Every science fiction convention I attend has numerous events, generally one hour in length, with several simultaneous tracks of events. This time, I appear to be stuck in the YA track. Writing YA, Tolkein and YA, Reading Harry Potter, etc. That isn’t all I’m doing but it’s well represented. If I wanted to be elsewhere, I certainly had my opportunity. Well before the Con, the programming schedulers sent out a questionnaire asking what I’m interested in, and what I’d consider talking about. The floor was also open for new ideas. At the time, I couldn’t think of any.
This time, as I have an idea for an event, I’ll just blog it and pull it back up the next time people ask.
What about a world-building show and tell? There have been many presentations about the process of world-building a fictional universe. This variation would invite convention attendees to talk about their own worlds for, say, ten minutes each.
I have talked to many potential writers over the years and some of them have spent many reams of paper and long hours building elaborate worlds for some novel or game they’ll write eventually. Honestly, many of these people will never actually write the story. But what if they had the opportunity to present their world for other eyes.
I got the idea while listening during the Tolkein panel discussion. How many years did he have just Middle-Earth, with no story to go with it? Maybe out there, someone is building something just as wonderful, and all they need is a push to make it happen.