Schedule

List of Panels

Are You Ready to Mentor?

When we reach a certain stage of our writing career, it is natural to want to share that knowledge. It also has the added benefits of helping us give back to the writing community, build community connections, and in some cases, may help us promote our work. But mentoring is an important responsibility, and it also has its drawbacks. What are some good—and not so good—reasons to try mentoring? How do you structure your time between your obligations to your mentee and your own work? What are some pitfalls to watch out for when partnering with mentorship programs, or when mentoring informally? What are some signs that it's time to try mentoring on a particular topic – or time to take a step back?

Being Outside Rome During the Fall

Even though the term gets thrown around a lot these days, it’s hard to ignore that we’re in a historical turning point that is redefining the United States and its relationship with the world. Empires evolve all the time in history, but seeing it happen to your neighbor and largest trading partner provides a different (and fraught) context. How can we navigate this moment as artists, community members, and Canadians? Where in history can we look for advice? And where can we take some measure of control amid changes that feel bigger than us?

Better Book Pitches

Pitching your book to an editor or agent can feel like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—and preparing for it can feel like you’re scrabbling in the dark. What makes for a solid pitch? How can you shake off the nerves before your appointment comes up? If the pitch is unsuccessful, how do you take that learning and build an even better pitch for next time? Our panel of editors discuss what professionals like them are looking for, and how to better your chances at success.

Better Gamemastering

In our follow-up to last year’s “Being a Good (Role) Player,” we’re moving to the opposite side of the GM screen for a discussion of how to run a better TTRPG. There is no one way to be a Gamemaster, and our panelists will unpack a variety of specific and universal practices to support a long-term campaign. In what ways is GMing a partnership with your players? How do they translate the colossal amount of advice online into manageable tools? How do they minimize workload while still creating an engaging experience?

Bringing Out The Author’s Vision

Once a book is sold to a publisher, there can be a long process between the signing of a contract and release day. How does an in-house editor work with an author to tweak a manuscript? Why might more edits be needed? Once the MS is done, how does an editor work with cover design, marketing and other members of the publishing team to ensure a successful release? Join us as we peel back the curtain on the goings-on in traditional publishing houses.

Can FanFic Sell My Book?

In recent years, the use of fanfiction tropes and ArchiveOfOurOwn tags has become common as a marketing tactic - #onlyonebed #fakemarriage #dubcon and so on. Is this effective marketing, or does it run the risk of being misleading to readers? Furthermore, some recent releases have become even more blatant about their origins as fanfic (Alchemized, Rose in Chains). What are the ethics of this form of advertising, or the advantages and disadvantages of tying your work to a known (and sometimes controversial) quantity?

Class Conflict & Revolution in SFF

Science fiction and fantasy often follow the narrative of the elites: the royalty, the space captains, the gods. However, just because many stories focus on the bourgeoisie, that doesn’t mean they all do. How do works of fiction incorporate or explore the experience of the working class and the proletariat? How do magic and futuristic technology impact class struggle? And what does bringing a Marxist/communist lens to SFF give us?

Classic or Merely Old?

Some vintage SFFH, like Dune, Wizards of Earthsea, and Frankenstein, are considered classics of the Anglophone SFFH world, worth remembering and studying even now. Others have been forgotten, and more are still considered despite their flaws (e.g. the racism and xenophobia present in H.P. Lovecraft’s works). What are the influences that determine which works get remembered, and which do not? How do we engage with the global Anglophone foundations of genre, while also being mindful of social and cultural changes? And how do we navigate inclusions, deletions, and qualifications to those foundations?

Coming Up in SFF: The Editors’ Perspective

“What’s the next hot thing” is a tough question but one that forms the basis of which books get bought and how release schedules are planned. What does our panel of editors think is next in sci-fi, fantasy or horror? Which trends excite them, and which ones are they hoping will pass? How can this intel help authors decide where to market or pitch their books?

Constructing Destruction: Building a Collapsed Earth

Envisioning a post-apocalyptic future is a particular sort of worldbuilding, where one needs to balance realistic predictions with story needs that might demand a little hand-wavium. What are some of the essential questions you should answer when designing your collapsed Earth? How does one approach this thought experiment, in a period of history that seems truly chaotic?

Creating a Standout Character

We all know that character is at the core of storytelling. But with so many popular characters already out there in the world, what makes for a standout one today, who leaps off the page (and into our hearts)? How does a compelling character shape the plot around their choices? In what ways is worldbuilding a vehicle for powerful character moments?

