** Tentative Topic list — subject to change without notice **

LIT001  Stranger Than Fiction

Panel discussing the new printing of Heinlein’s Stranger in a Stranger Land which added back all the material that was originally censored.  Could talk about what was censorable in SF then versus today.

LIT002  Teen Literature

In SF What types of writing brings the teens into the SF world? Why doesn’t Heinlein’s juvenile fiction resonate with today’s youths? What are the differences in youth culture and experience between now and then. Doctorow’s Little Brother connects with young people while earlier fiction doesn’t.  Is it because kids don’t become scouts today, instead they’re playing games online? Does Enders Game still connect even though its older?

LIT003  Celebrating North Carolina In Science Fiction

Were-cheetahs in Charlotte, teenagers with special powers running into the Blue Ridge mountains, time travelers in the American colonies, and fairy children of librarians.  What do these have in common?  They are all themes of books set in North Carolina.  (Unstable Environment by Marcia Collette, the Witch Mountain film series based on books by Alexander Key, Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander books on time travelers, and the Harvest of Changelings by Warren Rochelle.)

LIT004  Fantasy Environments

Fantasy can be more than medieval worlds  Lets explore other fantasy environments.

LIT005  How Much Violence Is Too Much Violence?

Over time SF has had more violent story lines.  Are we moving toward more violence or away from it?  Is violence good or bad?  Should stories have a disclaimer on them?

LIT006  Graphic Novels

Has the graphic novel come of age?  Are online graphic novels the future of SF?

LIT007  A Day In The Life Of A Writer

Popular misconceptions about the life of writer  debunked by real writers.

LIT008  Rural Settings In Fantasy, Urban In SF

Typically rural areas appear in Fantasy and cities in SF.  What does this say about the two genres?  Or is this generalization even true?

LIT009  50 Years Ago

Today 1960 a retrospective of science fiction and fantasy in that year.

LIT010  Too Strange For Fiction?

Writers discuss ideas that they couldn’t use because they were just too weird for science fiction or undesirable to editors.

LIT011  Publishers Challenges

Publishers panel on story lengths that are hard to anthologize  too short or too long, etc.

LIT012  Dead People As Lead Characters

Panelists discuss having a lead character who is dead.  What are the advantages?  What are restrictions?

LIT013  Lord Byron Or Ghouls

Where are vampires headed in the next decade?

LIT014  Science Fiction And Fantasy Outside The Genre

Works in the past few years that aren’t found officially in the genre.

LIT015  Predicting The Future From The Past

If Jules Verne were alive today, what technologies would he forecast? HG Wells?

LIT016  The Art Of Information Dumping

How to sneak in content/context without boring the reader.

LIT017  Feminist Science Fiction Written By Men

Are they successful? Believable?

LIT018  What Creates The Perfect Relationship Between Author And Editor?

Writers and editors talk about what has worked and what doesn’t and why.

LIT019  Are Graphic Novels More Politically Courageous Than Traditional Science Fiction?

Can writers get away with things in graphic novels that they cant in traditional novels?

LIT020  Worst Panel Ever

Authors discuss the worst panels they’ve ever been trapped on at other conventions.

LIT021  Death of a Character

When an author kills off a character how does this effect the reader?  Which characters are only there to die? What do you do if the story tells you to eliminate one that you didn’t want or plan to originally?

LIT022  Self Promoting Without Going Broke

How do you get people to read your material and discover you for the first time when you are on a budget? Getting your name in the fans minds.

LIT023  Using Mythology To Add Depth To Your Writing

We all know some mythology and at times we do not even realize where it is used in our literature.  A discussion of how myths are used as background knowledge.

LIT024  Getting the Science Back in Science Fiction

Most readers of hard science fiction have a background in science of some sort.  How much can the author assume they know and what are they willing to just accept?

LIT025  Internet Publishing

A look at the alternative to hard print publishing. What are the benefits and where are the problems?

LIT026  Editing:  The Necessary Evil of Publishing

Learn why we have to have editors and what their real purpose on this earth is to the publishing industry.

LIT027  Using Real People As Characters

Come find out how writers incorporate real people into their characters.

LIT028  Military SF Influences Upon Other Forms Of Fiction

At one time, space explorers were viewed as steely-eyed scientists and academics.  But starting with Apollo, highly-trained veterans were the choice for real world explorers. Then came the increasing military presence in SF TV. But what about our literature?  Do our books also reflect the military’s contributions and skills?

