Blog - Page 15 of 30 - Gary David Gillen

Conference Recap Cleveland ConCoction 2017

Introduction

I attended the SF conference Cleveland ConCoction 2017 at 5300 Riverside Drive Cleveland, Ohio at the Sheraton Cleveland Airport Hotel from March 10, 2017, to March 12, 2017. The 2019 convention was from March 1 to 3, 2019 and I realized when I wrote a recap for that conference, I had not posted a recap for the 2017 conference. This is a recap of the 2017 conference. I attended three panels, two author showcases, two performances, the state of the con panel, and the closing ceremony. I also volunteered in the ConSuite for twelve hours.

The link to the ConCoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

Cleveland ConCoction Banner

Cleveland ConCoction 2017 Program Guide Cover. Even though the cover has 2016 listed, this was the 2017 program. The theme was Grimm’s’ Fairy Tales.

Picture of my badge from Cleveland ConCoction 2017

Summary

Friday, March 10th from 4 PM to 9 PM

I volunteered in the ConSuite Department for five hours on Friday. The ConSuite was in a back bar at the Sheraton Hotel.

Friday, March 10th at 9 PM

A concert by the Blibbering Humdingers

This duo played what they called wizard rock. Most of the songs in this concert dealt with themes from Harry Potter. The songs played were “Love Song of Sirius Black (Dementor in Love)”, “Voldemort made me crap my pants”, “Lily’s Worst Memory,” “Best Game Ever,” “Hot Girl in the Comic Shop,” and “Awkward Hug.” I thought “Best Game Ever” was the best song they played at this session.

They held the concert in the Orion A Room.

Saturday, March 11th from 9 AM to 4 PM

I volunteered in the ConSuite Department for seven hours on Friday. The ConSuite was in a back bar at the Sheraton Hotel. During this time, I was helping to make Rice Krispy blocks used in patterns. When I did that, I saw the coffee session with Glen Cook, but I didn’t hear much of the conversation.

Saturday, March 11th at 5 PM

Author Showcase (Session 4)

Four authors read from their works in the showcase.

Brent D. Seth read from his novel named Shortfuse.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25456172-short-fuse

Mary Turzillo read a short story from her short story collection named Bonsai Babies.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32269487-bonsai-babies

Addie J. King read from her novel Shades of Gray. It is about a rookie cop and werewolves.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26850087-shades-of-gray

Kathy Callahan read from her vampire novel.

They held the showcase in the Lyra room with 8 attendees.

Saturday, March 11th at 6 PM

Common Problems New Writers Encounter, a panel with Shannon Eichhorn, Sara Dobie Bauer, J. Thorn, and James Barnes.

J. Thorn outlined his process. He recommended the book The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne. Know what you need next he suggests. Look into getting a developmental editor, a line editor, a copy editor, and then beta readers. Other suggestions for new writers from the panel were as follows. Write what you are passionate about. Don’t have a fear of breaking rules. Be cautious of giving too much back story and info dumps. Know your genre. Books used as examples were Pet Semetary by Stephen King and The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25455700-the-story-grid

They held the panel in the Pegasus room with 13 attendees.

Saturday, March 11th at 7 PM

Elevator Pitch Tutorial Session, a panel with Addie J. King, James Barnes, J. Thorn, Mary Turzillo, and Linda Robertson.

An Elevator Pitch explains the essence of a novel. The idea is to give the pitch to someone who could be interested in representing your book in the time it would take an elevator to go six floors. In the pitch, you want to describe what your book is about. Think about your ideal customer when you are designing the pitch. Think about how you would describe your book to an editor. The Pixar Pitch is a six-line template that can tell the story of your work developed by Emma Coats. You can find the pitch in Daniel H. Pink’s book named To Sell Is Human. The pitch fits for the Pixar movies but can be adapted to any written work. Linda Robertson gave out a handout. In it the main points were that you need a concept, a premise, ask questions, and understand the character’s stakes in your story. The concept and the premise when read together is your elevator pitch.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13593553-to-sell-is-human

They held the panel in the Lyra Room with 7 attendees.

Saturday, March 11th at 8 PM

A concert by the Blibbering Humdingers

I liked the first concert, so I came back to see them again. This duo played what they called wizard rock. Most of the songs in this concert dealt with themes from Harry Potter. The songs I saw played in this session were “Hufflepuff Sandwich,” “Zip Me Up,” and “Natural 20 (a song about playing the Dungeons and Dragons Game).”

They held the concert in the Orion A Room.

