My OryCon 39 Schedule

This coming weekend I'll be at OryCon, a science fiction/fantasy convention held annually in Portland since 1979. This year it's at the Red Lion Hotel on Jantzen Beach. When not at the bar, here's where you can find me (moderator for each session in bold):

Friday, November 17th

2:00pm-3:00pm
Getting Your First Professional Sale
Thrawn - 252
An author can struggle for months or years before achieving their first success, but even after writing their opus, they can be tripped up by a process which is both entirely new to them and yet critical to their success. This panel describes what an author may experience as they revel in their first success.
Clayton Callahan, Tina Connolly, Curtis C. Chen, Sheila Finch, Annie Bellet

4:00pm-5:00pm
Comics Created Our Modern Mythologies
Wenatchee - 166 Parlor
How comics conquered our art, stories and media.
Lee Moyer, Curtis C. Chen, Benjamin Hsu, Eva L. Elasigue

6:30pm-7:00pm
Endeavour Awards
East Ballroom
The Endeavour Award honors the best SF/F book written by a Pacific Northwest writer. This year's finalists are Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine, Dreams of Distant Shores by Patricia McKillip, Eocene Station by Dave Duncan, Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff, and Waypoint Kangaroo by Curtis Chen.
Page Fuller, Jim Fiscus, Curtis C. Chen, Sheila Simonson, David Levine, Sara Mueller,
Patrick Swenson, Brenda Cooper

Saturday, November 18th

10:00am-11:00am
SFWA Regional Business Meeting
Thrawn - 252
The Secretary will give a briefing on the latest in SFWA and the business, as well as answer questions.
Curtis C. Chen, Jim Fiscus

12:00pm-1:00pm
Publishing Ethics
216 Presidential
What should the relationship between publishers and writers look like? Between writers and readers? Both require respect. What does that look like?
Patrick Swenson, Curtis C. Chen, Susan R. Matthews, Ann Gimpel, Doug Odell

3:00pm-4:00pm
Star Trek: Discovery
Lovejoy
Whoo hoo! Another Star Trek series! It's been far too long. What do you think?
John C. Bunnell, Rob Wynne, Marshall Ryan Maresca, Jennifer Willis, Curtis C. Chen

8:00pm-9:00pm
Sci Fi Ask Me Another! (Quiz Show)
216 Presidential
Curtis Chen and Jeff Soesbe present a variety of games involving science fiction and fantasy trivia, puzzles, and wordplay. Audience participation is required, and rewarded! Can you make it to the final Elimination Game? Come have fun while competing for prizes!
Jeff Soesbe, Curtis C. Chen

Sunday, November 19th

1:00pm-2:00pm
Trades versus Weeklies Economics
Wenatchee - 166 Parlor
Comic collections or issues? Why have one when we already have the other?
Robert B McMonigal, Eva L. Elasigue, Jeff Soesbe, Curtis C. Chen

Check out the full OryCon 39 schedule on SCHED.



And if you can't make it to the con, I'll also be at Powell's "Sci-Fi Authorfest" in Beaverton on Sunday afternoon from 4:00pm to 5:30pm. Come meet 20 different speculative fiction authors, buy our books, and get them signed!

Here endeth the schedule.

Waypoint Kangaroo is an Endeavour Award Finalist!

ICYMI last weekend: my debut novel is one of this year's finalists for the Endeavour Award, "for a distinguished SCIENCE FICTION or FANTASY BOOK written by a Pacific Northwest author or authors and published in the previous year." Hearty congratulations to my fellow finalists:

• Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine, Tor Books
• Dreams of Distant Shores by Patricia McKillip, Tachyon
• Eocene Station by Dave Duncan, Five Rivers Publishing
• Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff, Harper

More information from the press release over at File770.com.

As with the Locus Awards, I don't expect to win at all, but it is truly an honor to have made the shortlist. Come see me be a gracious loser in person at OryCon!