Data Preservation as Anti-Disinformation

We often think of the archive simply as the place where records happen to be, but an archive has an agenda and can act politically. In a crisis of disinformation, archives and libraries can be one of society’s most potent weapons. Our panel explores how this works, what safeguards are necessary, and the role individuals and mass movements can play in preservation work in a time when the concept of truth is under attack.

Discomfort as a Compass Needle

When working on any large creative projects that matter to us, we are going to encounter elements of discomfort. In Leigh Bardugo’s TEDx talk on The Art of Discomfort, she quips that using discomfort as a red flag is “good for avoiding cults, bad for making art”, and suggests that artists think of using “discomfort as a compass needle.” So, what are some of the roles that discomfort plays in our writing process? How do we safely explore using discomfort to guide our projects? How do we tell the difference between good discomfort and bad discomfort? And what are some tips and tricks that might help us use discomfort as a compass needle to point us towards finally finishing our projects?

Dragon: Pet or Coworker?

From John Wiswell's multi-headed (and complaining) dragon to Karin Lowachee's society dependent on dragons, writers are reimagining those fell (or friendly) beasts in their own ways. But to what degree are these creatures imbued with personhood in our favourite stories? Are they pets/mounts/Pokémon, used for tasks but ultimately animals, or are they people, with their own spoken thoughts, feelings, and opinions? How does this decision determine the rest of the world-building and the story itself?

Freelance Editing

In the wide publishing landscape, freelance editors are essential - and since there’s always a need, that means the work is out there. How can someone start finding work as a freelance editor? Where does the best networking happen, both online and in-person? How do you build a portfolio and market yourself? And what are the unwritten expectations around editing rates vs experience level vs how much editing is being offered?

Fun and Foley: Writing For Audio

While radio shows and other forms of audio drama/fiction have been with us for a long time, the accessibility of recording equipment and distribution means that it has never been easier to make one. What are the most important considerations when going into such a project? How do you write to effectively convey information by audio, without info-dumping out loud? How can you best use sound effects and foley, and what are the best and easiest ways to get access to such sounds?

Gentle Writing Advice: The Panel

Industry discourse is full of people claiming that “real writers” fit a certain productivity type—one that doesn’t work for everyone, and may have contributed to an overall culture that propagates burnout and an adversarial “me over everyone else” mentality toward publishing. But don’t take Can*Con’s word for it. Allow our expert panelists to guide you through a discussion of how to be kinder to yourself as a writer and still finish projects, without getting caught up in “rules” that are far from universal.

Geopolitics is a Thing But I Still Want/Need to Write

We’re at a moment in history where “permacrisis” doesn’t always feel like an adequate word, and the global axis tilts in a new direction every day. At the same time, many people insist that creating art is fundamentally important during times like these — and they’re right. So how do we do it? How do we reinforce the practical and psychological tools that help us write? How do we balance commitments like publisher deadlines or the needed income from writing with staying engaged and aware about what’s happening in the world?

Healing Trauma Through Joy

As seen from the experience of queer joy in stories like Heated Rivalry which have resonated with audiences worldwide, we often yearn for stories that not only help us make sense of traumatic experiences and help us heal from them. What are we feeling when we see these moments depicted on screen and on the page? What does showing these moments add to these stories that painful moments alone do not? How do the joyful moments in these stories connect with us and help us with our own troubled feelings?

History vs Historical Fiction

Looking to history for inspiration is a classic way to go about brainstorming for a work of fiction. What are the benefits of using real history as a framework for a story, but also, what are the potential challenges and pitfalls? What differences need to be attended to between fiction and writing actual historical narratives? How do we reckon with the legacies of racial and sexual violence, and various historical erasures, when it comes to writing historical fiction? And what considerations need to be taken when it comes to when, where, why, and how to deviate from the more established and dominant historical fact?

Horror is Personal

What scares us as writers inevitably makes for great story fodder, as readesr will very often react to elements that have scared them in their own lives. How can we implement this strategy when we write horror? How can we also create a helpful distance from these elements in our work and protect ourselves along the way?

How Grassroots Work Shapes the Industry

Changing publishing from inside structures like the Big Four is one thing, but sometimes you need to create an organization that pushes for progress from outside. What are the greatest challenges facing these grassroots organizations today? How do they play a unique role in shifting publishing lenses or raising awareness of inequities in the industry? Where do our panelists see the most need for more action, and how can others get involved?

