Michael A. Ventrella

I sadly had to cancel my appearance at Ravencon because I got sick with COVID (again!). Hopefully, I will be better by next weekend’s Heliosphere convention in Piscataway.

Here’s my schedule:

A short story is not simply a chapter from a novel (Friday 5 pm): As compared to a novel, a short story presents different needs in addressing the setting/world-building and character definition, as well as the focus on theme, action, and topic. How do some good short stories handle it well? With Neil Clarke, Carol Gyzander, Lee Hawkridge, and Hildy Silverman

To Epilogue or Not to Epilogue, That is the Question (Saturday 10 am): When does a novel warrant an epilogue, or a prologue? Do they slow the start of the story or change the impact of the ending? How has this changed over the years, and do authors think about what fans might want over whether it works well in the story? with Randee Dawn, Elektra Hammond, and Gordon Linzner

Group autograph sessions (Saturday 1 pm): A great way to get autographs from all the guests

So You Want to Make an Anthology (Saturday 2:30 pm): Cool ideas are easy to come by, and surely there is an audience for yours out there somewhere, but what do you need to know to put together a successful anthology? What pitfalls do you need to avoid? And how can you make yours happen without a publisher? Our experienced panelists share their insider knowledge to the delightful insanity that is anthologies. with Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Neil Clarke, Ian Randal Strock, and David Watson

My Disbelief Can Go But So Far… (Saturday 5:30 pm): We all have read or watched stories that we enjoy without thinking too much about if they are realistic ( here’s looking at you Doctor Who ), but other stories seem to go too far and become laughable at best.  What determines which category a story falls into, and what do we like in this area as readers and viewers. Are there ways story creators can get readers/watchers willing to accept more challenging changes and assumptions?  What authors have succeeded at pushing the boundaries without pushing their readers out of the story?  With Christopher Burke, Lawrence Kramer, Godron Linzner, and Caitlin Rozakis

Masquerade (Saturday 9:00 pm): I’ll be hosting Heliosphere’s first masquerade!

Evolution of the Vampire (Sunday 10 am): How has our view of vampires changed over the years? With Vikki Ciaffone, Elektra Hammond, Gordon Linzner, and Darrell Schweitzer

Fact and Fiction: Hear from writers who write both (Sunday 11:30 am): Fictional stories and business/science/fact-based articles. What’s the same, what’s different, and how do you switch your brain from writing one to the other? With Hildy Silverman, Ian Randal Strock, and James Prego

Reading (Sunday 1:00 pm): I’ll be reading my story from the anthology THE FOUR ???? OF THE APOCALYPSE

Filed under: writing | Tagged: Heliosphere |