Fantastic panels on world-building with your world's economy and politics (which may sound dry but is astonishingly rich), advice on writing sword-fights, a look at how digital fiction affects story creation, the baffling absence of female friendships, and an absolute must-read discussion of editor and author relationships.
When Fiction Goes Digital
What happens in the age of the digital story? Does stories look the same? How does form intersect with function, beyond a trip to the e-reader?
Glen Mehn (m), Jenny Barber, Farah Mendlesohn, Marc Aplin, Laurel Sills, Del Lakin-Smith
But Does It Make Sense? Your fantasy's economy - a rich seam to tap
Economics of fantasy systems. If Smaug holds all the gold and it gets liberated, what does that do to the economy?
Leila Abu el Hawa (m), Kari Sperring, Kate Elliott, Tom Pollock, Anne Lyle
The Pen vs the Sword - How to write sword fights, and authors that keep attacking each other
Writers who also happen to be swordfighters discuss the myths and realities of the sword in fiction – and demonstrate their skills with the blade!
Marc Aplin (m), Fran Terminiello, Juliet E McKenna, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Clifford Beale
She Ain’t Heavy, She’s My Sister - Where are the female friendships?
Kirk and Spock, Luke and Han, Frodo and Sam – epic friendships between men are common in fantasy, but friendships between women, or platonic relationships between men and women that stay that way – are much thinner on the ground. The panellists discuss why it matters and examine some of the rare exceptions.
Roz Kaveney (m), Mhairi Simpson, Glenda Larke, Charlaine Harris, Den Patrick
SFF and Politics
There is nothing more glorious than to defeat your enemy by transparent democratic process, and hear the lamentation of the other sides’ whips. Can SFF make political process dramatic and heroic, or will it always come down scheming viziers and noble warriors?
Lizzie Barrett (m), Jaine Fenn, Foz Meadows, Catherine Hill, Adrian Tchaikovsky
Editing Dreams and Editor Nightmares - which gets the Megan Prize for Best Panel of the Conference
Editors are people, and get to see *everything* – how to work with them and make their lives easier, which will make your life easier.
Simon Spanton (m), Nicola Budd, Abigail Nathan, Gillian Redfearn, David Moore
Let the golden notebook open!