How to Read Your Work Like An Expert

Editing and revision are inescapable parts of the writing process, but writers are not necessarily taught how to close-read their work before they submit or publish it. What are the major pitfalls an author should be looking for in their drafts? How should they be approaching the editing process? What are the issues that novice writers tend to overlook? And how can they better prepare their work for the hurdles ahead?

I Want Fewer Readers: or, Your Work isn’t for Everyone and That’s Okay

The commercial side of writing centers on this hungry need to find as many readers as possible—which makes sense, since readers means sales. But what if a work, for whatever reason, is only “for” a particular sort of reader? In what ways does a work having a limited fandom or audience make that work more fulfilling or powerful, assuming those readers find each other? How might an author manage expectations with readers looking for specific tropes or structures that are deliberately avoided or subverted in a work? And based on this, how can we reshape our understanding of “success” in creative fields?

I’m Coming To the Cottage

As Rachel Reid once quipped in an interview with TSN’s The Shift when asked to describe Heated Rivalry: “Come for the hot men, stay for the deconstruction of misogyny and toxic masculinity and all the problems with hockey culture and discussions about mental health.” How did Rachel Reid’s queer hockey romance and Jacob Tierney’s television adaptation become such a cultural phenomenon? What is it about Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov’s story that resonates for so many people? What can the success of this small Canadian production and the way it came to be teach us about following our gut and telling the stories we want to tell?

In Conversation: Kevin Hearne and Chuck Wendig

Chuck Wendig and Kevin Hearne have known each other for a long time. Sure, they could talk about their storied careers or something, but instead what you'll get is a prosaic conversation about birds, the origins of the Apple Snack Gang, creating the world's first-ever anthology about cheese wizards, and the power of friendship and friendship beards. Maybe they'll talk about their books. Most definitely, this will be a good time.

Intro to Game Writing: AMA With Two Industry Pros

Ever wonder how your favourite video game was written - or maybe you'd like to write your own? Interested in breaking into the industry and want to know where to start? With their wealth of experience and insight, game writers Aysha Farah (Life is Strange: Double Exposure; Magic the Gathering)  and Jesse Scoble (Assassin's Creed Origins & Odyssey; Far Cry 5; Wizard 101) are here to give you a look behind the curtain. Join them for this interactive panel and bring your most burning questions!

Indie & Small Press Publishing Fight Fascism

Art is an important weapon in the fight against fascism, with speculative fiction one of its sharpest tools. As large publishing houses and media outlets continue to amalgamate, indie and small press publishing stands as a place for authors and editors to collaboratively resist and promote a just future. For panelists involved in this work, how are they actively using art to wake the complacent? How are they finding a way to break through the noise and get their particular anti-fascist stories into the hands of people who need them? How might disparate or geographically-distant presses work together in the fight for a more just world?

Killing/Saving Your Darlings

“Kill Your Darlings” is classic writing advice, but it’s a lot harder in practice. Scenes, characters, and even whole subplots can sometimes find themselves on the chopping block if they aren’t serving the story. But what is the actual criteria for when something is or isn’t “serving the story”? How do we balance our genuine joy and inspiration, and do we risk shutting those parts out if we are too cutthroat? Is there a better way to support & reconnect your darlings to the story, in order to preserve their existence?

Make Magic Live!

Ever wondered how authors make a truly original magic system, when they really let their imagination run wild? Join us for a demonstration, wherein our panelists will create magic systems live in front of you, based on objects and ideas provided by the moderator, as well as suggestions from the audience! See what happens when writers combine improv and world-building, and maybe get a little silly in the process.

Making Your Short Story Pop

Short stories are a great way to break into the industry, and to explore new concepts, styles, and techniques. But what actually makes a short story pop? With so few words used to get across a point, how do authors make the most of the space they have? How should we best approach a short story for maximum impact? And what elements tend to be the ones that stay with readers, long after they’ve left a short story?

Networking 101

Humans tend to thrive best in groups, but it can be hard to grow your own circle when you don’t know where to start or even how to make a connection under pressure. So how does one “network” at an event like Can*Con, or out in the wild? How do you manage your expectations of yourself and others? What should your goals be, and what happens if you don’t end up meeting them? Building a network takes time, work, and patience, but our panelists will discuss the methods that have worked for them, and why it’s worth it to give them a shot.

Noble Knight, Courageous Cop

Brave champions of justice, perpetual defenders of the innocent, dogged seekers of truth… in fiction. Though the real-life counterparts are a far cry from the fantasy, the idea of a heroic protector persists in our imaginations and our stories. What kinds of worlds and systems support the idea of a good cop? Can we still enjoy detectives and federal agents as wish fulfillment, despite our real-life circumstances? Are there other ways to get our fix of tortured workaholics and powerful saviors, or is there something about police specifically that we keep coming back to?

