Later this month (Jan 17-19) I’ll be attending Rustycon.  I’ve been a couple of times before, many years ago, but this time will be different.  I’m a panelist this time.

I have four panels, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to talk about all the subjects.  My panels are titled: Creating Your World, Build the Book: Voice, Art of Editing, and Rant Time! Cliches and Tropes in Science Fiction and Fantasy that Piss you Off!  They are all good topics, but the one I am most excited about is Build the Book: Voice.

For me, voice is such a vital part of a story that I often can’t even proceed when it’s not coming together, or when what I’ve tried does feel quite right.  I attended Dean Wesley Smith’s Character Voice and Setting workshop in April of 2013, and it was one of the most eye-opening weeks of my life, drawing so many things that I ‘knew’, but didn’t really ‘KNOW’ into focus.  It’s honestly my favorite part of story-telling, and I am so looking forward to sharing things that I have learned, and also hearing from the other panelists, to see what new ways of thinking about voice I can learn.

In the meantime, it’s time to put those voice muscles to the test.  I’m participating in a contest that involves writing a piece of flash fiction for each of the next five weekends.  A great way to kick off the new year.

Wishing everyone a happy 2014!