Capclave is a fun convention for literary science fiction and fantasy fans. (It’s where I met George R.R. Martin all those years ago and had my 15 minutes of fame for predicting the Hodor plot).
It’s held near Washington, DC and this year’s is the weekend of September 29th.
It’s a small convention, concentrating on literary achievement. I always enjoy attending and meeting fellow authors and readers. Plus we usually have fun with the Eye of Argon reading.
Here’s my schedule:
| Friday 10:00 pm: Creating a Believable Legal System for Your Fantasy Participants: Cathy Green (M), David Keener, Mary G. Thompson, Michael A Ventrella Disputes are going to arise in your imagined world, and someone has to resolve them! There are hundreds of examples of how legal systems work in real life, but what about in the societies you create? How can you develop a legal system that is both realistic and also relevant to the story (and not an obstacle to your pacing and plot)? Panelists discuss what makes for a believable (or not) fantasy legal system. |
| Saturday 2:30 pm: A Little Perspective: POV in Fiction Participants: Charlie Jane Anders, Jean Marie Ward, Michael A Ventrella (M), Scott H. Andrews Who tells your story is as important as how it is told and what is in it. Changing the point of view can completely transform how a story is received. Panelists discuss options for experimenting with perspective, how to know what is most effective for a story, and why styles such as second-person are worth your consideration. |
| Saturday 10:00 pm: Eye of Argon (Ends at: 10:55 pm) Participants: Hildy Silverman (M), Ian Randal Strock, Michael A Ventrella Eye of Argon is back! Join us for a so bad it’s good (but still bad) live interactive performance of this convention classic. |
| Sunday 10:30 am: Author Reading: Michael A. Ventrella Participants:Michael A Ventrella Michael A. Ventrella reads from recent and upcoming works. |
| Sunday 11:30 am: Constructing Your Magic System Participants: Jeanne Adams, Ken Altabef, L. Penelope, Michael A Ventrella, Scott H. Andrews (M) Magic is an important element of fantasy stories. Unless you want to end up in ‘a wizard did it’ world for how every problem is resolved, your magic systems needs to be constructed with a set of rules. How should you begin constructing this system? What is the cost of using magic? How powerful do you want the magic to be? Panelists discuss these and other considerations for creating a compelling magical world. |
Pictures from previous Capclaves (click on a picture to enlarge):
Filed under: writing |
Michael A. Ventrella 
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