LIT029  Great First Lines

There’s nothing like them for hooking a reader. “Call me Ishmael.” “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” “Lessa woke, cold.” “His followers called him Mahasamatman and said he was a god.” “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” “Once upon a time there was a Martian named Valentine Michael Smith.” What are some of your favorites? And can you do anything special to force a great first line or do they just happen?

LIT030  What I Do When I Should Be Writing

Some writers read e-mail. Others do crossword puzzles. Walk, run, bike, watch TV. What do you do? How do you get yourself back to writing?

LIT031  The Worst Future You Can Imagine Or Have Written About

We hope for the best. We work for it. But what if things don’t work out right? What can go wrong? What will that future be like?

LIT032  Creative Insults

SF and fantasy often uses insults from present culture instead of dreaming up new and inventive ways to cast scorn upon others. Our panel will discuss a variety of new insults for general use in space-faring societies and fantasy environments. Audience participation invited. Anyone who doesn’t show up is a ground pounder full of space gas!

LIT033  Reviewing Science Fiction And Fantasy Literature

Some of science fiction’s top critics talk about what it’s like to be a science fiction critic. What skills does it take? Is it different from reviewing other types of fiction?

LIT034  Alternate Science Fiction

We’re all familiar with alternate histories. How about science fiction alternate histories? How might the field have been different if Stanley Weinbaum had lived, or if John Campbell had decided he’d rather write than edit, or if Robert E. Howard hadn’t committed suicide? What if Harry Turtledove never wrote an alternate history?

LIT035  Fantasy Doesn’t Have To Be About Kings/Queens and Wizards

Well, does it? It seems like 100% of fantasy is set in medieval worlds with wizards and dragons and witches and elves and things. What other kinds of fantasy are there?

LIT036  Mix and Match Writing Challenge

Authors are presented with a character description for a well-known character, the setting of a (different) famous work, and a brief plot description of still another work. Without knowing their sources, they create and tell a story on the fly. After the sources are revealed, the audience votes on who did best. (Think Frodo in a tale set in 1920s New York about a young wizard-in-training who must compete in a great competition of wizards, only to be captured by his arch-nemesis.)

LIT037  Future Trends In Science Fiction

Not long ago, we were awash in Splatterpunks, Cyberpunks, and even Steampunks. What happened to those SF literary movements? What’s the next trend?

LIT038  You Are Responsible For Your Own Career

How to manage your life as a writer.

LIT039  Do We Need A New Definition Of Literacy?

In the next ten years, what will the word “literacy” mean? Can you truly be literate in tomorrow’s society if you can’t use a computer? Are computer icons replacing the need to read? What’s the future of libraries, bookstores, publishers, etc.?

LIT040  The Day Job With Writing At Night

Many SF writers and SF fans are scientists in real life. How do they combine the two? What is doing science for a living really like? Are we all really mad scientists who want to rule the world?

LIT041  Theater, Fantasy And Science Fiction

A discussion of fantasy and science fiction plays, today and through history.

LIT042  Isn’t Young Adult Fiction A Good Thing?

Young Adult writers report that it’s hard to get respect from some of their peers, even though Y.A. is the doorway for many young adults into other SF and fantasy novels. Given the authors who’ve produced Y.A. (like Heinlein and Andre Norton) and the quality of much Y.A. produced, why doesn’t it get more respect? How has it changed in recent years with the success of Harry Potter and others like it?

LIT043  Creating Believable Aliens

There’s little that’s more annoying than to be reading a good SF story and to come across an alien that’s either `just a guy in a suit’ or too far from what evolution and the laws of physics would allow to be believed. So what does it take to create a believable alien?

LIT044  The Short Fiction Of J.R.R. Tolkien

We all know The Lord of the Rings but what about his short fiction?

LIT045  Crossing Genres

Some writers work in more than one genre. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Westerns, Whatever. Does working in one area influence the way you write in another? Also, some books are in more than one genre. Does that ever work?

LIT046  Developing Your Property For the Media

Okay, you’ve written a novel, created a comic book, or done a series of dynamite drawings. How can you get your “intellectual property” from where its at to the TV and movie screen?

LIT047  The Golden/Silver/Bronze Ages Of Science Fiction/Fantasy

A classic saying within the world of science fiction / fantasy. What time frames are they? Are they the ages when you’ll really develop a sense of wonder? Is it a good thing or bad? And what does it say for modern science fiction / fantasy in general?

