Jean Marie's Domain

Finally, I’m going to a real, live convention this weekend (October 1-3). Capclave 2021 will be the first in-person con I’ve participated in since…well, since Capclave 2019. But the wait will totally be worth it, because this year’s Capclave will be two conventions in one. Not only does the con boast Guest of Honor Peter S. Beagle, but it will also be hosting Eric Flint and the 2021 Ring of Fire Con.

You just can’t go wrong with that. Check it out at the Rockville Hilton and Executive Center in Rockville, Maryland. For a taste, check out my panels:

Friday

5 PM: Reading (Monroe Meeting Room)
Yes, there will be chocolate, a soupcon of Dionysus, and possibly the opening of the story where I bellow “Struuuuudel!” at random intervals. Join us and find out!

Saturday

5 PM: What I Did to Survive the Great Pandemic (Washington Theater)
Participants: Mary Fan, Natalie Luhrs, Suzanne Palmer, Jean Marie Ward, Ted Weber (Moderator)
What did people do to survive the pandemic? What changed in their lives? How are they adjusting to getting their lives back? How comfortable are you with post-pandemic conditions? What does normal mean? How will your life be different? When will you give up your mask?

7 PM: How Do I Use History Without a Ph.D. in It? (Eisenhower Meeting Room)
Participants: Tom Doyle, Eric Flint, Alan Smale (M), Jean Marie Ward, Ted Weber
Okay, Harry Turtledove and Arkady Martine have advanced degrees in history. What can other authors do to get historical information? What are the best and most reliable sources? Should writers do all their research before outlining or just leave blanks to research later? Which sources are best for inspiring ideas, and which are helpful inwriting? How do you identify biased sources, and can you still use them? What if your sources conflict? How much history do you put in your novel?
 

Sunday

Noon: Magic’s Price (Truman Meeting Room)
Participants: Donald S. Crankshaw (M), Carolyn Ives Gilman, Karlo Yeager Rodriguez, Jean Marie Ward
In many stories there is a cost to doing magic. What are the costs of doing magic: physical, mental, societal, or other? When are the gains worth the price, and when is this in question? What books show this well?
 

1 PM: Twice Upon a Time—Revisiting Classic Tales (Washington Theater)
Participants: Leah Cypess, Mark Huston, Jean Marie Ward (M), A.C. Wise
Disney was not the first to redo fairy tales. As part of an oral tradition, they were never static but were altered by every storyteller. Re-tellers have remixed archetypes and traditional elements down to the present day. So how can writers give new life to these old stories? And given that everyone knows how the original stories went, what can authors do to make their version stand out?
 

If you like what you read, check out the Capclave website <https://www.capclave.org/capclave/capclave21/> for more program goodness and join us at the Rockville Hilton, Friday through Sunday, October 1-3. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Oops! I meant to post this earlier this week, but my current writing project had other ideas. I’m just glad it released its grip before the con began.

Capclave did me proud this year: six panels, an autograph session and two readings. It all takes place Friday-Sunday, September 28-30 at the Rockville Hilton and Executive Meeting Center, Rockville, Maryland. I hope to see you there—and remember, the autographing session always has cake…

Friday
4 PM: Writing at Different Lengths
Panelists: Nancy Kress, Suzanne Palmer, Jean Marie Ward (M), Alyssa Wong
Writing at a short length vs. writing a novella or novel. What are the differences, if any, in how to approach the writing of a short story vs. the writing of a novel. (Eisenhower)

6 PM: Humorous SF
Panelists: Darrell Schweitzer, Alex Shvartsman, Jean Marie Ward (M)
It's easy to name the funny fantasy books, but what about the funny SF books and short stories? For instance, Unidentified Funny Objects is an entire anthology of funny SF. (Truman)

10 PM: Writing on the Job
Panelists: Marilyn "Mattie" Brahen, Barbara Krasnoff (M), Hildy Silverman, Jean Marie Ward
Is it better for a writer to have a non-writing job to save his/her writing energies for fiction or to use writing skills to make a nonfiction living on the idea that any writing improves fiction writing? And when should you quit your day job? Hear writers discuss the relationship between their day job and their writing. (Washington Theater)

Saturday
1 PM: What Makes Alternate History So Compelling?
Panelists: Tom Doyle (M), J. L. Gribble, Bjorn Hasseler, Alan Smale, Jean Marie Ward
Alternate histories continue to proliferate, though in accordance with Sturgeon's Law, most fail the plausibility test, the storytelling test, or both. Why do the what-ifs continue to fascinate us, and what makes a powerful story in this subgenre? (Truman)

