The GenCon Writer’s Symposium offers aspiring writers, editors and game designers the ability to get in touch with professionals that hail from all corners of the publishing industry. Organized by Jean Rabe, this series of panels is designed to help aspiring professionals kickstart their career.

Here are the panels that I will be speaking on. The person moderating will have a star next to their name.

Thursday, August 5th

3:00 p.m. Writing and Editing for Online Publications – Track A – Jennifer Brozek*, Monica Valentinelli – There’s a difference in on-line versus paper markets… how to write for them, how to submit, how to find the best publications and rates out there. Join our panelists for a look at the digital marketplace.

4:00 p.m. Bring Out Your Dead – Track B – Richard Lee Byers*, Anton Strout, Wes Nicholson, Tim Waggoner, Monica Valentinelli – Vampires, ghosts, and zombies, oh my! Breathe life—so to speak—into your undead characters. Discover what rules apply and what should be ignored when writing about the undead.

Friday, August 5th

1:00 p.m. Building Your Online Reputation – Track B – Monica Valentinelli*, Anton Strout, Kelly Swails – Your Online Reputation: When is it appropriate to work for free? How can you cater to the readers who visit your website? What do you need to watch out for so you don’t “spam” your fans with content? Our panelists tackle these topics and more, including how to promote your writing via the Internet.

2:00 p.m. Pick My Brain – Track C – Monica Valentinelli – These types of sessions allow you to come visit with individual authors in a one-on-one pow-wow. If you’re stuck and my expertise can help you, this is the place to be.

3:00 p.m. Women Writing Men – Track A – Elizabeth Vaughn*, Kerrie Hughes, Kelly Swails, Linda Baker, Monica Valentinelli – So you want to create a main character that doesn’t match your gender. You want the woman believable, and you want to avoid stereotypes and clichés. How do you get into such a character’s head? How can a guy “write” a convincing gal? Our panelists are adept at doing just that and are chomping at the proverbial bit to share their expertise.

Saturday, August 6th

1:00 p.m. Pros and Cons of the Small and Large Press – Track B – Dylan Birtolo*, Donald Bingle, Monica Valentinelli – Small and Large Press: We’ve been published by major New York houses as well as small press companies and have had varying degrees of success with both. We’ll discuss the differences between writing for a large publisher versus a small one, and the advantages and disadvantages of both.

2:00 p.m. Pay It Forward – Track A – Monica Valentinelli*, Kerrie Hughes, Marc Tassin, Tim Waggoner – Help other writers, and you’ll end up helping yourself. Topics we’ll tackle include mentoring, managing expectations of other writers, when it’s appropriate to pitch ideas to other professionals, the downside of too much shameless self-promotion, and building a writer’s community for support.

I hope that you will be able to join me and the other experienced professionals at GenCon. There are a lot of really interesting panels this year, and with the size of these panels I feel you’ll be able to benefit from the knowledge that everyone has to offer you.