LIT048  Why Cyberpunk Is Dead

Twenty years ago, Cyberpunk was “it” in science fiction. It was bold, exciting, full of new ideas. What happened? Or is it still with us in different clothes? Whats the new bleeding edge style/term?

LIT049  Revise, Revise, Revise!

Often the difference between an amateur writer and a professional is that the pro knows how to rewrite and the amateur thinks he got it right the first time. How do you really go about it?

LIT050  Vampires In Literature

How did they start out? Where are they now? What happened in between? Where to now?

LIT051 Micro-serialization

Telling a story in tiny increments in your blog or online comic is great for building a following, but how does it change the story craft?

LIT052 Steampunk

Fantasy vs Alternative History?

LIT053 Women in Fantasy Literature

A Look at the Woman Warrior

LIT054 Lewis Carroll

A Discussion About His Works In Print Versus On The Screen

LIT055 Life and Work of L. Frank Baum

LIT056 Singularity and Religious Millennialism in Genre

LIT057 Turn to the Past in Science Fiction

LIT058 Is Genre YA Failing to Educate While Entertaining?

LIT059 Early American Fantastic Literature

LIT060 Cities of the Future

LIT061 Music in Science Fiction and Fantasy

How Is It? How Should It Be?

LIT062 Writing With Someone Close To You

LIT063 Writing In A Shared Universe

LIT064 Religion In SF/F

Is there a genre for it? How has it been handled in literature?

LIT065 Works of George Macdonald Fraser (the “Flashman” series): Alternate History and Humor

LIT066 Overlooked Giants

What other greats in sf/f literature are rarely discussed, mentioned, etc.?

LIT067 Future of Reading and Publishing

Will writers have a revenue stream? Where will it come from? What is the future of reading?

LIT068 Novels vs Short Stories

It once was that the short story was the heart of Science Fiction.  It was also a conversation between authors. Novels were often derivatives of the short story. It doesn’t seem to be the case now. Novels are currently in the ascendancy. What does this say about the state of sf? Is it a sign of the maturing of sf, or a sign of its decay?

LIT069 The Hard SF Short Story Reader

Is the hard SF reader a different species of reader/fan? Is Analog Magazine, the flagship for hard SF, outside the
current nexus of SF readers?

LIT070 The Correct Space:  Getting Life in Space Correctly

What are the effects of vacuum, zero-gee in matters large and small?  Who gets it very right vs. very wrong?

LIT071 SIGMA the SF Think Tank

Science Fiction in the National Interest.  Hear about some of what they?re doing?and why some of the work is confidential.

LIT072 Future Wars and Weapons

What is the technological tomorrow of war going to look like?  What new systems will arise? What long-standing machines and conventions of war are soon to fade away?

LIT073 Xenobiology: Creating a New World

How might the biology of other worlds differ from ours, and why?  How likely is non-carbon based life?  What
would it require?  If not DNA, then what?  Will terrestrial biots be interactive, ignored, or violently expelled?

LIT074 Alien Ambulation

What other kinds of environmental mobility might xenobiots employ?  How likely is their evolution? Is it possible that there will be certain physiological traits that are more common in all environments: which ones and why?

LIT075 Steampunk: From 20,000 Leagues to Steamed

A look at the evolution of Steampunk from its 19th century roots through to today’s big-selling Steampunk novels.

LIT076 Tales of the Paranormal

Adventures as a paranormal skeptic.

LIT077 How to Write a Meal

LIT078 Writing in Collaboration

How to Write With a Partner. Tips on practical techniques and keeping your own vision in a team setting.

LIT079 Stand on Zanzibar

How we look in 2010 as envisioned in 1968 by John Brunner

LIT080 Secret Societies in Literature

We’ve seen the use of the Masons in Da Vinci Code. The Illuminati has their own series. How do secret societies
appear in sf/f literature and how are they used?

LIT081 Self-Publishing: Pros and Cons

LIT082 How to Give a Good Reading

Techniques for reading to an audience.

LIT083 Playing God

Using the Divine in Literature. How to tell a story while remaining true to myth and faith without angering certain groups’ unless that’s your goal.

LIT084 Science fiction Where the Science is Political Science

Is there any being written?  By whom?