OT3: Solving The Love Triangle

The love triangle is a perennial problem for many a fictional protagonist, forever plagued by an impossible choice. If only there was a way to enclose all three points into one unified shape, which may in fact be the strongest of all! In a landscape shaped by the idea that a character must choose only one true love, how can we write an effective love story with all three (or more!) characters? How does the traditional two-person narrative need to change? Can alternative relationships provide some new possibilities? What are the challenges of keeping all of the participants compelling and believable, and how do we achieve balance in perspective, dynamics, and plot involvement?

Poise and Performance: Reading Your Work Aloud

It’s happened: you’re at a con, or a launch, or some other bookish event, and you’re thrilled to be reading from your work. Except…how the heck do you do that? How do you pick an excerpt that will best showcase your story and your skills as a writer, enticing listeners into wanting more? If you’re not a natural performer or actor, how do you read your piece in a way that will help create maximum interest? What are the tips and tricks panelists have picked up over their experience to make readings pop?

Problematic Lesbians & Toxic Sapphics

Touraine and Luca (C.L. Clark’s The Magic of the Lost), Gyre and Em (The Luminous Dead), or, really, any two women in the Locked Tomb series - SFF is filled with complex, even “problematic,” sapphic relationships. What contributes to our hunger for complicated queer women? What do these kinds of relationships allow us to explore? Why do we love toxic queer dynamics in fiction so much?

Putting the "Science" in Science Fiction (Or At Least Faking It)

It has been said that science fiction is no more written for scientists than ghost stories are written for ghosts, and yet, "hard" science fiction, where close attention is paid to known facts and theories, remains popular. How does one craft a compelling narrative around such limitations? How can real world-science aid creativity? Where do you start, if you are not a scientist? And if you do feel like incorporating blatant pseudoscience into your story, how do you make it sound "scientific"?

Quirks and Perks of Writing for a Big IP

For many an author, writing for That One Beloved IP is the ultimate square on the career bingo. The actual gig, though, will come with unexpected twists. For our panelists, what have been the best and worst parts of writing for hugely-successful IPs? What did they learn that has been useful in their other writing, or what did they have to unlearn to get back to their original work? And if others should land one of these gigs, what questions should they ask going in?

Recovering From Writer Burnout

Writing (and publishing) is hard, and it seems to get harder every year - we’re sure we don’t need to list the ways! For those who have reached their breaking point, in one way or another, who burn out and/or quit, how do they find their way back to the craft (if they ever do)? How have they recovered their sanity, recouped their energy, and reconnected with their joy? What hope is there for those of us who may be teetering on the edge, or already falling into that abyss of exhaustion?

Shared Body Shenanigans or The Magical Get Along Shirt

Whether through sentient parasite (Venom), artificial intelligence installed into your brain (Cortana in Halo), or ghosts/spirits latching onto a living body (Anders/Justice from Dragon Age), fantasy and science fiction have a long history of forcing two sentient beings to share the same body and enjoying the hijinks that ensue. How do these stories allow us to explore themes of control and body autonomy? How does this exploration change depending on genre and tone? What questions does it raise around intimacy and personhood?

Small Canadian Indie Seeking Print & Distribution

You have a book - congratulations! Now, how do you get it into people’s hands? Printing and distribution are two ever-changing beasts, and every option has pros and cons. What are these options for shipping and distribution, even for hosting your shop? What are the advantages of print on demand vs bulk-orders from local printers? How can writers form relationships with book sellers, or with other indies?

So You Want To Write A One-Shot

Not all gaming sessions need to be sweeping, decades long epics that are nearly impossible to consistently schedule. A one-shot can be an exciting and dynamic experience for everyone involved. What are the unique challenges of writing an adventure that both starts and ends in the same session? When your players can take big swings instead of conserving resources and character reputations, how do you prepare to meet those swings as a GM, and set up the world to match? Our GMs will discuss their approach for writing and delivering a highly satisfying one-shot.

Speculation Or Anticipation?

As writers, we love to keep our readers guessing. We don’t want them to immediately know who the murderer is/where the monster is hiding/that there’s a big breakup coming … or do we? A delicious surprise in the narrative can be a beautiful thing to pull off, but when is it better to let the reader in on the secret? What can dramatic irony do to enhance a story and fill a reader with anticipation, rather than keeping them in the dark until the reveal? When do we want our readers not to have a clue about what’s going to happen next — and when do we want them to crave exactly what they’re expecting?

