by Kevin A Davis | Feb 1, 2024 | Announcements, Authors Workshop, Programming, Writer Workshop
Friday Night Writer’s Workshop
Writers – this is your event! Industry professionals and your peers will read and critique 1000 word submissions.
You’ll get together in small groups with a couple guests and a few peers in a casual setting. This is an awesome chance to not only get feedback on a few pages, but give it as well.
Space is limited, so get your submission in early. Word documents only, double-spaced with default margins and readable font, so we can print them out for each critique pod. One submission per person. If you must revise and resubmit, it will change your place in the queue. Plan half an hour per reading so this will be a late Friday event which can last two hours or more. We’ll cutoff submissions when we reach capacity.
Scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Friday April 19, 2024 (results may vary so check the schedule when you arrive).
Submit here
by Kevin A Davis | Jan 26, 2024 | Authors Workshop, Programming, Writer Workshop
The Author’s Workshops Track is running with two old favorites for the writers at JordanCon!
First, the Friday Night Workshop is back!
Writers, we’ll take your 1000 word or less submissions starting in February, and then in April we’ll meet up at JordanCon and get together with some professionals in the industry and our peers for a critique of your work.
It’s casual and fun! You’ll meet people and get some views on some of your writing.
Watch for a post next month where we open up submissions for this!
Second, Saturday Slush again!
Have 600 words or less read anonymously while industry professional give immediate feedback on stage. Terrifying? Maybe. Useful – beyond measure!
We’ll open up with a limited number of available slots in February after another announcement.
But wait, there’s more!
We’re going to work on Elevator Pitches! Bring a pitch, hit the professionals with it, and they’ll let you know how effective you were. We’re aiming for Saturday for this event as well.
by Kevin A Davis | Apr 14, 2023 | Guests
by Mel Todd
Hi! Welcome to the annual meeting of the “We Write So We Don’t Have to Talk To People” association. Wow, so many of you came. I see three attendees! That has to be a record. It’s great you showed up as I have some wonderful tips for those of you (all of us) that fear talking to people. Because let’s be honest—People bite.
I see you nodding your heads in agreement, so let’s get to it.
Tip 1: You are playing a role.
Really, you are not John Doe office worker and sometime writer, you are J Doe—the awesome writer who creates worlds and guides destiny. You control the fate of millions and you are awesome. People already admire you because you are an author. They want to get to know you. J Doe is funny, creative, and always has their awesome X.
Tip 2: Have an X.
No, I don’t mean a literal X, though that would work too, but have a thing. Your thing can be a hat, a shirt, a wig, a prop. But have an X. It means that if you wear a bright purple rose pinned to your shirt, that is what people focus on and remember. It gives you something to play with, to talk about, and even better, it helps you become J Doe Writer Extraordinaire. Don’t be afraid to come up with a story about it, a history, a personality. I’ve seen armadillo purses, rhinestone hats, even ventriloquist dummies. If you have a cool X, people will think you are even cooler than you already are.
Tip 3: Ask Leading Questions
Look, some people LOVE to talk about themselves, most of us, not so much. So when someone is talking to you (especially at a con) ask them a leading question. In fact, make a list of questions ahead of time to ask. Here are some samples: What have you seen at the con so far? Omg, that is a great shirt/costume/hat. Where did you get it? How did you make it? What genre do you like to read? What is your favorite book? Note that some of these questions give you an intro to tell them about your book. Oh, remember to let them answer, don’t just rattle off all your questions.
I know, I know, selling yourself is hard, but remember they think you are J Doe awesome author! They want to know about your books, your stories, your worlds. Especially if you write a genre they already read. So put on J Doe’s award-winning smile and tell them about your book.
Tip 4: Practice Smiling
No, I don’t want you to become Gilderoy Lockhart. But many of us don’t know what our face feels like when you have a friendly smile on it. And when we are stressed or uncomfortable, our “forced” smile can look, well, a bit Joker like. And that isn’t a good look for awesome writer J Doe. Go stand in front of the mirror and let your inner J Doe out and smile. What does it feel like in your cheeks? How do your eyes crinkle? Where are your shoulders at? Knowing what it feels like for a friendly welcoming smile helps you get your face into that same position when J Doe is losing the battle to John Doe’s introverted ways.
Tip 5: And this is the best one and really one most of us use – Bring an Extrovert With You
Look—socializing is HARD. Or at least it is for us. But there exist these creatures called Extroverts that are extremely easy to attract. Lure one to your side (cookies, bacon, or booze usually works), then push them in front of you like a living shield. If they are a fan or another author, then let them talk about your books, tell the jokes, and you can just smile along. Yes, extrovert authors exist, but they are rare precious creatures. If you find one, brand them as yours, and keep them close. They may exhaust you, but they are well worth the effort. Then, with your extrovert as their focal point, everyone will love you because they are so personable. It works like magic.
That is all I have for you tonight. Please remember to take some cookies and tea. No, really, take the cookies. I bought out two Girl Scout Troops trying to get them to go away. See you next year, I hope.
Mel Todd has over 40 stories out and is planning on at least another twenty more. You can find her at www.badashpublishing.com. Remember to sign up for her newsletter and get a short story twice a month.
by Kevin A Davis | Apr 6, 2023 | Guests
By Kyoko M.
When I was a kid, I was teased a lot for being an avid reader of books and comic books/graphic novels/manga. At the time, comic books, graphic novels, and manga were only for the nerdy and geeky crowd. It was a tough time, but as the decades passed, the world has since updated its perspective on the genres of science fiction and fantasy. The genres have moved into the mainstream spotlight, so it’s no longer the freaks and geeks that are enjoying them, but an entirely different, much bigger audience.