LIT085 How to Ensure Your Manuscript Gets Rejected

LIT086 Problems with the Process of Writing SF/F Biographies

LIT087 Historiography of SF History

LIT088 Globalization of Science Fiction

LIT089 War of the World Views in SF

LIT090 Longer Novels, Less Time to Read

LIT091 Small Press SF/Fantasy

Editors/Publishers discuss the pleasures and pitfalls of small press genre publishing.

LIT092 Wisdom of the Freshly Printed

A panel of new, up and coming authors. What have they learned in the last few years? What shortcuts have they
found? What has impacted upon them as authors?

LIT093 My SciFi Cover Has Dragons On It!

Horror stories. Every author has them even if they write romance. Come and hear their stories about misfortunes and pratfalls in the industry.

LIT094 Getting Contracts

New authors on the block tell you how to get contracts to keep the work coming and, hopefully, the paychecks.

LIT095 Keeping SciFi ahead of the Ipod

Where do we go when wrist phones are not only possible, but less useful than the gadgets we have now?

LIT096 Story or Physics? Romance or Realism? Be honest

In the world of writing what wins: Reality or the Plot?

LIT097 Ethos of Homicide

Many fictional settings, from Harry Potter to Star Trek, have a safe, mostly nonviolent and painless way to stop an enemy. What effect is there in a world where killing is not necessary to end a threat? Is this a cop-out or does it speak to a more moral mindset?

LIT098 Get Outta My Mil-SciFi, You Hippie!

Is military experience required to write military SciFi?

LIT099 The Artiste and the Mercenary

As a writer do you create art or participate in commerce, can it be both?

LIT100 How to Make Languages for Aliens

LIT101 The Urban Fantasy Make-over

A decade ago, urban fantasy relied on the fae or some slight magic slipping into our own world and was exemplified by
the works of Charles de Lint, Mercedes Lackey, or Emma Bull.  Now, Urban Fantasy refers to romantic vampires in cities.  What caused the change? Can the two coexist?

LIT102 Music and Science Fiction

How music has been employed in SF works, using musical forms and techniques to structure a story, and the future of
music.

LIT103 Law in Fiction

Getting It Right

LIT104 Copyright

How Not To Get Sued

LIT105 Happy 120th, H.P. Lovecraft!

HPL turns 120 on August 20, 2010. This is a great time to take stock of his impact on and ongoing popularity in the
genre.

LIT106 Tips For the Budget Time-Traveler

Everyone wants to travel through time, but few think about how they’ll pay their way once at their destination.
What’s your best bet for getting money in the past?  Precious metals?  Trade goods?  Advanced technology sold to the highest bidder?

LIT107 Reading Dune on an iPad

The potential for mobile devices to create new outlets for classic and even current SF texts, both print and media. How
will our definitions have to change?

LIT108 Harry Potter Retrospective

Now that it’s over, was it as good as we thought?

LIT109 Religion in Fantasy and SF

Is it necessary to develop a culture?

LIT110 How Much Is That Dragon in the Window

Money, magic, and human behavior in science fiction and fantasy settings. How to incorporate economics into
your world-building, and how really not to. Local versus global scarcity (e.g. Dune, where the universe’s most valuable commodity is given away and water is the most precious thing). Making your world make sense without boring the reader.

LIT111 Two Way Street

There’s a synergy between art, music and speculative fiction.  Artists and writers talk about what inspires them and how they inspire each other.

LIT112 Demonlogy 101

From the servants of ceremonial magicians to the sexy devils of urban fantasy, nothing crystallizes the conflict between good and evil like a, uh, good demon.  Explore the history of infernal bureaucracies and the depiction of Lucifer’s minions in fiction today.

LIT113 Legions of Light

Angels come in as many flavors as their demonic counterparts.  Explore the heavenly hosts and their role in current fiction.

LIT114 Mash-Ups

From Jane Austen and zombies to politicians and vampires (okay, so maybe that one’s not so far-fetched) what’s the appeal?

LIT115 The Discreet Charm of the Historical Fantasy

What prompts otherwise sane writers to spend years researching the Imperial Japan, the Silk Road, or the Ripper’s London?  How do they know when they’ve gotten it right?

LIT116 The intersection of science fiction and politics

Where is it and where should it be?

LIT117 Animals in science fiction

How is science fiction changing in using them as characters?

LIT118 Dystopias

How are literary dystopias changing in science fiction?

LIT119 Take my line, please!

Panel where panelists start with a beginning and ending of story and have to go from start to finish with each team member
(if in teams) filling in part of the story.

LIT120 Breaking into Comics as a Writer