3 PM: Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading
Panelists: Jeanne Adams, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Carol Ann Douglas, Jennifer Povey, Jean Marie Ward (M), Joan Wendland
Broad Universe is an international organization with the primary goal of promoting science fiction, fantasy, and horror written by women. Members will be doing readings from their own works. (Jackson)

4 PM: Middles
Panelists: Wendy S. Delmater, Andrew Fox, Nancy Kress, Jack Skillingstead, David Walton, Jean Marie Ward (M)
So now that you've started your story, how do you put meat on its bones? How do you develop plot and character at short fiction and novel lengths? How many Aristotelian unites can and should you violate in your story? (Washington Theater)

6 PM: Use of Mythology in SFF
Panelists: Tom Doyle, Michelle D. Sonnier, Jean Marie Ward, Steven H. Wilson, A.C. Wise (M)
There are a lot of different mythologies out there, with both similarities and differences. How do we incorporate and adapt them when writing our stories? Norse, Greek and Roman myths are the most common ones used in genre stories but are not the only mythologies out there. What's acceptable to adapt and change, especially when using a mythology from a culture not one's own. E.g. dragons in Europe and dragons in various Asian countries have quite different motives and personalities ascribed to them. (Washington Theater)

7:30 PM: Mass Autographing and Awards Ceremony
(Eisenhower) Ends at 8:55 PM

Sunday
1 PM: Reading
(Lincoln) Ends at 1:25 PM

3 PM: Superheroine to Wise Woman: Creating Powerful Female Characters
Panelists: Cerece Rennie Murphy, Michelle D. Sonnier, Jean Marie Ward, A.C. Wise (M)
What goes into creating strong, compelling female characters in fantasy worlds? Speculative fiction authors discuss how to approach elements such as world-building, magic, special powers, and plot when crafting a multi-dimensional character, and how to avoid the pitfalls of the "Mary Sue." (Jackson)

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It’s Capclave season! If you’ll be in the Washington, DC, area this weekend (October 7-9) you couldn’t do better than to join us at the Gaithersburg Hilton for the MDV’s premier science fiction/fantasy literary convention. This year’s guests of honor will be Tim Powers and Sarah Beth Durst.
They’re even giving me some panels, too:

7 PM, Friday, October 7
Rockville/Potomac Meeting Room
Fictionalizing Real People (Ends at: 7:55 pm)
Panelists: Tim Powers, James R. Stratton, Jean Marie Ward (Moderator), Allen L. Wold
When you put a real person in a story, how much do you need to know about that person? What biographical information do you keep or leave out? What are the pro's and con's of writing such a character?

1 PM, Saturday, October 8
Salon A
Humor in Science Fiction & Fantasy (Ends at: 1:55 pm)
Panelists: Doc Coleman (M), William Freedman, Larry Hodges, Alex Shvartsman, Jean Marie Ward
When is it good to have a laugh? An exploration of not only humorous books, but putting humorous elements in a dramatic story.

10 PM, Saturday, October 8
Rockville/Potomac Meeting Room
Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading (Ends at: 10:55 pm)
Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Jeanne Adams, V. Hartman DiSanto, Kelly A. Harmon, Christie Meierz, Jean Marie Ward (M)
Listen to the Broad Universe Writers as they reveal their literary gems. Expect some extra members of the Universe to join the fun!

11PM, Saturday, October 8
Bethesda Meeting Room
Unused Secret Histories (Ends at: 11:55 pm)
Panelists: Tom Doyle, Bjorn Hasseler, James Morrow (Moderator), Jean Marie Ward
Tim Powers' novels frequently use secret histories in which the recorded history does not change but the reasons behind the events are rather different. What historical events would make for a good secret history and what would be your explanation?

See you there!

Capclave is tomorrow! Where did the year go? It seems to have filled up like...well, like my Capclave schedule, which is nothing if not exciting. That's okay. I like exciting.
Hope to see you there--there being the Hilton Washington, DC North/Gaithersburg in Gaithersburg, Maryland. And as always, there will be chocolate...

Friday
5 PM, Rockville/Potomac Room
Humorous SF
Panelists: John Ashmead (M), Norm Sherman, Alex Shvartsman, Jean Marie Ward
It's easy to name the funny fantasy books, but what about the funny SF books and short stories? For instance, Unidentified Funny Objects was an entire anthology of funny SF.

