ConDFW

Judy and I are about to leave for Dallas, Texas, where we'll be attending ConDFW this weekend. We'll stay in Arlington with friends on Sunday night and arrive back here in Alvin late on Monday. Given my aversion to being out of the house for more than twenty minutes, I'm not particularly looking forward to the trip, though I know I'll have a great time once I get to the convention.

Assuming the hotel has wireless Internet access, I might work in a little blogging. My first panel is at 6:00 this evening, and in fact, here's my whole schedule:

Friday 6 pm Panel Room 1 (Sunflower – Main Programming)

What Does It Take to Be a Writer?

Hosted by Robert Asprin, Stephen K.Z. Brust, Bill Crider and Martha Wells

So you want to be a writer? That’s easy! Oh, you want to be a SUCCESSFUL writer. That’s a different story. Industry pros try to define what they think makes a writer more likely to thrive. Who knows, they might even be right.

Saturday 10 am Panel Room 1 (Sunflower – Main Programming)

Little Readers, Huge Imaginations: Writing for Children

Hosted by Emma Bull, Rachel Caine, Bill Crider, Beverly Hale, and Rie Sheridan.

Industry pros discuss the state of the children’s fiction market. What is the market looking for? What are the most common mistakes and missteps? What has been done to death? And how can you be a part of children’s fiction in a post-Harry Potter world?

Saturday 1 pm Reading Room (Live Oak)

The author will be reading.

Saturday 4 pm Panel Room 3 (Mesquite)

How the West was Written: Western Fiction Today

Hosted by C. Dean Andersson, Bill Crider, Scott Cupp and Thomas W. Knowles

Is it time to take the western out back and put the old paint out of her misery? Or is there a way to revitalize and capitalize on this most American of genres?
Industry pros explore the ends and out of the 21^st century western.

I don't usually do readings, so that should be interesting.