LTUE Schedule for next weekend

If you like writing, want to be a writer, or just like to listen to writers babble, you need to go down to BYU next weekend.  LTUE is awesome and it is free. That’s hard to argue with.

Last year I was a guest, this year I’m a “Special” Guest.  I think that means that they buy me lunch or something.  I’m also doing a 2 hour workshop in conjuction with my friend John Brown on Thursday night. Since John and I spent like 30 hours in a car together last year for book tours, we’ve discussed our personal writing strategies quite a bit.  It should be fun.  I’ve gone through and bolded my panels. 

THURSDAY, 11 February 2010

9:00 AM
– Style in speculative fiction
SF was long denigrated for being a literature of ideas, not of good
composition. How has that changed? What constitutes “good style” in
SF or fantasy, and what is the difference between the two? What
special stylistic challenges (for instance, exposition) face the SF
or fantasy writers that aren’t an issue for mainstream writers?
(Helge Moulding, James Dashner, Eric Swedin, Lee Allred, Lisa Mangum)
James C. Christensen Q&A (Dave Doering, moderator

10:00 AM
– Fantasy without Magic
(Paul Genesse, Brandon Sanderson, Robert J Defendi, Lary Correia,
James Brown:

Presentation: Using FREE and open source software (open
office, abiword, etc.) to reduce your expenses. Discuss the
availability of reliable and easy to use open source alternatives to
the traditional writer’s tools (word, excel, photoshop, etc.). How
to find good quality open source alternatives. Sources for FREE
software.

11:00 AM
Main Address: James C. Christensen

Noon:
– Creating a wizard that isn’t another Gandalf, Merlin, Dumbledore,
etc.
(Brandon Sanderson, Paul Genesse, Dan Willis, Aleta Clegg
– Mormons in Horror
Believe it or not, there are active LDS who read, edit and write
horror fiction. What tensions do they see with their faith and
culture and this genre? How does their belief color what they find
“really scary”?
(Dan Wells, Eric Swedin, Michael R. Collings, Eric James Stone, Lee
Allred (M)
– “Star Trek vs Star Wars: A Question of Audience Accessibility
through Costume Design”
When costumes employ a true sense of the past, futuristic worlds draw
the audience into a world they not only accept but can honestly
embrace. This workshop will discuss how the costume designs from
several science fiction classics helped new worlds become truly
believable…and how others did not. (Rory Scanlon)

1:00 PM
– Defining Children’s Literature: What are a children’s book, a
middle grade reader, a YA novel and an adult novel?
(Stacy Whitman, Lisa Mangum, Mette Ivie Harrison, Dan Willis, Pat
Castelli)
– Talking Art
(James C. Christensen, Howard Tayler, Nathan Hale, Bryan Beus)
How to make your military SF seem more like real military. (Jess Meeks)

2:00 PM
– Putting Romance into Your Fantasy. Do you have to have a love
story in Fantasy? Why or why not. If you do, how do you balance it
with the action and adventure?
(Clint Johnson, Anna del C. Dye, Mette Harrison, Ami Chopine, Lesli
Muir Lytle
– Kristy Stewart, “Shadow of the Standard: The Position of Fairy Tale
Adaptations”
– The Howard and Bob Show. What do you get when you get two prolific
writers together on a panel? Come and find out!
(Howard Tayer, Robert J Defendi)

SIGNING: James C. Christensen

3:00 PM
– Writing Strong Female Characters
(Aleta Clegg, Paul Genesse, Ami Chopine, Laura Card, Lesli Muir
Lytle, Karen Hooper)
– Ghosthunging/Ghosts (for writers and fans)
(Tom Carr)
– Y Publish Presentation ((Rachel Giddings)

4:00 PM
– No More Dead Dogs (or moms): Why do mothers and dogs always die in
children’s literature? How do we pull at the heartstrings and give
child characters independence without killing off dogs and moms?
(Paul Genesse,, Stacy Whitman, Clint Johnson, Julie Wright)
– Ghosthunging/Ghosts (for writers and fans)
(Tom Carr)
– Michael R. Collings, “‘To Be Still a Man’: Abstraction and
Concretion in C. S. Lewis”