8 PM, Rockville/Potomac
No Means No
Panelists: Inge Heyer, Natalie Luhrs, Emmie Mears, Jon Skovron, Jean Marie Ward (M)
There is a great disturbance in science fiction and fantasy. As fans and writers you have the right to expect respect.

9 PM, Bethesda
Don't Go There. Unless You Really Want To.
Panelists: Brenda W. Clough, David G. Hartwell, Shahid Mahmud, Jean Marie Ward (M)
Taboo subjects in fantasy and science fiction. Are there any? What lines won't you cross? What lines should you cross?

11 PM, Salon A
The Appeal of King Arthur
Panelists: Tom Doyle, Max Gladstone, Robert Greenberger, David G. Hartwell, Darrell Schweitzer, Jean Marie Ward (M)
What makes so many writers from Twain to Mary Stewart to Lerner and Lowe produce their own takes on 'the matter of Britain'? Why do King Arthur books thrive while other legends like Robin Hood get far less attention? What are the best takes on the Arthurian legend?


Saturday
2 PM, Bethesda
Smart Women Foolish Television
Panelists: Barbara Krasnoff, Sherin Nicole (M), Janine Spendlove, Genevieve Valentine, Jean Marie Ward, Fran Wilde
We all have those shows we watch and love and maybe love to pick on because they are our guilty pleasures. We revel in their cliches and inconsistent writing and leaps of logic. Or in their bizarre yet internally consistent alternate realities (even if they're supposed to be based in the real world). Ahistorical historical shows and why we love their anachronisms.

7:30 PM, Salon A
Mass Signing
Participants: Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Sarah Avery, Paolo Bacigalupi, Holly Black, Marilyn "Mattie" Brahen, Neil Clarke, Tom Doyle, Andy Duncan, Scott Edelman, Jim Freund, Charles E. Gannon, Max Gladstone, David G. Hartwell, Alma Katsu, Pamela K. Kinney, Barbara Krasnoff, Dina Leacock, James Maxey, Will McIntosh, Mike McPhail, Sunny Moraine, James Morrow, Sarah Pinsker, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Lawrence M. Schoen, Darrell Schweitzer, Alex Shvartsman, Jon Skovron, Alan Smale, Bud Sparhawk, Janine Spendlove, Genevieve Valentine, Michael A. Ventrella, Jean Marie Ward, Lawrence Watt-Evans
The Saturday evening mass autographing session.

11 PM, Bethesda
Eye of Argon
Panelists: Walter H. Hunt, Sarah Pinsker, Ian Randal Strock, Michael A. Ventrella (M), Jean Marie Ward
Our panelists read the worst fantasy story ever written, mistakes and all, and if they laugh or read it incorrectly, they are forced to act out the story. Just try not to fall over laughing! At some point, volunteers from the audience can participate and discover firsthand the author's contentious relationship with spelling, capitalization and punctuation.

Sunday
12 PM, Rockville/Potomac
Can A Small Town Elf Make it in the Big City?
Panelists: Holly Black (M), Jim Freund, L. Jagi Lamplighter, Emmie Mears, Jean Marie Ward
It's an Urban Fantasy panel. Favorite authors, current trends, what's the next supernatural creature to hit it big now that vampires, zombies and angels have all had a turn in the spotlight?

4 PM, Bethesda
The Darker Side of Fae
Panelists: Holly Black, Pamela K. Kinney, Janine Spendlove, Jean Marie Ward (M)
Not everyone can be Tinkerbell (who wasn't all sweetness and light), sometimes the world is a little less clean and pure. Both the Seelie and Unseelie Courts are best avoided if at all possible.

Originally published at Jean Marie Ward. You can comment here or there.

This weekend—the real Columbus Day weekend—you can find me at Capclave, my hometown con. The guests of honor will be John Scalzi and Nick Mamatas. But they’ve given me some really nice panels, too. Come join us in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and see for yourself.