My OryCon 38 Schedule

Next weekend (Nov.18-20) I'll be reading, paneling, and drinking at Oregon's premier, fan run, annual science fiction/fantasy convention held in Portland. Please stop by the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront if you're around. We can raise a glass to freedom, if nothing else...

Thursday night 11/17 (pre-con)

Karaoke with friends. Contact me for details, if we be friends.

Find me to get KANGAROO swag!

Friday 11/18

4pm - Reading from Kangaroo Too - Hawthorne (2)
You won't believe where the superpowered secret agent is going next, in the forthcoming sequel to Waypoint Kangaroo! #clickbait

5pm - Panelist: "Social Media and the Modern Writer" - Meadowlark (3)
with Lizzy Shannon, Stephanie Weippert, Elton Elliott, Katie Lane
Websites, Facebook fan pages, email lists, contests, twitter, tumblr, Pinterest, ads, blogs and that annoying thing called a "platform": what works, what doesn't, and why you need to care (spoiler: you do).

Saturday 11/19

11am - Moderator: "First Page Idol" - Douglas Fir (3)
with Annie Bellet, Doug Odell, David Levine
Submit the first page of your novel to our talented author panelists, and listen to them read aloud that first page(keeping the writer's identity anonymous) and give thoughtful reactions. ADD(14 Nov 2016): E-mail your first page submission (please omit the author name) to: ww@orycon.org

2pm - Panelist: "How to Blurb Your Novel" - Meadowlark (3)
with Dale Ivan Smith, Tori Centanni, Lizzy Shannon
We all need them, we all hate them. Summing up our books may be harder than writing them in the first place! Learn techniques to write compelling book descriptions (aka "blurbs"), and hook readers.

3pm - Co-Host: "Sci Fi Ask Me Another! (Quiz Show)" - Columbia (L)
with Jeff Soesbe
Curtis Chen and Jeff Soesbe present a variety of games involving science fiction and fantasy trivia, puzzles, and wordplay. Audience participation is required, and rewarded! Can you make it to the final Elimination Game? Come have fun while competing for prizes!

7pm - Moderator: "The Star Trek Universe: My, How You've Grown!" - Columbia (L)
with Alma Alexander, Jennifer Willis, Phyllis Irene Radford
A wide ranging panel, with the changes (or consistencies) found in TOS, TNG, DS9, and all movies being fair game. Gene Roddenberry tried to create a future without racism or hatred, and a Federation that prioritized peace and non-interference. Yet disagreement, jealousy, envy, war, and a monetary system for keeping score of one's successes are all excellent literary plot devices. With the benefit now of 20/20 hindsight, did the writers succeed? Is the Star Trek future one you'd want to live in?

Sunday 11/20

11am - Panelist: "Feedback Workshop" - Douglas Fir (3)
with Susan Matthews, David Weber, Richard A. Lovett, David Levine
Bring your questions, manuscripts, critiques, etc. A hands-on workshop on how to apply the feedback you get from readers, editors, writer's workshops, critique groups, etc.

1pm - Autograph Session - Autograph Area (LL1)
with Blythe Ayne, Joyce Reynolds-Ward, Deborah Ross, David Dvorkin
Get your books (or whatever) signed by your favorite authors!

2pm - Panelist: "Hold on to Your Reader" - Douglas Fir (3)
with Caroline M. Yoachim, Maura van der Linden, Shawna Reppert
The wrong word choices can throw your reader right out of the story. Learn how to maintain suspension of disbelief.

4pm (offsite) - Powell's Sci-Fi Authorfest 10 (Cedar Hills Crossing)
"A starfleet of science fiction and fantasy authors descends for one galactic booksigning event. Meet Brent Weeks, Timothy Zahn, Daniel H. Wilson, Annie Bellet, Tina Connolly, David Levine, Curtis Chen, Lili Saintcrow, Dave Barra, Wendy Wagner, Jennifer Brozek, Mike Moscoe/Shepherd, J. A. Pitts, Devon Monk, Steve Perry, Patrick Swenson, Rhiannon Held, Diana Pharaoh Francis, Kevin James Breaux, and Deborah Ross."

