Worldcon schedule (and weekly updates)

A couple friends of mine who used to be power booksellers at Waldenbooks (Steve hand-sold dozens of copies of ELANTRIS back when it came out and arranged my first Black Friday signing) have just opened up a book review site. Among their first reviews are WARBREAKER and Dan Wells's book I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER, so check them out.

Two more annotations have gone up on the site: HERO OF AGES chapter twelve and chapter thirteen in which I discuss some of the Mistborn series' tropes. And this week's Writing Excuses podcast presents the second part of our focus on conventions: The Dos and Don'ts of Attending Cons. Once again this is particularly relevant because of the World Science Fiction convention this weekend.

Brandon Sanderson's Worldcon Schedule August 7–9

Note: Room assignments may be subject to change.

Brandon Sanderson Signing
Friday 12:00 p.m., Autographs
This signing is scheduled for only 30 minutes and does not include a reading. Please also check out Brandon's off-site signing at Indigo on Saturday.

Writing Excuses LIVE
Friday 2:00 p.m., P-513B
Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, and Howard Tayler will record a number of live podcasts with special guests from among the luminary writers and editors attending Worldcon. Come be part of the studio audience, and you may get to submit a question for a Q&A episode.

Gods and Monsters
Friday 3:30 p.m., P-516AB
Jus de Pomme, Aliza Ben Moha, Brandon Sanderson
Most fantasy worlds tend to have an invented pantheon of gods: what are the differences (for writer and reader) between doing this and using an existing system like the Greek or Roman deities? How does one introduce superbeings into a work without pushing the human characters into insignificance? Gods are often gigantic projections of human characteristics. Can they serve other functions as well? Why are polytheistic settings so common in fantasy?

Writing for the Non-Adult
Saturday 9:00 a.m., P-513B
Julie C. Andrijeski, Eoin Colfer, Alison Baird, Susan Fichtelberg, Brandon Sanderson
From children’s books to YA literature: How do you approach material appropriate for certain age-groups; what, if any, boundaries does the literature impose?

Archetypes Without Stereotypes
Saturday 10:00, P-518A
Ben Jeapes, Patrick Rothfuss, Nalo Hopkinson, Doselle Young, Brandon Sanderson
Thanks to culture and convention, every reader carries a built-in cast of characters requiring little or no explanation. Is there a way to use this built-in knowledge without writing stereotypes or poorly-defined stock characters? What happens when readers don’t share those assumptions?

Brandon Sanderson Kaffeeklatsch
Saturday 12:30 p.m., P-521B
Join in a small intimate group setting to chat informally with Brandon Sanderson! The session is limited to 10 people. Sign up at the programme desk near registration. First come first serve. (Note: If you've chatted with Brandon multiple times before, please be courteous and give other people a chance. Thanks!)

Off-Site Signing at Indigo Books
Saturday 2:00 p.m., 1500 avenue McGill College
You don't have to be registered at Worldcon to attend this signing. For details, see the previous blog post.

JOLT Writing . . . Get Your Writing Kickstart Here (Teen Programming)
Sunday 1:00 p.m., P-516E
Dan Wells, Elaine Isaak, Jay Lake, Karleen Bradford, Brandon Sanderson
Crash course: Brainstorming, structures, writing… all in 90 minutes. Work on a new story or punch up an old one. (First Contact work session, too.)