Realm Makers Conference

The Realm Makers Conference is coming!  Mark your calendars now - May 30-31 at Villanova University, PA.  I have an interview with the founder, Becky Minor. For even more information, see the website: http://www.realmmakers.com/

Where did the idea for Realm Makers come from?

 

Realm Makers grew out of the rising sentiment among Christian speculative fiction authors that we don’t quite fit on either side of the religious market or secular market fence. We needed a place of our own to relax and be ourselves, whether that involves geeking out over the latest season of Doctor Who or working out the nuances of a costume. The idea of offering a full two days where every class applied to the speculative fiction writer grabbed me by the throat a couple years ago and insisted to be brought to life.

 How did you develop this from an idea into a full-fledged conference?

 Mostly by doing the thing in life that terrifies me most . . . asking other people to jump on board. Having faculty people want to hear is a huge part of enticing attendees to join us, so making connections was the first step. Splickety Magazine editor Ben Erlichman is the king of networking, so his help has been invaluable in initiating those conversations. From there, it was just a matter of analyzing other conferences I’ve been to and figuring out the most efficient way to imitate those events.

 

Does Realm Makers have a mission statement? If so, what is it?

 Realm Makers strives to provide a faith-friendly symposium for writers and artists who focus their creative efforts on science fiction, fantasy, and all their sub-genres. Whether artists wish to gear their content for the inspirational or secular marketplace, they have a place at Realm Makers.

 

What makes Realm Makers stand apart from other conferences for writers who are Christian?

 The full-conference focus on speculative fiction as a genre is the key factor that differentiates Realm Makers from other Christian conferences. While we do offer some classes on general writing craft, I’m convinced that nowhere else could you spend two days drinking in content that embraces geekdom with one arm and a walk of faith with the other. Realm Makers is a place where an author can talk about his work and about his faith, and the folks at his lunch table will “get” what he loves. (Because let’s face it, many of us have sat at that “mixed genre” conference lunch table and gotten some wide-eyed looks when we explain what we write.)

 

How will Realm Makers 2014 differ from the first Realm Makers?

 

Much of the conference will have a similar feel and approach to the first year. We have a powerful faculty with some returning faces and some newcomers. As for what’s changed, we have added a cool “early bird” session that will occur on Thursday night, which involves snacks, public critique, and prizes. So our general approach is to continue to offer what worked well last year and to tighten the areas that were a little loosey-goosey. We’re learning as we go.

 

What can attendees expect from Realm Makers this year?

 

This year, attendees can expect to meet 60-100 cool folks who love what they love (We’re hoping for the sell-out at 100), to enjoy first rate facilities at Villanova University, and to hear engaging experts in many areas of writing they might not find at other Christian writers conferences. We’ll also repeat our Friday night awards dinner where costumes are encouraged but not required.

 

What are the benefits from attending a conference like this?

 

Learning and building relationships are by far the top two benefits of attendance. For authors looking for homes for their manuscripts, we also have a growing list of editors and agents who will be listening to pitches during the conference, so attending could very well advance some of those writers toward landing that contract. It’s a well-known fact that authors who meet editors at conferences have a much better chance at publication/representation than those who submit blind queries.

 

What kinds of workshops are in the works for 2014?

 

The 2014 schedule will include workshops and panel discussions on

• the use of science in fantasy
• what it’s like to be wounded or to have to wound someone else
• the process of developing graphic novels
• flash fiction
• horror
• networking
• the role of an agent
• the inner workings of a publishing house
• creating story-world languages
• and more still in development!

 

Are you going to have a costume banquet and book signing again this year?

 

Ooops! Got ahead of you on this one, didn’t I? Yes, we are still planning the costumes-encouraged dinner on Friday, though people should definitely feel at ease coming in something from their regular wardrobe. We get that cosplay isn’t for everyone. The programming for Saturday night is still in development.

 

Do you have any tips for attendees?

 

First and foremost—even if something makes you feel like you’re going to die of anxiety, give it a go…whether it’s talking to an author or speaker in the hallway, or sitting at a table full of people you don’t know, or trying out flash fiction even though you can’t say “Hello” in less than 2500 words. Judging by last year’s conference attendance, Realm Makers is a great place to take some chances and reap the rewards, whether personal or professional. So I guess my other piece of advice is “Don’t miss it!”