For complete details, visit: orycon38.sched.org

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ALSO: I will not be running the ORCs (Open Read & Critique sessions) this time around, but I've passed the torch to three new facilitators! If you're a writer looking for some fast feedback, see if any of these sessions will fit into your OryCon weekend:

1. Friday 1pm with Jeremiah Reinmiller
2. Friday 2pm with Stephanie Weippert
3. Saturday 1pm with Stephanie Weippert
4. Saturday 2pm with Mark Niemann-Ross
5. Saturday 3pm with Jeremiah Reinmiller
6. Sunday 1pm with Mark Niemann-Ross

Look for ORC rules and sign-up sheets outside the Willamette room (lobby level).

I Will Be at Some Conventions This Year

(Wow, has it really been a whole month since my last blog post here? I'm a terrible person.)

If you're a SF/F convention-goer, here are some 2016 events I'm definitely attending and which I would recommend to any fan:

• Norwescon 39 (March) - my kick-ass agent Sam Morgan will be there
• Westercon 69 (July) - I volunteered to be Scalzi's GOH liaison, so get used to hearing me say "COKE ZERO OR GTFO"
• Worldcon 74: MidAmeriCon II (August) - everything's up to date in Kansas City
• OryCon 38 (November) - down by the river

A few others are undecided, but watch my author Twitter stream for announcements.

Plus my friend Claire Humphrey and I are working on a mini-book tour for our debut novels this June (Spells of Blood and Kin and Waypoint Kangaroo, respectively). More details on that as we figure it out.

I'm also like 90% sure I'm going to the Star Trek 50th anniversary thing in Las Vegas this August. Don't even act surprised.

My OryCon 37 Schedule

Hey science fiction and fantasy lovers in or near Portland, Oregon! It's that time of year again: time for OryCon!

This Friday through Sunday, hundreds (if not thousands) of fans will gather at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront for a variety of fannish activities and events. Come find out who wins the Endeavour Award this year, check out the Costume Contest, or catch a reading by your favorite author. There's plenty to see and do!

Here's where you can find me this weekend (when I'm not at the bar):

Friday, November 20

1:00pm
ORC Open Read and Critiques (Session A)
Same as it ever was: bring the first ~3 pages of your work to read aloud and get instant feedback from fellow writers. Sign-up sheets will be available outside the Salmon room (3rd floor) by Friday morning. See detailed ORC Rules and FAQs.

ETA (19 Nov 2015): to get to Salmon, take the hotel elevator to the 3rd floor. You'll see the fitness center in front of you when you come out of the elevator. Turn left, then turn left again immediately at the next corner (don't go outside), and Salmon will be the first room on your right. Look for the ORC sign-up sheets on a chair just outside the doors!

2:00pm
ORC Open Read and Critiques (Session B)
Let's do the time warp again. See note above on how to find Salmon room!

5:00pm
DC vs Marvel
Someone thought it was a good idea to put me on this panel, which will be moderated by my pal Claude Lalumière. They may regret their choices. I REGRET NOTHING.

8:00pm
Sci-Fi Ask Me Another! (Quiz Show)
Contestants wanted! My fellow VP alum Jeff Soesbe and I need audience volunteers to compete in our grand experiment, a live game show modeled after the NPR program but themed for genre fans. All are welcome! (We'll sneak you in even if you don't have a con badge. Don't tell Registration.) It'll be great! You'll love it! DID I MENTION WE ARE GIVING AWAY BOOKS AND OTHER FABULOUS PRIZES?

Saturday, November 21

11:00am
Extra, Extra!
I'm moderating this panel with two other local actors. Come hear about Leverage, Grimm, and how you too can sign up to maybe get directed by this guy.

1:00pm
ORC Open Read and Critiques (Session C)
This again? See note above on how to find Salmon room!

2:00pm
ORC Open Read and Critiques (Session D)
THE NEXT GENERATION. See note above on how to find Salmon room!