In my experience, we’ve had several works of fiction that helped move the sci-fi/fantasy (SFF) genres into mainstream attention. Back in the day, things like the Lost in Space series, Star Trek, and Star Wars were among the first science fiction titles to pique people’s interest. The success of Christopher Reeve as Superman also was one of the first breakthroughs for SFF in the mainstream. The eighties gave birth to an explosion of hybrid action science fiction like The Terminator, Back to the Future, and Tron. The additional success of the 1989 Batman starring Michael Keaton turned a huge corner for the subgenre of comic book movies. Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man’s subsequent successes hinted that comic book movies could find success with mainstream audiences. The Lord of the Rings trilogy made huge money and liberated all the LOTR book nerds after years of waiting for another adaptation. Then a great deal of its progression came from the establishment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with its first entry, Iron Man (2008).
Where did the success of SFF with mainstream audiences come from? I believe that the reason SFF is now a precious commodity with everyone watching it came from the productions being helmed by very passionate people who found a way to condense decades of fiction into 90-minute films or into bite-sized chunks for television series. SFF has seen a similar boom in YA book series like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Percy Jackson, which were also adapted into films for mass consumption. Adapting to the modern culture where you can deliver the information quickly and in an engaging manner is likely the reason that mainstream audiences realized the potential of SFF for entertainment.
For example, the pre-Avengers (2012) films Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America all did well at the box office, but they didn’t hit critical mass until the Avengers. Why? Because Marvel found a way to tie all their stories together in a neat little package that didn’t require you to have seen all the solo films to understand Avengers. Seeing the other films would add more context and hit more emotional beats, but the film found a way to let everyone join in on the fun with no prerequisites.
We now have plenty of streaming channels full to burst with SFF works. All I can say is it’s a great time to be a fan of SFF.
by Kevin A Davis | Apr 5, 2023 | Guests
By Sarah J. Sover
Whenever a new member joins the online JordanCon community, there’s inevitably a slew of comments saying “Welcome home.” For those unfamiliar with the convention scene, it might seem odd or downright off-putting. How can a science fiction and fantasy convention be a home?
Fans, artists, and writers in the speculative realms are frequently misfits in society at large. We were the geeks and weirdos in school—the drama kids, the nerd herd, the trench coat clad boy who binged Anime, the quiet girl who scribbled poems and accidentally set a paper tablecloth on fire at that one school event. Through the years, I’ve worn dozens of hats and been involved with many communities—I promise, I never burned any of them down! I joined and even headed writer’s clubs, animal rescue groups, swing dance communities, and more. Sure, I made a couple friends in each of those spaces, but no matter how much time I spent and how much of myself I gave, I never felt like I truly fit in. When I spoke, people would look at me like I just disembarked my spacecraft.
Until JordanCon.
I discovered JordanCon when my best friend, Sara Bond, and I met Jason Denzel at WorldCon 2016. As soon as he discovered that we were both SFF writers from Atlanta, he insisted we check it out. That first year, I was anxious and awkward, but that’s pretty standard for me. I built up my nerve enough to enter the slush event hosted by the writer’s track. Traffic was abysmal that morning, so I was late, and I sloshed my coffee all over the table and myself. Sara gave me a funny look when I sat down.
“Do I smell rum?” she whispered.
I think I told her to shut up, to which she laughed and responded with some calming words.
The moderator read the first pages of my work in progress, Fairy Godmurder, to a panel of editors, who were instructed to raise their hands at the point in which they would stop reading if they were truly evaluating a slush pile. The team Sanderson editors raised their hands at some point during my pages, but the indie press editors listened all the way through. Afterwards, they all discussed their rationale. I’ll never forget the moment John Hartness turned to an editor who hated my “black suit molasses” phrase and said “Haven’t you ever read any noir?” He went on to say that he would request more pages. It was the first time my writing had received validation from an industry professional. Years later, I signed a three-book contract with John for that series, but I’ll save that story for another time.
The following year, my debut novel, the weird and wacky Double-Crossing the Bridge, released, I was accepted into the inaugural JordanCon Anthology, and I appeared as a guest. I was so nervous, I posted on social media that in order to get a ribbon from me, you had to bleat like a goat. It worked like a charm! Every time I walked through the lobby, I was welcomed with goat calls. My anxiety gave way to laughter, and I felt truly accepted. I’ve been attending as a guest ever since.
I’m still nervous on panels. I spent so long being called weird, random, nerd, and a slew of other things, I’m not sure I’ll ever fully get used to people embracing that side of me, and it doesn’t help that adrenaline surges zap facts out of my brain. But at JordanCon, when I say things that would make the general population look at me like I’m wearing a human-skin suit, people nod along. They laugh at my stupid jokes. They seek me out after to continue the conversation, to peek at the doodles on my notes, or to compliment my take on a topic. My weirdness is not only accepted, it’s celebrated.
I hope, like me, you feel like you belong at JordanCon. Those things that bring you joy—your love of fantasy, gaming, geek culture, tiaras, the spacecraft you flew in on, that one esoteric topic you think nobody else cares about—we want to celebrate those things with you. By the time it’s all over, you’ll be back online asking if it’s April yet, and when you see the newbies posting about how they’re excited to attend their first JordanCon, you’ll be excited to post “Welcome home!”
Sarah J. Sover is the author of the Fractured Fae Series from Falstaff Books, which currently includes Fairy Godmurder and the forthcoming Faed to Black. Sarah also wrote the comedic fantasy Double-Crossing the Bridge, and she is a contributor to both Putting the Fact in Fantasy and Writer’s Digest Magazine. She’s had a love affair with JordanCon since 2017. Find her everywhere at linktr.ee/SarahJ.Sover.