Sunday, March 12th at 10 AM

State of the Con Q and A

The Con Chairs talked about how Cleveland ConCoction 2017 went this week and about plans for 2018.

They held the panel in the Orion A Room with 10 attendees.

Sunday, March 12th at 11 AM

Post-Apocalypse–How Will It End?, a panel with J. L. Gribble, Weston Kincade, and Brent D. Seth.

The panelists talked about the novels Flood by Stephen Baxter and The Road by Cormac McCarthy. They also talked about the TV show called The 100.

They held the panel in the Pegasus Room.

Sunday, March 12th at 12 PM

Author Showcase (Session 5)

Four authors read from their works.

Linda Robertson read from her novel Jovienne.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32713330-jovienne

J. D. Blackrose read a story about Vampires and Valkyries.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/16065546.J_D_Blackrose

Adrian Matthews read from his novel Olivia’s Return (BloodDark Book #1)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31670766-olivia-s-escape

Cindy Matthews read from her novel Olivia’s Return (BloodDark Book #2)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34197040-olivia-s-return

They held the panel in the Lyra Room with 3 attendees.

Sunday, March 12th at 2 PM

Closing Ceremonies

The Guests of Honor were presented and thanked for Cleveland ConCoction 2017.

They held the panel in the Orion A Room.

Recommendation – Conclusion

I had a great time at Cleveland ConCoction 2017. It was my first time at this con. I worked twelve hours in the ConSuite and I don’t plan on doing that again because I missed events I wanted to see. My star of the con was the Blibbering Humdingers. I liked both of the concerts they performed. My other highlights were the Elevator Pitch panel and listening to eight authors who read their work in two showcases. I attended Cleveland ConCoction in 2018 and 2019 and I bought my pass for 2020.

Links

I attended Cleveland ConCoction 2019 at 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 1 to 3, 2019. Attended the opening ceremony, four panels, and the closing ceremony. I also volunteered in the Programming Department for four hours and in the ConSuite for four hours. This is a link to my conference recap.

Conference Recap Cleveland ConCoction 2019

I also attended Cleveland ConCoction at 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 9, 2018, to March 11, 2018. Attended the opening ceremony, five panels, two author showcases, a performance, and the closing ceremony. I also volunteered in the ConSuite for eight hours. This is a Link to my conference recap.

Conference Recap Cleveland ConCoction 2018

Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. All Systems Red (Book 1), Artificial Condition (Book 2), Rogue Protocol (Book 3), and Exit Strategy (Book 4)

Introduction

The Murderbot Diaries are a series of four novellas that complete a self-contained single story. I have reviewed the first novella called All Systems Red. The review is linked to the link section of this review. I will review the other three novellas in this review. The protagonist of the diaries is a SecUnit (Security Unit), a partially organic and partially mechanical cyborg, or as she calls herself a Murderbot.

Summary

Summary of All Systems Red (Book 1)

The SecUnit (Security Unit) for the PreservationAux survey group has hacked and disabled her governor module during her last contract. The hack lets her follow the Company’s programming or to ignore it. SecUnits are built by the Company and must be used by every survey team for protection. The PersevationAux group surveys a planet to decide if they want to bid to the Company on building a colony there.

The story’s complication occurs when they lose contact with the DeltFall Group survey team, the only other survey team assigned to their planet. Dr. Mensah, the leader of the PreservationAux Group, investigates at DeltFall’s habitat despite the SecUnit’s suggestion they leave the investigation to the Company. What they find at the habitat changes their perspective on the Company and on their SecUnit’s behavior.

Summary of Artificial Condition (Book 2)

The SecUnit leaves Dr. Mensah and the PreservationAux Group, but she doesn’t remember all that happened during her contact with the DeltFall Group. She takes passage on a research vessel she names ART. ART has more intelligence than most bot ship drivers and it finds out she is not on a contract. They become friends and ART helps her look more human so she can go back to Ganaka Pit, the place where her memory was purged. What she finds there sends her on a mission to discover the truth behind what happened at Ganaka Pit.

Summary of Rogue Protocol (Book 3)

SecUnit learned from her last mission that the GrayCris corporation was involved in what happened at Ganaka Pit. She takes a transport ship to a planet named Milu to investigate what GrayCris did at a terraforming station they have closed down and sold. SecUnit unravels their plot and looks for incriminating evidence against GrayCris. She is helped on her mission by a bot the humans treat as a pet named Miki.

Summary of Exit Strategy (Book 4)

SecUnit heads back personally give the information she discovered to Dr. Mensah. GrayCris has kidnapped Dr. Mensah to lure SecUnit into a trap.

