Gloria

11:30am Believable Fantasy Worlds

Guests: Sherwood Smith (25 books plus short stories), LE Modesitt Jr (Authored 36 novels, short stories, and technical and economic articles), George RR Martin (Writer, story editor for Twilight Zone, story-consultant), PC Hodgell (3 book Fantasy novelist)

Modesitt basically asked questions of the panel and each panelist gave their thoughts. Got almost ugly toward the end when a fan seemed to accuse Martin of some of the very things he espoused not to do. (Too much caffeine?)

What is the single most important factor of believability?

1. Internal consistency
2. External consistency--correspondence to the real world
3. Ability by writer and reader to see what is being described
4. Economics, politics, topography

Can there be excessive magic?

1. Only if the use of it has no consequences
2. Can be bad but not necessarily. Does decrease the problem solving aspect of a story though.
3. Gets too complicated--but needs rules of continuity--shortcut to solutions rather than something which should be done/resolved by the characters
4. In the old Sword and Sorcery worlds the sword was the hero and the sorcery the problem. This made it perfectly okay for Conan to bathe the country in blood, but if a wizard did the same thing. . .

Can you integrate magic and a believable religious system without using history?

1. Yes. But it takes reading, research, history, and philosophy. Lots of whys.
2. Depends on your type of magic. No real need to connect it to religion unless the power comes from the gods.
3. Try to stay away from the word magic due to baggage attached to it. (Some slamming on D&D Systems.)

What do you leave out to make the world believable?

1. First draft, throw in everything you can then cut it out. You only need enough to make the image. Leave what is important to the charter and furthering of the plot.
2. Leave out the boring stuff. Also has to do with tone. How much realism do you need?
3. Meal scenes are okay. Good chance for people to get together and talk.
4. try to include what you need to know then what you might want to know as sensory details.

No one things of economics, exchange rates, trade -- do you think about them, and how much thought do you put into them if you do?

1. Should be thought out, but be careful about insertion.
2. Research--sense of how they work but again does it have to do with the story? Good to consider, but don't be overwhelmed.
3. When you go to a new country they don't take your currency. How do you change it, how do you feel about their money when you see it for the first time?
4. Taxes--too much, too many, how does it affect life?

Geography

1. Go read about plate tectonics, archeology, oceans, economics from geology. How it all interacts. What is a family unit? Read history.
2. Avoid the city in the dessert with hot and cold running water--no way would that be possible aside from a super techno world.
3. Make a map, for your own use if nothing else. It could be critical. For the reader though, if added to the book, only make it semi detailed, give yourself room in case you write multiple books in this world. (Yours can be super detailed and have a scale, but don't give one to the readers.) The easiest way to make a map is to buy a beach ball. It already has the time zones, and you can collapse it for easy carrying.
4. Names -- don't forget, if you can't pronounce it, your readers probably can't either!

How did we get here? How did the culture evolve?

1. Think of it some but only on how to explain what is currently going on.
2. Past history determines believability so you need to know it. Should always put in just a little, a mention or something. Just make sure it is not a vital point, or if it is, put in others that are not. For flavor.
3. Shaped partially by what interests you. Civilizations, how they grow. 

Magic and Rules -- if too detailed can sound like D&D. You can have a system, but it doesn't have to be something the character knows or is revealed in the book, just as long as you remain consistent in the writing. 

How do you organize the world info? How do you put it together?

1. Maps and a rather large pile of sheets of notes in the PC
2. Beach ball, atlas, pages of notes, lists, drawings
3. Maps and in the brain
4. Spiral notebooks and notes in the PC. Think out loud as notes get put in. Timelines.

1:00pm Research: Networking and Resourcing

Guests: ElizaBeth Gilligan (Journalist, writer, research fanatic), Mindy Klasky (Lawyer, librarian, author), Maya Kathryn Bohnhoff (Fiction and non-fiction writer)

How do you do research? When do you know you're done?

1. File drawer with info as you run across it. Do some research ahead of starting a project and some during
2. Spot research as things come up. Segment writing and research time.
3. Depends on what is being written. Most obey the rules of the universe the character live in. Grab a book on a culture close to the one in the story. Researches until the world breathes on its own and then writes--spot research as necessary after that.
4. Start with a timeline. 

Be careful of research on the Internet. Info may not be accurate. Verify sources. If two other places say the same thing, then it might be okay. 

If doing something historical or current, maps are a must. It's even better if you can find someone who lives where you are writing about. If the info in your novel is wrong and a reader catches it, they won't trust you anymore.

One resource you wouldn't want taken from you

1. Seattle has the best library system
2. Many trade associations have an Internet presence under “.org”. Encyclopedia of Associations--book of indexes and info.
3. Her book Compendium on How to do Research.
4. Make friends with librarians -- give them chocolate. Also use used bookstores -- great for picking up reference materials cheaply.
5. Telephone -- call primary sources. Be courteous. Descriptionary by Marc McCutheon (They have excerpts at Amazon -- looks great!)

Specific Methods or research and search engines

1. Google and Yahoo. Searchenginewatch.com--this is a search engine list by type of search. Also in google, there's a feature where you can do a word search as for WorldCon then add a space minus sign and 'San Jose' and it will bring up all hits minus those containing San Jose. Be careful though, you might be inadvertently deleting something.
2. For small bits, look for people who can help. Send emails. SME--Subject Matter Expert
3. You can join the Yahoo Group Joysofresearch. It's an open group of writers who help each other with questions of research. They have experts in a number of areas to ask questions of as well. But remember they have lives too. If all else fails, they can help point you in the right direction.
4. Internet is not so much a resource as a means to get to the people who have the info you want. Call University departments and speak to the secretary--keep her name. Ask her to suggest whom it would be best for you to try to speak to. Make sure to include anyone who you used for information in the acknowledgment page of the book and if you can send them a free copy as well. You'll have made friends (and sources) for life.
5. Interlibrary Loan--if your library doesn't carry a book you need but you know what it is, ask for an interlibrary loan. 
6. Annual Reports from the Federal Government for those research items being funded by them can be used to get names of people to contact on cutting edge tech.
7. Community Emergency Response Groups. The police also have public relation offices you can tap for info. 

And that's it! Didn't get to see much of the dealers room or the art show, which was a pity, but the panels were all great. On Tuesday I went to the Winchester House and Wednesday hit the Rosicrucian Museum and their Egyptian exhibits. Yay!