Stories Are Weapons, Dissected: One-on-One with Special Guest Annalee Newitz

Published in 2024, Annalee Newitz’s Stories Are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind unpacks current challenges surrounding disinformation, propaganda and violence by looking back at history, specifically American psyops from the Revolutionary War to the Cold War to today. This fascinating book is also inherently hopeful, in its assertion that there are limits to the power of psychological warfare through disarmament, archival work, science fiction storytelling, and more. Hosted by fellow author and historian Brandon Crilly, join us for a fireside chat with Newitz and in-depth discussion of how stories can be both weapons and pathways to peace.

Surviving Self-Publishing

The best thing about self-publishing is that there's no boss calling the shots. The worst thing about self-publishing is that there's no boss calling the shots. This panel of battle-weary (and wary!) authors will talk about how to carve out your own space in a vast industry of peers, practical ways to manage your business from the start, and how to recognize the stressors that encourage people to abandon self-publishing and make a plan to stay in the game long-term.

The ABCs of Homebrewing

Ever looked over available TTRPG settings and decided that nothing quite fits the story you have in mind? Started out with an idea for a great game but don’t know what to do next? Look no further! Join a panel of experts in discussing how best to go about homebrewing a setting for your next game, including considerations about scale, how to incorporate and modify game mechanics, and what makes for a compelling world your players will get sucked into!

The Agent/Author Relationship, Unpacked

Once you sign with a literary agent, that’s only the start of a (hopefully) long partnership. Agent GoH Hana El Niwairi and two of her authors, Melissa Ren and Anuja Varghese, are right at the beginning of this - but what does it involve? How do an agent and author get started working together? What is the process to getting that first book out on submission? How much push and pull is there in the agent/author relationship, and how do you ensure you’re setting each other up for success and camaraderie?

The Art of Critique (and handling feedback)

Asking for and integrating useful feedback is essential to being a writer, but what does that actually mean? How do we prime ourselves and our critique partners, through methods like author statements, to have a useful conversation, full of constructive comments and advice, instead of statements that are ultimately unhelpful? Furthermore, how do we ready ourselves emotionally to hear, process, and incorporate that critique?

The Desire for Competence Porn

With the wide cross-media popularity of stories like Project Hail Mary and the worldwide interest in Artemis II, readers and audiences are showing a strong craving for seeing smart people tackle hard challenges. How much does this desire reflect our concerns about complex contemporary issues? Is this reflective of inherent optimism, or a need to recapture what optimism even means? Where is the line being a satisfying piece of competence porn and a story where the problems are solved too easy, or the vibe ends up too grim?

The Haunting of Public Memory

Ghost stories are often about unfinished business. In speculative fiction, uncanny tales are often told with the aid of archives, museums, monuments, heirlooms, family silences, missing records, vanished neighbourhoods, and official and unofficial histories. How do we use ghosts, time slips, cursed objects, and mystic documents to explore what a person, a family, or a culture remembers, misremembers, or refuses to remember? How do we balance personal history with the collective, and how do we reckon with the weight of violence and trauma in our past(s)?

The Limitations We Bring to Reinvention

Science fiction, fantasy and horror have long been a place for authors to reimagine or reinvent elements of our world. However, that reimagination is inherently a product of and a comment on its time, and of the limitations we bring to the genre. How do our blindspots, biases and fixations sometimes get in the way of our imagination, as either writers or readers? How can we challenge this in ourselves and in the discourse around genre? What questions can we ask ourselves, and what perspectives can we consider, as we develop our work?

The Monster at the Potluck: Food, Hospitality, and Danger in SFFH

Food in speculative fiction isn’t always about culture, ritual, belonging, or even life-giving sustenance — sometimes, food is a trap. From fairy banquets and vampire invitations to addictive Turkish delight, pies of questionable composition, suspicious goblets of wine, and poisoned apples, what happens when an offer of food also comes with a side of danger? How can hospitality be used to create dread instead of comfort, and what can we say about power and seduction through the deceptively simple act of satisfying our hunger, or thirst?

The Mysterious Object as Horror Device

An antique camera. A red button in a box. A staircase in the middle of the woods. Horror can sometimes center entirely on a single mysterious object and its uncanny nature. How does an author construct this sort of story? What sorts of threads can you draw from that single object? How do you decide when and where to reveal more of the object’s nature, and how much can you leave unexplained by the end?

