BYU’s science fiction and fantasy symposium Life, the Universe, and Everything is this week.  Here’s my schedule as a program participant: 

Thursday, Feb. 19:

10:00 AM:
Looking through a glass darkly: cautionary tales and post-apocalyptic fiction. Writing post-apocalyptic fiction can be a way to write a cautionary tale, or it can be a prediction of the future.  Why are people so interested in this sub-genre and how can you as a writer tap into the form?
(James Dashner, Nathan Shumate, Eric James Stone, JoSelle Vanderhooft, Karen Webb, Dan Wells)

4:00 PM:
Reality in Sci-Fi.  Or, “Why doesn’t the cyborg’s arm tear off when they lift a car?”
How can we make Sci-Fi more realistic?  Can a writer create an internally consistent universe that also follows the basic laws of physics and still have an interesting story.
(Eric Swedin, Aleta Clegg, Robert J. Defendi, Eric James Stone, Karen Webb, James Brown)

7:00 PM:
Writing groups. What are they good for?  How do you find one?  How can you use one effectively?
(Suzy Gehring, Jeremy Remy, Eric James Stone, Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury, Bethany Fuller)

Friday, Feb. 20

Zip. Nada. Zilch.

Saturday, Feb. 21

9:00 AM:
Current trends in Fantasy and Science Fiction.  What are the current trends? How do you know what is hot, what is fading and what will be the next big thing?  And should you even care?
(L. E. Modesitt, Jr., Brandon Sanderson, Eric James Stone, Dave Wolverton)

2:00 PM:
Signing (BYU Bookstore):
      James Dashner
      Jessica Day George
      Rebecca Shelley
      Greg Park
      Julie Wright
      Eric James Stone

6:00 PM:
Readings (1/2 hour each): Roger White, Eric James Stone

7:00 PM:
Copyright and the Internet.  How to avoid plagiarism.  How to know what you can and cant’ put on the Internet and still sell a story/novel/work of art.  How can you protect yourself from plagiarism?
(Brandon Sanderson, Eric James Stone, Howard Tayler, Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury, JoSelle Vanderhooft)