Category: Conventions

I grew up with parents attending Science Fiction and fantasy conventions. After a decade or two off, I’m now back as a writer! And spend FAR too much time in writing themed panels, taking notes from the experts! Plus, I squeeze in a bit of cosplay.

Morgan’s CapClave 2023 Roundup

This past weekend, I celebrated the end of September by heading to another writer convention: CapClave 2023. Held annually by the Washington DC Science Fiction Society (WSFS), its motto is “Where Reading is Not Extinct”.
I was on 4 panels, held a successful workshop, attended 4 panels, 1 concert, 1 book launch, and a reading.
Now, I recognize that I am privileged to have access to these sorts of events, and will be sharing my notes in the coming weeks. All in all, I had a lovely writer’s weekend. It was great to see old friends and meet new ones. And I can’t wait to see them again.
Have you attended any writer conventions? Do you have a favorite?
If you haven’t, are there any you would attend if you had the opportunity?

Book Festivals Versus Cons

Earlier this month, I made it out to the Library of Congress’s 23rd annual National Book Festival. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a book festival, and never one of this scale. There were definitely a lot of differences between this and the fan-run science-fiction, fantasy, and horror conventions I usually hit up.

Why Agents Stop Reading

The only way to sell a book is to get people to read past that first page. The voice, the story, the setting, all of it has to mesh in such a way to make the reader wonder “and then what?”

Now, I know my stories — and probably yours — are amazing. And if the agents and publishers read the full story, they’d see its shining merits. Unfortunately, time is limited, the slush piles are enormous, and no one is getting paid for books that never sell. Most manuscripts from the slush pile are put down before the reader makes it through the first page.

Today, I’m here with tips from Imaginarium 2023. I had the privilege to read a stack of first pages aloud to publishers and agents and heard firsthand why they would put down that page.

The agents and publishers really do want to find the diamond in the pile of mediocre-to-bad stories. But, they need a reason NOT to reject your story, rather than a reason TO reject it. There are just too many coming their way, and they can’t publish everything.