Recommendation

This is great. The Murderbot Dairies read like a long episodic novel. The action moves and SecUnit is an engaging protagonist. All she wants to do is re-watch episodes of The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon, but her past intrudes on her watching. Those pesky humans always have to be protected, and she does it well with snark, at least in her inner dialogue. Fortunately, we are there for the ride. I want to read the Murderbot novel, Network Effect, that is scheduled to be released on May 5, 2020.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page for All Systems Red by Martha Wells.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32758901-all-systems-red

This is a link to my review of All Systems Red by Martha Wells, Book 1 of The Murderbot Diaries.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

This is the link to the Goodreads page for Network Effect by Martha Wells. It is the Murderbot novel due to be published on May 5, 2020.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47902784-network-effect

Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan

Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan. Book three of the Wheel of Time series.

Introduction

Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan is the third book of The Wheel of Time series. Perrin and Moraine follow Rand to Tear. Mat, Egwene, Nyneave, and Elyane follow the Black Ajah to Tear. They meet at the Stone of Tear and Rand meets his destiny with the sword that is not a sword named Callendor. Can Rand wield Callendor to prove he is the Dragon Reborn and defeat Ba’alzamon?

Summary

Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan begins soon after Great Hunt by Robert Jordan ended. The battle at Falme is over and Rand unfurls the Dragon Banner. The Dragon banner group hides in the hills considering their next move. Moiraine, the Aes Sedai, and her warder Lan protect the group. Perrin, the wolf brother and Min, the lady of prophecy, and Loial, the Oglier are members of the group. Something unexpected happens and Rand leaves the protecting hills and the group follows him but is one step behind him on their way to Tear. Callendor, the sword that is not a sword, is found in Tear. The prophecy is that the Stone of Tear will fall and the one who can wield Callendor is the Dragon Reborn.

Meanwhile, the rest of the cast is in Tar Volan. Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne are training under the tutelage of the Aes Sedai. They have brought Mat, the trickster, to Tar Volan for the Aes Sedai to heal him. They hope the most powerful of the Aes Sedai can heal Mat from the curse of the dagger he took from Shadar Logoth. The Black Ajah makes its presence known. The members of the Black Ajah are Aes Sedai who follows the dark one. Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne head to Tear to fight the Black Ajah.

Both groups travel to Tear and Rand proves his worth.

Recommendation

The Dragon Reborn is another great novel in the Wheel of Time series. It was a great idea to limit Rand’s POV chapters and having him as a mysterious force that the group follows. Bringing almost everyone in the cast to Tear worked well. I enjoyed Mat’s story the best. His story feels like a spy thriller. Perrin faces his main dilemma of whether to take up the blacksmith hammer and a non-combat role or the war ax and a combat role. The best moment of the novel comes at the end when Rand responds to the climax of the novel. It is a perfect reaction and Moraine states the truth that will propel Rand, Perrin, and Mat in the novels that follow. I am looking forward to watching the first season of the Amazon Prime Video adaption of the first two novels of the series in 2020.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/359820.The_Dragon_Reborn

This is the link to my review of Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, Book two of the Wheel of Time.

Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

This is the link to my review of Eye of the World by Robert Jordan, Book one of the Wheel of Time.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Writing Progress Report January 2020

This is my Writing Progress Report January 2020.

All the presents are under our Christmas tree.

Writing Progress from December 2019

I wrote five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for December 2019 linked below.

Writing Progress Report December 2019

In July 2018, I completed the first draft of Assassin in New Marl City totaling 99,981 words and 36 chapters. Completed pre-draft two (30 chapters long) in December 2018 at 89,072 words. Finished draft two edits for Chapters 26 and 27 in August, chapters 28, 29, and 30 in September, and chapters 19 and 20 in October. I reviewed chapter 21 in November and chapter 25 in December to complete the draft two edit. I will start the third draft edits in January 2020.

In December, I submitted chapters 23 and 24 of Assassin in New Marl City to the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

In December, I submitted the story “The Past Under Glass” to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in December.

In the past, I submitted the stories The Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, LARP Film noir, and Sleeping Sickness to magazines.

Final statistics of magazine submissions for 2019 are; 1 different story submitted 1 time with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 1 rejection.

Events from December 2019

The next conference I plan to attend is ConFusion in Novi, Michigan from January 16 to 19, 2020. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association sponsors ConFusion.

https://2020.confusionsf.org/

Writing Goals for January 2020

I plan to write five blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for January 2020.

I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. In July 2019, I started the third draft edit for Chapter One used at the first pages workshop at Confluence 2019. I plan to complete third draft edits for chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 in January 2020.

