GenCon 2015 Report Part 3 - Day 3

Saturday
I had a great night's sleep with a belly fully of milkshake and burger from Rally's.

The day kicked off with a panel of "Character Craft" which could be succinctly summarized as create interesting character in interesting situations. Look for character that the reader will fall in love with. But don't forget that people are fascinated by broken or fractured characters. Be wary of character sheets and focus on identifying the 3 most important things to that character. And don't be afraid to write in layers, coming back again to a chapter and adding that extra layer of character depth after you've nailed down the story.

The "Character Voice" panel explained how it isn't about a character's background, race or gender, it's about who they, how they operate, and how they make choices in their environment.

I then went downstairs and fought my way through the throngs of attendees to get to the Artists' Alley. I had the pleasure of meeting Chuck Wendig, the author of The Kick-Ass Writer. As he autographed my copy, he asked me about my own writing project and quickly reminded me that I really need to work on my novel pitch.

I had lunch at the Ram which was a bit disappointing. Their beer selection was impressive, but their food, not so much. 

The last seminar of the day and of the Writer's Symposium was Michael Stackpole's "Advanced Characterization". Stackpole exclaimed: "You are in the business of torturing readers." Figure out what the reader wants from the character and do your best to not give them that. Have their past erupt into their present. Look for those secrets that the protagonist doesn't even know about themselves. Engage a reader's emotions to make your world seem real.

I snagged a ticket to an Arkham Horror game. It turned out to be one of the worse games of AH that I've played, spending the majority of my time either in the Asylum or in the Hospital. However, the only thing I managed to do of any worth was join the Silver Twilight Lodge. And it turned out that upon a return visit there, I successfully closed the last game to secure our victory, redeeming myself!

We finished up around 10pm and I was blown away by the numbers of active game in the Halls. Tables and tables of games of all kinds and several with their own custom, hand-made boards. It was truly something to see. I joined a late-night game of Firefly and explored a new corner of the 'Verse with the Kalidasa expansion.

GenCon 2015 Report Part 2 - Day 2

Day 2 - Friday
On our way out on Thursday evening, we spotted a cheaper parking garage downtown, so on Friday morning we made our way there. However, I forgot my day's worth of tickets in our hotel room. Sigh. You can get the tickets reprinted, but you have to pay the full cost again. Turns out so did my friend, so I didn't feel so bad that we had to head back to the hotel! We were fortunate enough to get back in time to still find a spot in that cheaper parking garage.


The "Dialogue and Dialogue Tags" panel was a fun one that highlighted the most important rule in writing: there are no rules. Each panelist had a different opinion and style that worked for them. I think the key for dialogue tags is to work at it and try to put the emotional content in the actual dialogue. Don't rely on action dialogue tags or adverbs.

I took a lunch break walk through the Exhibit Hall and tried several games, including the revised edition of Fury of Dracula and Tigris and Euphrates. The Fury of Dracula will be perfect for my gaming group as several players act as vampire hunters and pursue Dracula across Europe and Great Britain.

Michael Stackpole's "Characterization" seminar broke down the different ways your can use to create a character, whether you model them after a historical figure or your friends, build them as an archetype, or blend those methods. His blitz characterization technique shows a lot of promise in providing that initial spark: use two positive and then a negative that get the reader thinking. For example, George was well dressed and attended church on Sundays, but non one trusted him with the collection plate.

Stackpole's second seminar on "plotting" turned out to be more of an interactive class as he worked with the class to create a plot. Together, we built and discussed the necessary plot elements of a good story. The basic idea is that you have to figure out what has to happen and then work backwards and make it happen, let the scenes that need to be there, evolve in your mind. Don't forget though that the story you think you're writing changes as you write it.

I had just enough time to head over to the Sun King Brew Tent and grab a Drink On And Prosper before my Game of Thrones game. We played on a 3-D game board and it was beautifully done, including miniatures for all the military forces. As House Greyjoy, I pounced into the neck of Westeros and clashed against the Lannisters. House Martell and House Tyrell fought several battles in the south over sea and land. After 8 rounds of play, I claimed two castles, including the Lannisport, and won the game with seven castles.