One week until Gen Con Indy 2011

I'm excited. My husband and I have been going every year for eight years. Last year, we couldn't do much because I just had a baby. We walked around, played a few board games, I chatted with some of the authors and got books signed. It was fun, but this year we arranged our schedules so that each of us has time to do what we want to do.

I signed up for nine writing seminars and workshops. Every year I force myself to do a Read & Critique. Writers get five minutes to read their work (short story or novel) and a panel of authors, editors and publishers critique it. I get extremely anxious talking in front of people. This year, instead of a reading, I'm doing a workshop called Write & Critique. The panel will give writers a topic and time to write about it. Then they'll critique it. I love the idea! It will require me talking in front of people again, but it's good for me. It's the only way I'll get over that particular fear.

Here's a list of my other seminars: Fantastic Females, Urban Fantasy, Villains as Heroes, Love Between the Sheets (of paper), Confessions of a Slushie Machine, Make it Steamy: Steampunk genre, Genres: What are they and how do you mix 'em?, and finally, Stealing One Hour of Anton Strout's Life. Anton Strout is the author guest of honor this year. I've met him several times before. He's hilarious!

You can see the complete schedule of seminars and workshops on the Get Literal: Writers' Symposium site.