5:00pm
Intro to Computer Science Jargon for Authors and Editors
And then there's Maude.

Sunday, November 22

Nothing scheduled, but I'll be wandering around the con until I head over to Powell's Authorfest and then wrap up the weekend with some Sunday night karaoke. If you're reading this, you're invited!

Follow @curtiscchen on Twitter for further updates.

My OryCon 35 Schedule

ETA(2013-11-04): better link destinations for co-panelists, sign-up info for ORCs, Twitter stuff.

If you're anywhere near Portland, Oregon (the science fiction capital of America!) during the second weekend of November, stop by OryCon 35 and have some fun--not necessarily involving steampunk cosplay, though I'm sure there will be plenty of that.

As seen on Portlandia. Sort of. Not really.

As usual, my major activity is running the Open Read and Critique (ORC) sessions: two on Friday, two on Saturday. The second Friday session is at 8PM, to better accommodate volunteers and panelists who are too busy earlier in the day. Sign up each morning (or the night before) to get some quick feedback on your writing!

Here's where you'll find me at the con:

Friday, November 8th

2:00pm-3:00pm
ORCs: Open Read and Critiques (Session A)
Madison
Friday afternoon Open Read and Critiques (ORCs) allow writers of all skill
levels to read the first 750 words of their work to a round table group of
the same. Sign-up sheets will be outside Madison no later than Friday morning!

8:00pm-9:00pm
ORCs: Open Read and Critiques (Session B)
Madison
Friday evening Open Read and Critiques (ORCs) allow writers of all skill
levels to read the first 750 words of their work to a round table group of
the same. Sign-up sheets will be outside Madison no later than Friday morning!

Saturday, November 9th

11:00am-12:00pm
Social media, time suck or revolution
Idaho
Social media played a major roll in the Arab Spring, oppressive
governments have turned off the internet. What is next?
(panel with Rob Wynne and Jason Andrew)

1:00pm-2:00pm
ORCs: Open Read and Critiques (Session C)
Madison
Saturday afternoon Open Read and Critiques (ORCs) allow writers of all
skill levels to read the first 750 words of their work to a round table
group of the same. Sign-up sheets will be outside Madison no later than Saturday morning!

2:00pm-3:00pm
ORCs: Open Read and Critiques (Session D)
Madison
Saturday afternoon Open Read and Critiques (ORCs) allow writers of all
skill levels to read the first 750 words of their work to a round table
group of the same. Sign-up sheets will be outside Madison no later than Saturday morning!

Complete convention schedule online at: orycon35.sched.org

I'll be tweeting from the con "officially" as @curtiscchen and just-for-fun as @sparCKL. Double your pleasure by following both accounts!

OryCon is Coming

It's now two months until OryCon 35, and DeeAnn and I are once again volunteering! We hope to see some of you lovely people at the con. (But not on Sunday. See below for details.)

DeeAnn has been acting as pre-con liaision for all the Guests of Honor (GoHs), including author Anne Bishop, artist Larry Elmore, editor Liz Gorinsky, and media GoH Matt Vancil. This seems to involve lots of e-mail, intermittent telephone calls, and making maps and gift baskets. I do my best to help where I can, and stay out of her way otherwise.

Myself, I'm running the Open Read and Critiques (ORCs) again, as I have since 2009. Here's this year's blurb:

An Open Read & Critique (ORC) is an opportunity to read the first 750 words of your short story or novel aloud to your peers and receive a Clarion-style critique of your work. Our theme is "How to Hook a Reader." All writers and genres are welcome! Look for sign-up sheets outside our meeting room starting Friday morning (first come, first served). Content should be rated PG-13 and contain no explicit sex, graphic violence, or excessive profanity. More info online at: http://35.orycon.org/activities-events/orc/

Because I can't resist tinkering with the schedule, this time around the one-hour ORC sessions will happen:

• Friday at 2pm
• Friday at 8pm
• Saturday at 1pm
• Saturday at 2pm

I'm also going to be on a panel titled "Social media, time suck or revolution" on Saturday at 11am, and then I have a writers' workshop critique session with two pros at noon. Finally, DeeAnn and I have to catch a flight to California Saturday night, because our good friend Chris is getting married in Calistoga on Sunday. I will also theoretically be doing NaNoWriMo the whole time.