Friday

4 p.m., Frederick Meeting Room
Required reading
Students are required to read many novels. Is this a good thing? Can High School students truly relate to the Joads? Does being forced to read hold back students?
Panelists: Roger MacBride Allen, James Morrow, Jean Marie Ward (Moderator)

Saturday

Noon, Bethesda Meeting Room
Reviews, what are they good for?
They said what!?! What is the value of book blogs and review sites? Should you engage?
Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Brenda Clough, Gayle Surrette (Moderator), Jean Marie Ward

3 p.m., Salons A & B
Romancing the Paranormal
Witches and werewolves and vampires in love. Why has paranormal romance become so popular? Is this a fad or a lasting subgenre? Have publishers started cutting back? How much romance needs to be in the book for it to be paranormal as opposed to urban/modern fantasy?
Panelists: Victoria Janssen (Moderator), Sherin Nicole, Jean Marie Ward

4 p.m., Bethesda Meeting Room
Has Steampunk gone mainstream?
New York editors are acting like gears and coal-fired engines are the new vampires. Has the genre become too popular–and is that a bad thing? And what exactly is steampunk and is it fantasy or science fiction?
Panelists: John Ashmead, Jonah Knight (Moderator), Alan Smale, Elaine Stiles, Jean Marie Ward

7:30 p.m., Salons A & B
Capclave Signing
All Guests

10:30 p.m., Salons A & B
I Swear It’s All True
Panelists regal fans with their best “true” stories about things that happened to them. The moderator will give prompts, “Things that happened when I was supposed to be writing,” “Craziest thing that happened at a convention,” “Weirdest interaction with an editor or agent,” and “How I learned a lesson I’ll never forget.”
Panelists: Jean Marie Ward (Moderator), Lawrence Watt-Evans

Sunday

11 a.m., Bethesda Meeting Room
WWI Comeback
It has been nearly a hundred years since the War to end all wars, is this a setting that still has potential? Will the movie War Horse and the TV show Downton Abbey spark a new interest in fiction set during World War One?
Panelists: Tad Daley, JD, PhD, Andrew Fox, John G. Hemry, Victoria Janssen (Moderator), Jean Marie Ward

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Halloween is my favorite time of year, not only do I get to celebrate my favorite holiday, I get to play at Capclave, the Washington DC area’s literary science fiction, fantasy and horror convention focusing on the short fiction form, held at the Hilton Washington DC/Rockville MD Executive Meeting Center, October 22-24. This year's guests of honor are Connie Willis (writing), and Ann and Jeff VanderMeer (editing).

My schedule comprises two panels, a workshop and the ever popular Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading, where I just might read from “Siren Bridge”. It’s strudel weather, after all.

Friday, 7 p.m.
Mutants: Gift or Curse? (Ends at: 8:00 pm)
Location: Plaza II M
Panelists: C.J. Henderson, Robert Scott, Jean Marie Ward
What are the joys and pains of being a zombie, vampire, werewolf? Discussion of trends in depictions of mutants in books, films, comics, and popular culture.

Friday, 8 p.m.
Writers and the Internet: When is Enough Enough? (Ends at: 9:00 pm)
Location: Plaza II
Panelists: Oz Drummond, Walter H. Hunt, Tee Morris, Karen Wester Newton, Jeff VanderMeer, Jean Marie Ward
How much of the Internet is needed for an author to successfully promote themselves and their works? And how much is too much?

Saturday, 2 p.m.
Reviewer's Workshop (Ends at: 4:00 pm)
Location: Randolph
Panelists: Doug Fratz, Peter Heck (M), Jean Marie Ward
A good reviewer does more then read free books and say "I like that". The panelists will demonstrate the hallmarks of a good review and how to create one. Did we mention Peter Heck is a regular reviewer for Asimov's Science Fiction?

Saturday, 7 p.m.
Broad Universe RapidFire Reading (Ends at: 8:00 pm)
Location: Montrose
Panelists: Roxanne Bland, Oz Drummond, Kelly A. Harmon, Dina Leacock, Jean Marie Ward
The women authors of Broad Universe serve up tasty bites of fiction...and free chocolate!


Note: The Fannish Dodo illustrating this post is the Capclave mascot, created by Lynn Perkins in 2005.

Now that I’ve (more or less) recovered from DragonCon, it’s again time to put on my convention hat and party hard—er, prepare to educate and entertain at Capclave 2009, this Friday to Sunday, October 16-18. Capclave is the Washington, DC, area’s premier science fiction, fantasy and horror convention. Although it focuses on literature, particularly short stories, you can’t bring a bunch of daft writers together and not wind up with a good time.

If this sounds like your thing, you can find us at the Hilton, Washington DC/Rockville Executive Meeting Center, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852, from 3 p.m. this Friday until 5 p.m. on Sunday. I hope you’ll join us. I especially hope you’ll attend a panel of mine. Or two. Or all of them. The one thing I’ve learned over the course of my writing career is you can never be too rich or have too many fans.

