Critiques
(Saturday, Sept. 27th, times TBA)
Prolific author and writing professor Tim Waggoner will be offering individual critiques of short stories or novel excerpts of up to 6,000 words. Any genre is acceptable. You must submit your manuscript at least three weeks before the convention.
At the convention, Mr. Waggoner will meet with you individually to discuss your manuscript; in addition to the discussion, he will give you a written critique of your work. Submission details will be sent to students after they register; students will be scheduled for their 20-minute sessions during the morning and early evening Saturday based on other workshop scheduling. $50. SOLD OUT
Diana Botsford: Creating Compelling Plots
(Saturday, Sept. 27th, 9:00am-12:15pm)
Join award-winning screenwriter and instructor Diana Botsford for a
rigorous 3-hour workshop on creating compelling storylines for long works
such as novels and screenplays. Participants will learn how to incorporate enough twists and turns to create a well-constructed plotline of the dramatic, emotional, and thematic elements of your project. While using a wide variety of tools – from 'hanging lanterns' to 'backshoveling' to tapping into the foundation of mythic structure – workshop attendees will complete this intensive workshop with a personalized plot map.
Bring your laptop (if you have one) or pen and paper. This workshop should be helpful for those ramping up for a new work or preparing for a rewrite. $20. SOLD OUT
Diana Botsford and Chun Lee: Creating the Comic Book Series
(Saturday, Sept. 27th, 2:00-4:00pm)
Join Chun Lee and Diana Botsford, authors of the new FE comic book series,
The Fracture, in this 2-hour workshop on creating and writing a comic book series for publication. Learn how to write a proposal for a series, how to
write a 'pilot' issue, what it takes to collaborate with others
(illustrators, inkers, colorists, etc) and most importantly, how to tell a
story visually.
Attendees will create opening scenes and sequences, and
participate in writing exercises to get the collaborative juices going.
Bring your laptop (if you have one) or pen and paper. $15. 7 seats left
Gary A. Braunbeck: Creating Character Through Dialogue
(Saturday, Sept. 27th, 1:00pm-4:30pm)
Join award-winning novelist/short story author Gary A. Braunbeck for his acclaimed 3-hour workshop on creating well-rounded, believable characters through the use of dialogue. You'll learn not only how to create good dialogue, but how to recognize the different types of dialogue and which one best suits your own writing style.
Mr. Braunbeck has written nearly 200 published short stories and over 14 books; his fiction has won the Bram Stoker Award and the International Horror Guild Award. This is an intensive, hands-on workshop, so come prepared to participate. Bring your laptop (if you have one) or pen and paper. $30. SOLD OUT
Tobias Buckell: Effective Blogging
(Saturday, Sept. 27th, 4:30pm-6:00pm)
Blogging. Everyone is doing it ... should you? And what are some of the best tools, practices, and approaches? Join noted blogger and SF author Tobias Buckell as he shares his blogging tips. This workshop is FREE. No formal registration is required, but space is limited to 30 people, so get there promptly!
Sunday Workshops
Timons Esaias: World-Building Workshop
(Sunday, September 28th, 10am-1pm)
World-Building isn't just charts, maps, forms, voids, clans and tedious courses in orbital mechanics. And it's not just for SF/F/H, either. We'll discuss when to do it and how not to let it bog you down; world-building resources; techniques for designing and developing your world; and then selling it to the reader. Exercises will focus on your project, with chocolate and malt-ball rewards for sharing. Emphasis on craft rather than details, though we will address the Moon Muddle, the Pack Animal Question, and other specific pitfalls. Not to mention those charts, maps, orbits, lineages and social structures. $20. SOLD OUT
Jackie Gamber: Novel Package Critiques
(Sunday, Sept. 28th, times TBA)
Jackie Gamber of Meadowhawk Press will be offering individual critiques of novel submission packages. Science fiction, fantasy, supernatural, alternate history, or magic realist manuscripts will be accepted. To participate, you will need to submit the first three chapters, a cover letter and a one-to-five page synopsis of your novel between August 1st and September 5th; submission details will be sent to students after they register.
At the convention, Ms. Gamber will meet with you individually to discuss your manuscript. In addition to the discussion, she will give you a written critique of your work. Students will be scheduled for their 20-minute sessions during the morning and early afternoon Sunday based on other workshop scheduling. $50. SOLD OUT
Erin Hoffman: Interactive Narrative and Game Design
(Sunday, September 28th, 11am-2pm)
This workshop explores the fundamentals of video game design through the use
of interactive fiction, exploring the places where interactivity and
storytelling overlap. No technology or game training is necessary, though a
laptop computer is highly recommended. Attendees will be provided with
advance reading and will create a small interactive fiction game using the
Inform7 Engine.
Erin Hoffman has been working in video games since 1999 on an assortment of
genres from massively multiplayer online games to Nintendo DS titles for
young audiences to action-RPGs for PC, XBox, and PlayStation2. $20. 10 seats left
Tobias Buckell and Paul Melko: Writing Great Openings
(Sunday, September 28th, 2pm-5pm)
The most important part of any story is its beginning. Without a strong opening, you risk losing your reader's interest. Strong openings become even more important when it comes time to try to sell your story or novel, since many editors won't read past the first page or even the first paragraph if you don't enthrall them right away. Tobias Buckell and Paul Melko will give you tips and exercises to help you write prose that grabs your reader from the first sentence and doesn't let go. $20. SOLD OUT