The Static Protagonist

Generally speaking, in fiction, a story’s protagonist goes through some kind of character arc/development as part of the narrative — but not always. Characters like Captain America, Benoit Blanc, and Cinderella (in most adaptations) do not change; they remain the same from the beginning to end of their story. What is gained by having a protagonist, not a supporting character, who remains static? How do authors craft stories that still have interest and meaning to us, without a traditional character arc for the protagonist? What challenges and explorations can be made more interesting by having a stable force in the middle of it?

The Vastness of a Video Game World

Creating an expansive story or a full fantasy world for a video game is a collaborative effort and a colossal undertaking. Where is one expected to start, when they join a team for one of these projects? How do you form a cohesive whole from a range of contributors? What other challenges happen behind the scenes, and how are they overcome?

The Violent Victim

Getting violent, bloody revenge can be a cathartic fantasy in fiction, especially for characters who have been victimized not just by their situation, but by society at large. We love it when the dog bites back — usually. When writing about violence as a response to marginalization, at what point does indulgence become oversimplified, sweet revenge become sour? What are the nuances of using violence as a tool for restitution and storytelling catharsis, while still acknowledging that some problems can’t be stabbed to death?

This One’s for All My Weird Girls

From Catherynne M. Valente’s Comfort Me with Apples, Mona Awad’s Bunny, Julia Armfield’s Our Wives Under the Sea, and even further back, with Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”—there has often been a craving for stories that feature emotionally complex female characters who subvert traditional expectations of how women should behave and what women should be interested in. What are some core elements that make a story weird girl lit? As readers, how do we—or do we even need to—reconcile with the often messy nature of our protagonists? What do these heroines allow us to feel that keeps us coming back to them?

Toxic Writing Relationships

No, not ‘writing toxic relationships’ — this panel is about navigating your own relationship to the writing process: the internal beliefs and attitudes that are (maybe unconsciously) affecting your writing. Do you treat your process with the respect it deserves? How healthy are your critique group, the craft masters you listen to, and the non-writers in your life? It’s hard enough to make art without being sabotaged by our own brains, and occasionally others’. Our panelists will discuss their journeys as artists, how their relationships to their own writing has changed, and hard-won lessons that have helped them flourish.

Welcome to Your Cozy Canadian Horror Hotspot

Sometimes, your quiet community is also home to eldritch creatures or mostly-benign spirits who just want to coexist and occasionally feed on human remains. Cozy horror is thriving—and stories set in a comfortably horrific Canada are part of the discussion. What makes one of these stories distinctly Canadian? How are horror authors showcasing our unique perspective on monsters and community? And what sort of stories are our panelists gnashing their teeth to see written?

When the Supporting Character Steals the Show

We can all think of a story where the side character absolutely commands the reader’s attention and holds it whenever they’re present. Often this happens by surprise—but sometimes we need a character with a small part to have a major impact on our reader. How can we accomplish this, without making our main characters seem too bland or forgettable in comparison? When a runaway character like this starts pulling too much narrative, how do we reel them back in? How do we resist calls for more of that character from beta readers or editors (or in future books) when they’re not intended to occupy more space?

Where the Adaptation Actually Works

Not every adaptation of a book lands the same way, and we all have one (or several) instances of being deeply disappointed when an adaptation doesn’t provide what we expect. So what makes for a great one? Are there certain key elements that need to be held onto from the book? When has a director or games developer put their distinctive stamp on an adaptation successfully? Let us unpack the adaptations we loved, and leave the ones that didn’t land to the sands of time.

Worldbuilding Focus: Park Politics

The deliberate construction of the natural environment into “parks” and “sites” is a complicated part of any country, with a number of key considerations as part of worldbuilding. What are the overt and implicit goals of a park? Who is involved in their construction - and who is deliberately left out or displaced? Is the power over a space in the hands of its indigenous population or someone else, and how can that be used as commentary on the hierarchies and power structures of your world? Our panelists discuss examples from across genres and how real-world history can be used to inform considerations of parks and rec in fiction.

Worldbuilding Focus: Power

In most worlds, someone or something exerts institutional and systemic power, be it gods, space federations, or warlords. How do you properly think through the implications and follow-through of power as you build a world? How do you map the relationships of various structures and characters to power? Do these power structures reproduce, critique or provide alternative visions to those that we and our readers experience in our own lives? And how do you show this organically through your narrative, so that readers understand how power works in your story?