Seriously, the thin thing is negotiable.

Jean Marie’s 2009 Capclave Schedule:

Friday, 8 p.m.
Fantasy-Mystery – From Harry Dresden to Rachel Morgan to Sookie Stackhouse to Anita Blake, a lot of popular urban fantasies/paranormal romances seem to be mysteries. Why add this element to the mix? What works and what doesn’t when you combine them?
Panelists: Andrew Fox (m), Peter Heck, Victoria Janssen, Jean Marie Ward, Diane Weinstein

Friday, 10 p.m.
Kryptonite for Characters – What do you do to limit your characters and keep them from being too powerful? What flaws do you give them? How do you have them grow and gain without becoming gods?
Panelists: Diane Weinstein (m), Davey Beauchamp, Neil Clarke, Tom King, Jean Marie Ward

Friday, 11 p.m.
Are Vampires Still #1? – Why are vampires so popular? Is anything likely to rival them—werewolves? Zombies? What? Whose vampires are the best and why?
Panelists: Andrew Fox (m), Davey Beauchamp, Darrell Schweitzer, Jean Marie Ward, Lawrence Watt-Evans

Saturday, 11 a.m.
Paranormal Romance—Just Chick Lit? – Why is the main character in paranormal romance usually female? Is the audience meant to be women only? What is the right balance between the paranormal and the romance? (And, the moderator adds, why the heck aren’t there any men on this panel? Hmph! I have a feeling I’m going to have to be a very bad girl on this one.)
Panelists: Jean Marie Ward (m), Mattie Brahen, Mindy Klasky, Victoria Janssen

Saturday, 1 p.m.
Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading – Join the Broads of Capclave as they read fast-paced excerpts from their latest fictions. There will be chocolate.
Panelists: Jean Marie Ward (m), Diane Arrelle, Roxanne Bland, Kelly A. Harmon, Victoria Janssen

Sunday, 11 a.m.
Paranormal Versus Urban Fantasy – Is paranormal romance just another name for urban fantasy? If not, what is the distinction? How do writers determine the right balance between paranormal and romance? Is it just classic boy meets girl or does being a paranormal make it different?
Panelists: Scott Andrews (m), Catherine Asaro, Karen Newton, Edmund Schubert, Jean Marie Ward, Diane Weinstein

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You can always tell when a lot is happening in my RL; my LJ gets werry, werry qwiet.  But I haven't been hunting wabbits--more like vampires. 
Yeah, vampires, the creatures I never planned to write about, because I couldn't think of anything new to say.  It's amazing what somebody waving money in my face will do.
Especially when it involves the Frankfurt Book Fair.

( (Vamps & Me) )
Then there is the convention news.  I will be attending both Capclave in Washington, DC, October 17-19, and World Fantasy Con in Calgary, Canada, October 30 - November 2.  I don't yet know if they'll be able to squeeze me into the WFC program, but my Capclave panels and readings are:

Friday, 6 p.m.

Do U Rd on Scrn?

How is technology changing writing and reading? Do you write differently on a computer than with a pen or typewriter? Do you read differently on the Internet? How will e-texts, audible books, and the Kindle change the act of reading? How will writers write for readers accustomed to reading twitters and text messages? Traci Castleberry (m), Neil Clarke, Resa Nelson, Jean Marie Ward

 

Friday, 8 p.m.

SF Pictionary

Fun game show comes to Capclave. Can you communicate SF ideas through your drawings? Danny Birt (m), Steve Stiles, Jean Marie Ward

 

Saturday, Noon

Appeal of King Arthur

What makes so many writers from Twain to Mary Stewart to Lerner and Lowe produce their own takes on 'the matter of Britain'? Why do King Arthur books thrive while other legends like Robin Hood get far less attention? What are the best takes on the Arthurian legend? Christopher Cevasco (m), Tom Doyle, Jean Marie Ward, Mattie Brahen

 

Saturday, 1 p.m.

Reading

Am I the only one scared of the prospect of Pictionary?  I should be scared of the empty room I'm going to have for my reading, but I figure it'll be a good time to catch up on my sleep.  Writer/editor Danielle Ackley-McPhail will be staying at the house for the con, and if past experience is any indication, we could be talking all night.
There are worse fates.
Cheers and grins,
Jean Marie