Polish and submit the stories Caliburnus, Space-Dog Confession, White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Submit The Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness to other short fiction magazines.

Put the novel, Assassin in New Marl City, into the writing program, Scrivener.

Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Write a story for the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account; update the information on my Facebook and Twitter accounts and update all the pages of my website in January 2020.

Planned Events for January 2020

The next conference I plan to attend is ConFusion in Novi, Michigan from January 16 to 19, 2020. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association sponsors ConFusion.

https://2020.confusionsf.org/

Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi

Introduction

Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi is the second book in the Old Man’s War series. The Colonial Defense Forces created Jared Dirac for a specific purpose. He is a member of the Ghost Brigades who are the elite troops of the CDF. Jared is a clone of the mad evil scientist Charles Boutin and was made because Boutin has betrayed humanity enabling three alien civilizations to ally against humanity. The CDF wants to understand Boutin’s motivations by studying Jared and defeating Boutin and the aliens. Will Jared help the CDF when Boutin’s memories become his own memories?

Summary

Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi starts with Lieutenant Sagan interviewing a captive alien. The alien gives its view on humanity. He sees three kinds of humans. There are the unmodified humans that colonize unclaimed planets. The main members of the Colonial Defense Forces are older unmodified humans who have their minds transferred to young clone bodies. The CDF creates the third human from human DNA. They are the Ghost Brigades of the CDF. They make Jared Dirac from Boutin’s DNA. When he gains consciousness he doesn’t have any of Boutin’s memories. The CDF trains him in the Ghost Brigades and sends him out on missions. On his missions, his memories are triggered, and he has memories of being Boutin. He must understand why Boutin did what he did and Jared must forge his own path to save humanity.

Recommendation

This novel is a great sequel to Old Man’s War. Old Man’s War was about the second humans, the members of the CDF. Adding the Ghost Brigades ratcheted up the tension in the sequel. Jared Dirac was a great character to show the reader the methods of the Ghost Brigades. Charles Boutin seems like a mad scientist from an old school space opera but he is more than that. I appreciate that the author took an old trope and made it new. The author sets up the next novel in the series at the end of this novel. I am looking forward to reading book three of the series, The Last Colony.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/239399.The_Ghost_Brigades

Old Man’s War is the first novel in the Old Man’s War series. This is the link to my review.

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

In Redshirts by John Scalzi, they assign Ensign Andrew Dahl to the starship Intrepid. Crew members on away missions die at an alarming rate, but not the officers. Dahl must discover the unbelievable truth, or he will die like the other Redshirts. This is the link to my review.

Redshirts by John Scalzi

Worlds of Wonder by David Gerrold

Introduction

Worlds of Wonder by David Gerrold is his non-fiction book on the craft of writing, subtitled how to write science fiction and fantasy. The most famous work that he wrote was the episode of Star Trek (the original series) called “The Trouble with Tribbles”. He also wrote scripts and directed episodes of other Star Trek series. He wrote novels in the science fiction and fantasy genre. This book tells about his writing path and gives examples from his works to help aspiring writers. Where should you start as a new writer? Use this book.

Summary

Worlds of Wonder by David Gerrold starts with two of his college instructors who taught him valuable lessons. The first instructor told him he would never make it as a writer. That rage against failure fueled him to do well. The other instructor stressed the importance of structure. David Gerrold took that advice to mean he should learn from the masters of his chosen genre of science fiction and fantasy to see how they were successful. He realized that a story is about a person’s problem solving and the lessons learned through that experience.

Ask yourself If questions to invent the wonder of your story. Find your hero and your hero’s problem. Your hero will face crises and challenges. Set the stage and build your world. The first line is important to hook the reader and keep them reading. He gives examples of love scenes from his novels When Harlie was One and A Method for Madness. He goes over each structural device for writing. Discipline is important because real writers write. Use the idea that your first million words are for practice. If you end up selling any of your first million words, then that is a bonus for you. He ends the book with ten pieces of good advice.

Recommendation

Worlds of Wonder by David Gerrold is a useful book about writing. It is short and easy to read. The author has a conversational way of writing. The advice is sound but like other books I have read. I remember reading the author’s novel The Man Who Folded Himself when I was in high school. I also remember that he was the writer of “The Trouble with Tribbles”. David Gerrold was a panelist and an interviewee at Marcon in Columbus Ohio on May 11, 2019. I had planned to read this book but because of the conference, I read it sooner than I planned. I am glad that I did.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Worlds of Wonder by David Gerrold

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39709934-worlds-of-wonder

Recap for SF Conference Marcon Columbus on May 11, 2019. They held it at Crowne Plaza – Columbus North. I also attended Marcon in 2017 and 2018. This year I attended four panels, a performance, and an interview. My star of the con was David Gerrold. He was engaging in the panel and the interview that I attended with him.