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Flash Fiction

Hey FFFers - I know, I know.   I've been silent for a LONG time.  Just poking my head in now and then.  I'm sorry.  And I know I've lost many of you.  Life is sooooo busy and full with writing and editing and taking care of grandchildren and writing/revising my novel, Fairyeater. My agent is amazing, and she's given me lots of work to do before submitting to the editors who want to see it.


But I wanted to share something you may already know about - Flash Fiction. Who else writes this? I'm learning about it because of a contest for the Realm Makers conference the end of May.  (realmmakers.com)


I didn't know a thing about writing Flash Fiction, so I googled it and found these great tips from David Gaffney: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/14/how-to-write-flash-fiction


Realm Makers gave us two picture prompts, a limit of 500 words and a deadline. http://faithandfantasyalliance.wordpress.com/2014/01/31/want-a-chance-at-a-free-registration-to-realm-makers/


The deadline is Feb. 21st, which only gives you 3 more days.  I'm kind of excited about my story.  I don't expect to win as this is only my first time writing Flash Fiction, so I'm sure there's more to learn. But I liked doing it and will probably try writing more.


So, who else out there writes Flash Fiction? Who else wants to learn? I'll go through the steps during the next few weeks. Maybe that will help get me back to blogging regularly again! 

New Editing/Mentoring Service!

If you want to write a novel, or if you've started and need some support, check out Joyce Magnin's new Editing and Mentoring Services.  Joyce is a terrific writer and teacher. She's tough, but she knows her stuff.  Joyce has published seven adult novels and two middle grade novels.  She also teaches at conferences and offers one day workshops. Joyce makes even the most difficult aspects of writing easier to understand. She's encouraging, but doesn't allow you to stay where you are. She pushes you to better yourself and cheers you on when you do. You can't get better than Joyce!

http://joycemagnin.blogspot.com/p/editing-and-mentoring.html 

What kind of fantasy should we write?

I just read an interesting article on fiction and the Bible. http://www.compellingtruth.org/Bible-fiction.html

In this article, the writer talks about people in the Bible who told stories, or parables. These stories, while fiction, were used to teach some truth. I believe this is the same with fantasy stories. We can reveal great truths in fantasy at the same time we engage and entertain.

As a Christian person, whatever I write is filtered through my Christian worldview. That includes my fantasy, whether I mention God and the Bible or not.  Just like the book of Esther, which never mentions God by name, my fantasy reveals my faith and love for God and His truth.

How do you handle telling the truth in your fantasy?

ACFW Conference 2013

hey FFFers - I attended the ACFW conference (American Christian Fiction Writers) this past weekend in Indianapolis, IN, and it was terrific! I met some other speculative authors and hope they will join us.  I'm also going to get this blog started again.

I wanted to let you know THREE editors are interested in my fantatsy novel, Fairyeater! I'm totally excited and working on the proposals. I also met an agent this summer at the Philly conference and am hoping she'll like my writing enough to represent me.

So, let's get things going again. I'll be posting once a week unless I have news that needs telling.

What are you all up to?

A Must Read Blog Post

hey FFFers! I'm sharing a link for a blog post about writing horror stories from a Christian perspective. It's an excellent post for all of us, whether we write fantasy, sci-fi or horror.

I look forward to your opinion on the post.

http://historythrutheages.blogspot.com/2013/04/why-horror-story-is-not-necessarily-of.html

I'm back and ready to get started again!

hey FFFers - after a l-o-n-g time away, I'm back and hoping I have the kinks in my blog worked out. I want to back to our discussions! Let's get right into it.

Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable. I try to work these things into my writing by having my characters learn them without my saying they are learning them.

During a writing exercise with my group that meets once a year, our mentor gave us something that helped me a lot. She said, without thinking about it, writing down five movies you could watch over and over again. Then look at them and see if there is a common thread.

I did that, and while the movies I selected were different from each other, the common thread was self discovery. And yes, my characters all learn something about themselves. They discover they are more than what they thought. The one true God has made them unique and equipped to do what was planned for them to do.

I also focus on the verse that says, there is no greater love than laying down your life for a friend. I believe that sums up all the things we're to focus on in Philppians 4:8.

I want my readers to srive along with my characters and come out of my books feeling like they, too, can do what God has called them to do.

How do you work in the things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable into your stories?