5:00 PM
– Poetry of the Fantastic
IMichael R. Collings, JoSelle Vanderhooft, Charlene Harmon
– James Brown: Presentation: How to use the open source 3D rendering
environment, Blender, to create still images or fly-bys of any object
or environment you can imagine. Use Blender to create a book cover,
an illustration, or a rendering of your game environment.
– How to Write a Story that Rocks (John Brown, Larry Correia)
– “Establishing Character Through Costume Design, It Truly is What
You Wear”
This workshop will offer step-by-step experiences in costume research
and design, demonstrating how clothing helps determine character
strengths, weaknesses and possibilities. (Rory Scanlon)

6:00 PM
– Drawing Wizards
(Nathan Hale, Brian Hailes, Sarah Seiter, Howard Tayler, Bobbie
Berendson, Jessica Douglas)
– How to Write a Story that Rocks (John Brown, Larry Correia)
– Mike Sorensen Magic Show and Q&A

7:00 PM
– 3D Art
(Ami Chopine, Steve Keele, Kevin Keele, Joshua Keele)
– Worldbuilding 101
(Roger White, Charlotte Randle, Larry Correia, Laura Card, Aleta Clegg)

FRIDAY, 12 February, 2010

9:00 AM
– How to become an idea factory: Where do you find ideas? How do you
go from an idea to a story?
(Clint Johnson, Larry Correia, James Dashner, Brandon Sanderson,
Karen Hoover, Howard Tayler
– The Leadng Edge presentation (Chris Baxter)
– Paths to publishing: When is traditional best and when should you
try an alternative
(Stacy Whitman, John Brown, Dan Willis, Eric Swedin, Sandra Tayler)

10:00 AM
– Why Mormons and fantasy?
There seems to be an explosion of successful young LDS writers in the
fantasy field. What’re the ingredients in their Mormon background
that make this genre a natural fit?
(Scott Parkin, Laura Bingham, Brandon Sanderson, Lisa Mangum)
– Laura Swift Lind presentation
– Cover art for Children’s and YA books
(Amanda Sorensen, Nathan Hale, Brian Beus, Stacy Whitman)

11:00 AM
Main Address: Marty Brenneis

Noon:
– Who influenced me as a writer?
(Eric James Stone, Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury, Berin Stephens, Jake
Black, Michael Young)
– Creating fantastic creatures a biologist could believe
(Jessica Douglas, Brian Hailes, Sarah Seiter, Dan Lind, Nathan Hale)
Lee Allred, “In(to) the Void and Back Again: Organizing the Universe
and the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Poetry of Michael R.
Collings”
– Pacing and Story Structure (Dan Wells)

SIGNING: Steven C. Walker, James Dashner, Clint Johnson, Larry
Correia
, Laura Bingham, Nathan Hale, Karen Hoover, Bron Bahlmann
Wilcox, Julie Wright, Bryan Beus, Paul Genesse
Tentative: Alan Bradbury, Anna del C. Dye

1:00 PM
– Killer Openings. How to write a gripping, engaging and interesting
first paragraph.
(Dr. Steven C. Walker, John Brown, Mette Harrison, Heather Horrocks)
– Jewelry making workshop (Michael R. Collings)
– how special effects have changed science fiction and fantasy
(Amy Chopin, Nathan Shumate, Marty Brenneis,
– History of Science Fiction and Fantasy Books for Young Readers (Pat
Castelli)

2:00 PM
– Jewelry making workshop (Michael R. Collings)
– Writing fantasy and science fiction for a discerning audience: How
to write believable child characters
(Clint Johnson, Laura Bingham, Julie Wright, Laura Card, Bron
Bahlmann Wilcox, J. Scott Savage)
– The history and future of the “B-movie” What is a “B-movie”? How
has the cheaper cousin of the studio film survived in the shadow of
major releases, and how has it affected in turn what gets released as
a blockbuster? What qualifies as a “B-movie” these days? (Nathan
Shumate)
– Military on MilitarySF: How to make your SF&F military feel more
realistic and still stay family-friendly. (How to make your military
SF seem more like real military.
(Jess Meeks , Lee Allred, Brad R. Torgensen, Steve Harmon