So yeah, that second weekend in November is going to be pretty interesting.

New ORC City

This is an unofficial announcement, so don't make plans until you see an update on the OryCon 34 web site, but: I am running the Open Read and Critique (ORC) sessions again this year, but instead of a solid three-hour block of ORCs on Friday and Saturday, I'm splitting off the last hour on each day and moving it to nighttime.

Why the change? Well, ever since I started doing this back in 2009, I've noticed that the final session on each day has been poorly attended. I've also gotten a few requests for late-night sessions, so that people who work the con during the day, or aspiring writers prefer panels to parties--and thus are freer after dinnertime--can also participate.

I personally like to do a bit of party-cruising at cons, but I figured I'd try moving that poorly-attended third ORC session to 8:00 PM on both days and see what happens. The demand is certainly there for the earlier sessions, and people have even asked about having Sunday sessions; but I'd like to see how this modification goes before considering additions.

Anyway, official info should be up next week, and you can e-mail orc@orycon.org if you have any other questions. Hope to see you in November!

Pictures from an OryCon

...OryCon 33, to be precise, which happened this past weekend in Portland, Oregon.

DeeAnn was this year's Liaison for Artist Guest of Honor (GoH) Jim Pavelec, and we watched him do a painting demonstration:


https://picasaweb.google.com/sparckl/OryCon33JimPavelecArtistGoH

Our friends The Doubleclicks performed a concert on Friday night:


https://picasaweb.google.com/sparckl/OryCon33TheDoubleclicks

And other fun stuff happened:


https://picasaweb.google.com/sparckl/OryCon33

I'll post later with an update to The ORC Equations. After three years of running the Open Read and Critique sessions (ORCs) at OryCon, I think I've finally got a proper structure figured out... so of course I have ideas for changing it next year. Stay tuned, sports fans.

The ORC Equations

Download PDF

Last weekend, at OryCon 31, I ran two Open Read & Critique (ORC) sessions. I've done writing workshops before, but this was my first experience with the ORC format (called "rogue workshops" in other places).

There were a lot of unknowns this year; the ORCs used to be an unofficial, late-night thing at OryCon, and this was the first time they were scheduled in the afternoon alongside other panels. I think the ORCs went well, and I was impressed by the quality of all the pieces read and everyone's critiques, but I have some ideas for better time management in future programs.

I wrote up my analysis into a four-and-a-half page document, which you can download as a PDF. If you're not inclined to slog through four pages of algebra, I'll sum up:

ORC sessions should be broken into hour-long segments. Sign-up sheets should provide slots for 5 participants and 2 waiting list names in each hour. Readings should be limited to 5 minutes, and individual critiques to 2 minutes (if more than 4 people in the room, 1 minute each). Any extra time can be used for group discussion. (edited 09 Nov 2010)

(For the next part, it might help you to picture David Krumholtz standing in front of a whiteboard.)



Here's the formula to determine the time for a single round of critiques, t:

t = R + (n-1)C + D

Where n is the number of participants; R is the time to read a single piece; C is the time for each individual critique; and D is the discussion time at the end, when an author can respond to questions.

So the time T required to complete all critique rounds is:

T = n(R + (n-1)C + D)

Given a time limit T and setting certain constraints on R, C, and D, we can solve for n:



Long story short, we set T=60, R=5, and D=2, and we can fit 4 people into one hour if C=2, and 5 people if C=1. Any less than that and most people won't be able to provide a useful critique; any leftover time can be added to D, since most writers never seem to tire of talking about writing. Q.E.D.

Applying these equations to other writing workshops is left as an exercise for the reader.