This weekend I'm a guest of honor at Penguicon, which is a hybrid convention for science fiction/fantasy and open source software. Howard Tayler is the toastmaster, so it should be a lot of fun. If you're in the Detroit area, consider registering at the door if you haven't preregistered.

PenguiconTroy Marriott200 W Big Beaver RdTroy, MI 48084

FRIDAY

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Dennison 1Attack of the Plot!Ferrett Steinmetz, Brandon Sanderson, Christian Klaver, Charles ZaglanisHow authors attack the idea of plot.

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Big TopOpening Ceremonies

8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Dennison 1To Series or Not to Series. That Is the Question.Stephanie Osborn, Steven Lake, Merrie Haskell, Brandon Sanderson, Jim C. HinesThe pros and cons of writing a series.

SATURDAY

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., Board RoomA Reading with Brandon Sanderson

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Ballroom AAnd Let It Be Said!Stephanie Osborn, Steven Lake, Merrie Haskell, Brandon Sanderson, Christine PurcellA look at dialog and scene/action description in writing, and how to effectively pull off quality dialog and scene descriptions your readers will remember.

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Ballroom AIt's OKAY, the First Draft Is SUPPOSED to Suck!Stephanie Osborn, Brandon Sanderson, Jim C. Hines, Lydia Nyx, Michael CieslakTurning off the inner editor.

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Ballroom GThe Art of the CritiqueFerrett Steinmetz, Merrie Haskell, Brandon Sanderson, Christine Purcell, Charles ZaglanisWhen you're writing stories, one of the quicker ways to get better is to have talented people critique you. But where do you find good people? What does a good critique consist of? And how can you use that feedback to improve your story?

10:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m., Dennison 2/3/4Magic: The Gathering Non-Sanctioned Booster Draft TournamentBrandon Sanderson, Timothy GeislerWe are having a non-sanctioned booster draft tournament. Space is limited.

SUNDAY

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., Ballroom AWriters GroupsBrandon Sanderson, Jim C. Hines, Michael Cieslak, Stewart Sternberg, Charles ZaglanisThe pros and cons.

11:00 a.m – noon, Ballroom ALet There Be Life!Ferrett Steinmetz, Stephanie Osborn, Brandon Sanderson, Lydia NyxHow writers form characters and make them seem real.

12:00 noon – 2:00 p.m., NilesWriting Excuses PodcastHoward Tayler, Brandon Sanderson

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Big TopClosing Ceremonies

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