3:00 PM
– “A Thousand Words for ‘Sand’: Benjamin Whorf, Edward Sapir, and
the Planet Arrakis” (Paul N. Hyde)
– A culture, fictional or real, cannot exist without language. A
language, fictional or real, cannot exist without a culture. Writings
systems, phonology, vocabulary, and syntax must be consistent with
the people or creatures who speak the language. The great writers of
science fiction and fantasy have understood the symbiotic
relationship between culture and language. Tolkien’s linguistic world
is perfect. As a teaser: How many months should there be in the
‘Dune’ calendar? There were two moons, after all.”
– How to build aliens and fantastic (but believable) monsters
(Helge Moulding, Roger White, Eric James Stone, Brian Hailes,
Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury)
How To Draw Wings
(Jessica Douglas, Sarah Seiter,
– Living with an artist (writer): functioning as support personnel to
a creative person.
(Sandra Tayler, Dawn Wells,

4:00 PM
– Imagery in Poetry
(Michael R. Collings, JoSelle Vanderhooft,
– The Challenges and Opportunities in the Book Market: A Review of 30
Years in Book Retailing Linda Brummett, BYU Bookstore General Book
Department Manager
– Abandoned in Space a 3D SF short made by BYU students follwed by a
Q&A (Joseph Winter and others)
– Storytelling and the persuit of truth (Bryan Beus))

5:00 PM
– Writing a good suspense/horror story. It’s more than just the
blood and gore.
(Dan Wells, Eric Swedin, Scott Parkin (M), Larry Correia)
– Marty Brenneis
– Joseph Devenport, “A Validation for Fantasy Scholarship”
– Storytelling and the persuit of truth (Bryan Beus))

6:00 PM
– Writing Flash Fiction (Suzanne Vincent)
– “Devil’s Triangle: The Graphic Novel – Meet the Creators” (Brian
Hailes & Blake Casselman)
– Abnormal Psychology and how to use it in your fiction
(Dr. Al Carlisle, Jess Meeks, Dan Wells)

7:00 PM
– Writing comics and webcomics
(Jake Black, Brian Hailes, Howard Tayler, Emily Sorensen)
– Podcasting
(Tom Carr, Revan & Malak, Jeff Norris,
– Zombies: A cultural and social metaphor
(what do they represent, why are they popular, what forces are
making them popular right now, etc.).
(Dan Wells (M), Eric Swedin, Aleta Clegg, Marty Brenneis, David Ferro

8:00-11:00 PM
– Filking (Fantasy and Science Fiction Folk Songs)

SATURDAY, 13 February, 2010
9:00 AM
– A Guys Take on Writing Romance (Male Panelists)
(L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Clint Johnson, Aleta Clegg, Dan Willis, John
Brown)
– The Future of the Art of Comics.
(Emily Sorensen, Brian Hailes, Jake Black, Howard Tayler
– Fablehaven Presentation (Brandon Mull)
– Educator’s Conference Registration

10:00 AM
– Using Fantasy and Science Fiction in the Classroom: Reaching
reluctant readers.
(Aleta Clegg, Dan Willis, David Ferro, J. Scott Savage
– Soft-science SF-
Can “hard” SF be about the “soft” sciences — psychology, sociology,
etc? Who’s writing the best in the field?
(Helge Moulding, Roger White, James Dashner, Robert J Defendi,
LarryCorreia,
– What Exactly Does an Editor Do, Anyway?
(L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Stacy Whitman, Suzanne Vincent, Lisa Mangum,
Tristi Pinkston,
– Brandon Mull Reading

11:00 AM
Main Address: Brandon Sanderson

NOON:
– Family-Friendly Anime
(Joe Monson)
– Building different cultures….
(L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Roger White, John Brown, Brandon Mull, Marty
Brenneis)
– Character Creation Tips (Art)
(Steve Keele, Kevin Keele, Joshua Keele, Jessica Douglas, Nathan
Hale, Bryan Beus)
– Horror and Dark Fantasy Poetry
(Michael R. Collings, JoSelle Vanderhooft

1:00 PM
– The Best Fantasy and Science Fiction Books for Children Pat Castelli
– Creating Fantasy Art (Daniel Hughes),
– Worldbuilding: Religion
(Helge Moulding, L. E. Modesitt, Jr., James Dashner, Kathleen Dalton-
Woodbury,
– Acting Techniques for Writers (Scott Bronson)

SIGNING: Brandon Mull, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Eric James
Stone, Berin Stephens, Jake Black, Roger White, Lisa Mangum, Aleta
Clegg, Mette Ivie Harrison, John Brown

