Writers Workshop

Note: The workshop is now closed to submissions.

One-Day Writers Workshop For Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Fiction

Send $50 check payable to "ArmadilloCon 24" along with your manuscript to:
FACT / Writers Workshop
PO Box 27277
Austin TX 78755

Get your unpublished original work of science fiction/fantasy/horror fiction in front of a pro! Sign up for the ArmadilloCon24 writers workshop! Get invaluable critique and feedback from at least one pro writer or editor, plus small-group critiques from fellow attendees. Includes group sessions and panels or presentations throughout the about the craft and profession of writing. All at a terrific reasonable cost of only $50. You also get a lunch the day of the workshop, and admission to all three days of the convention!

Submit your original work of science fiction, fantasy, or horror fiction along with a $50 check to the ArmadilloCon24 office postmarked no later than July 19, 2002. (Only one submission, only your own work, and only fiction, please!) It can be a short story, or the first chapter(s) of a novel, but maximum length is 5000 words. Manuscripts longer than the maximum will be shortened at the ArmadilloCon24 offices. Format your manuscript professionally -- print double-spaced on one side of a letter-sized white sheet of paper, using 12-point Courier or Times typeface, and indicate new paragraphs with a 5-space tab (not an extra line). Most writing books and many on-line sources describe what professional formatting looks like if you have questions.

With the work you submit, you will also need to provide us with permission to photocopy your story for distribution to the other workshoppers. You can add a sentence to the first page, or include a separate page, that says: "For the purposes of the ArmadilloCon24 writers workshop only, I hereby give permission to the representatives of ArmadilloCon24 to photocopy my original work of fiction entitled _____ ." And then sign the release.

You will receive the manuscripts of the other students in your group about two weeks before the workshop for you to review and critique ahead of time. The bulk of the workshop time will be taken up by breaking into smaller groups for in-depth critiques of your manuscripts. The balance of the workshop will include lectures, discussions, writers' exercises, handouts, etc. from the pro writers/editors.

Below are biographies for the workshop's teachers:

• Jennifer Evans, a founding member of the Writers League of Texas, member of the SlugTribe, co-coordinator of the DilloCon Writers Workshop and other writerly events, has published fiction in Asimov’s, 50 Crafty Cat Stories, etc. and is shopping her modern fantasy novel, Schmooks, to several editors.
• Robin Hobb is a prolific writer under her own name and as Megan Lindholm. She’s the author of The Farseer trilogy (Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin's Quest) and The Liveship Traders series (Ship of Magic, Mad Ship, and Ship of Destiny) and is now at work on more books in the Tawny Man series. As Lindholm, she published Wizard of the Pigeons, Wolf's Brother, The Reindeer People, Cloven Hooves, Alien Earth, and many more. Her short fiction has appeared in Asimov’s, Space & Time, and several theme anthologies, and she has been a finalist for both a Nebula and Theodore Sturgeon award.
• Rick Klaw was the co-founder and managing editor of MOJO Press, where he worked with the likes of Joe R. Lansdale, Michael Moorcock, and many others. Currently Klaw is the fiction editor for RevolutionSF , and writes the popular column "Geeks With Books" for SFSite. His work has appeared in Weird Business, The Big Book of the Weird Wild West, Gangland, Michael Moorcock's Multiverse, SFWeekly, and other venues.
• Alexis Glynn Latner has published over a dozen pieces of short fiction in Analog and other publications, and has appeared in theme anthologies such as the Bending the Landscape series. She's at work on two SF novels, and also does horror and science writing.
• Jonathan Lyons, winner of a Wordweaver Award for Literary Excellence, was also a nominee for a Dream Realm Award, a Spectrum Award, and a Frankfurt Award. His novel Burn is "SF Noir" that combines science fiction novels and classic detective fiction. He's also published short stories, essays, and hyperfiction.
• C.J. Mills has six published books, and one under construction. She's the author of the "Winter World" SF series (Winter World, Brander's Book, Kit's Book, Egil's Book, Zjhanne's Book, etc.), and was also nominated for the Golden Spur Award by the Western Writers Association for her first book, a hardcover novel of "general fiction." C.J. splits her year between homes in Austin and in Minnesota.
• Patrice Sarath, a multiple DilloCon workshop alumna, has now graduated to the ranks of a teaching pro, with several professional sales to her credit. Her stories have appeared or will appear in such publications as: Realms of Fantasy, Black Gate, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, and in theme anthologies such as Such a Pretty Face, and Beyond the Rose. She also hangs out with virtual writers groups such as Critters, and gets face-to-face with the notorious SF/F/H group in Austin, the SlugTribe.
• James Stoddard, author of The High House and The False House, has had fiction published in F&SF, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine, Amazing Stories, and others. He's also a past winner of the Compton Crook Award for best fantasy by a new novelist, and was a finalist for the Mythopoeic Award.
• Wendy Wheeler, co-coordinator of the DilloCon Writers Workshop, has had fiction selected for The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror (ed. Datlow/Windling), and short stories in Analog, Aboriginal SF, Gorezone and other magazines. She's been published in theme anthologies such as Snow White Blood Red, Silver Birch Blood Moon, and the Crafters series (Ace Books). She also writes screenplays and teaches fiction classes for the University of Texas.

Hope to see you August 16th!

--Wendy Wheeler and Jennifer Evans, for the ArmadilloCon24 Writers Workshop.

Cancellations: If you miss the workshop on Friday, August 16, we will mail your manuscript and the critiques we can gather to you. No refunds once manuscripts are mailed to the pros.

The Fandom Association of Central Texas, Inc. (FACT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit literary/educational corporation.