2:00 PM
– Keele’s Korner: Steve, Joshua, Kevin Keele: Keele’s Korner and
talk about what’s happening in 3D computer graphics and games, making
a living as an artist, character creation tips, etc. (2 hours)
– SF on TV
(Jake Black, Charlene Harmon, Rex Rouviere, MartyBrenneis)
– Regional Publishers
(Lisa Magnum, Stacy Whitman, Linda Brummett, Garry P. Mitchell,
Tristi Pinkston, Dave Doering (M)
Marty Brenneis Presentation

3:00 PM
– Keele’s Korner: Steve, Joshua, Kevin Keele: Keele’s Korner and
talk about what’s happening in 3D computer graphics and games, making
a living as an artist, character creation tips, etc. (2 hours)
Interesting Facts about Killers (Dr. Al Carlisle)
– Historic Costuming (Linda Lyon)
– The experience of writing a good blog
(Mette Harrison, Julie Wright, James Dashner, Dan Wells Sandra Tayler)
Interesting Facats About Killers (Dr. Al Carlisle)

4:00 PM
– Writing Excuses Broadcast (Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Dan
Wells)
– Eric W Jepson, “Saturdayصs Werewolf: Vestiges of the Premortal
Romance in Stephenie Meyerصs Twilight

5:00 PM
– Edgy YA vs. not-so-edgy
(Stacy Whitman, Laura Bingham, Mette Harrison, Julie Wright)
– Making a Living as an Artist
(Steve Keele, Kevin Keele, Joshua Keele, Brian Hailes, Jessica
Douglas, Sarah Seiter, Nathan Hale, Howard Tayler, Bryan Beus, Sandra
Tayler)
– “An Essay into LDS Writers and the Fantastic,” (Michael R. Collings)
– NaNoWriMo: writing a 50,000-word novel in a month. Learn about the
growing number of people getting involved in this annual event.
(Jessica Harmon, Danica West, Julia West, Berin Stephens, Emily
Sorensen)

6:00 PM
– Current trends in children’s (chapter books and middle grade)
genres: what subjects are hot?
(Laura Bingham, Mette Harrison, Julie Wright, Pat Castelli)
– How to write a good short story. You have to be concise, clear,
articulate, and still keep the reader’s interest. What does a short
story writer need to know/do to write a great short story?
(Robert J Defendi, Suzanne Vincent, Eric James Stone, Kathleen Dalton-
Woodbury, Brad R. Torgensen)
– Making a Living as an Artist
(Steve Keele, Kevin Keele, Joshua Keele, Brian Hailes, Jessica
Douglas, Sarah Seiter, Nathan Hale, Howard Tayler, Bryan Beus, Sandra
Tayler)

7:00 PM
Banquet in the Skyroom ($15/person, reservations must be mad by Feb. 6)
Tickets must be purchased by check or ash at LTUE BEFORE 10 AM on
Saturday, Feb. 13. Make checks payable to: Department of Theatre and
Media Arts.

READINGS

Friday:
1:00: Alan Bradbury /
2:00:
3:00: Lisa Mangum
4:00: Roger White/ Julie Wright
5:00: Brandon Sanderson?

Saturday:
1:00: Eric James Stone / Berin Stephens
2:00: John Brown /
3:00: James Dashner
4:00: Aleta Clegg / Heather Monson
5:00: Dan Wells /

LTUE Report
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9 thoughts on “LTUE Schedule for next weekend”

  1. I see my wife Laura has a couple of speaking engagements. I didn’t even know she was a writer, and she certainly hasn’t said anything about going from NC to Utah.
    On second thought, that Laura is probably somehow related to cousin (?) Orson.
    Stories that rock. You certainly have that one covered.

  2. Having sat through your panels I can say its been very enjoyable. Plus getting to meet you while we waited for your books was just awesome.

  3. Larry and John Brown’s presentation was AWESOME!
    You can find a copy of their handout over at John’s website.
    http://johndbrown.com/

    Also, John will be posting a video of it later. Be on the lookout for it.
    I learned more about generating a story and moving it forward in that two hours than I have in any english class I ever took.

    1. yes it was I was wondering if that was the panel i really wanted to attend, but by the end I think that it was probably the panel that I will take the most from. I would have never thought to do the things that he taught on my own.

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