Recap Marcon Conference 2019

Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody takes the books of Blake Snyder and applies his teachings to writing novels. She presents complete beat sheets and genre breakdowns of current and past novels. This is the link to my review.

Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

Another similar book on writing is How to Write Best Selling Fiction by Dean Koontz. This is the link to my review. It’s from 1981, but the advice is still great.

How to Write Best Selling Fiction by Dean Koontz

Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

Introduction

Raven Tower by Ann Leckie is a fantasy novel from an award-winning science-fiction novelist. The Raven Lease is the speaker for the god known as the Raven and the Raven Lease is missing. Mawat is the heir to the Raven Lease and returns from wars in the south with his aide Eolo. Eolo learns secrets about the Raven and must decide what to do with that knowledge. The novel’s one-line preface is “there will be a reckoning”. What reckoning will take place?

Summary

Raven Tower by Ann Leckie begins with an unknown narrator speaking in the second-person to Eolo. The narration is like the narrator telling a story to Eolo after the events have occurred. Eolo is returning to Vastai, the capital of Iraden. Eolo is the aide to Mawat, and they have been at war in the south but must return to Vastai because Mawat is the heir to the Raven Lease. The Raven Lease is the speaker for the god known as the Raven and the Raven Lease is missing. Mawat tries to figure what happened to his father and what is going on in Vastai. Eolo can learn about the situation easier than Mawat could. The narrator influences Eolo and helps Eolo learn secrets. As the novel proceeds, the narrator tells stories that may or may not be told to Eolo. The stories read like parables. Eolo must decide what to do with the secrets learned. There will be a reckoning.

Recommendation

It was ambitious to write a second-person story in a novel-length. I was skeptical of this choice as I read the novel, but I understood the choice and the necessity to write the novel this way after I read to the end of the novel. The identity of the narrator is the whole point of the story. There will be a reckoning. I thought there were unanswered questions that a sequel could answer, but the author has tweeted that she intended the novel as a standalone novel. https://twitter.com/ann_leckie/status/1101144602181025800?lang=en

I enjoyed reading the Raven Tower and think it was the best book I read in 2019.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39395857-the-raven-tower

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17333324-ancillary-justice

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie won the Hugo, Nebula, Arthur C. Clarke, and many other awards.

This is a link to my review of her novel.

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

Gotham Writers Conference 2019

Introduction

I attended the Gotham Writers Conference in New York City, New York on October 25, 2019, sponsored by Gotham Writers Workshop. This was the first year for this conference. It was at the Ace Hotel on 20 West 29^th Street, New York City. There were five panels and presentations at the conference. Day two of the conference on October 26, 2019, was for pitching roundtables. The roundtables had a group of picked authors pitching their work to two agents in their genre. I did not get picked for the roundtables, so I did not participate.

The Gotham Writers Conference opened with a welcome from Gotham President Alex Steele. He related the story of how the genesis of the conference occurs. Josh Sippe’s job is to go to other writer’s conferences and report back to Alex. Josh asked why don’t we do a con? Alex replied that it was a “terrible” idea, so of course, they put on a conference.

https://www.writingclasses.com/

This is the swag bag we received at the conference. It said “Write” on the back of the bag.

This was the badge I used at the conference.

Summary before Lunch

Friday, October 25th at 10 AM

The Writer’s View: If I can do it, you can too, a panel with Seth Fried, Kody Keplinger, Joselin Linder, and David Seigerman (moderator)

The authors had different backgrounds. Kody is a fiction novel writer, Seth started with Literary Magazines, and Joselin writes non-fiction using proposals. The moderator asked questions about their process and experience. There were many interesting comments. I will detail three of them here that I found particularly helpful. Use comp titles that have been released in the last twelve months for your queries. Social media is part of your job as a writer. Being a professional means you meet deadlines because writing is a job.

Links to the authors

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4460711.Seth_Fried

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3095919.Kody_Keplinger

http://kodykeplinger.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1188589.Joselin_Linder

They held the presentation in the Basement of the Ace Hotel with about 160 attendees

Friday, October 25th at 11:25 AM

Embracing Rejection, a lecture by Kim Liao

She said to shoot for rejection instead of acceptance because that puts your fears in a box. Then you won’t be paralyzed by fear to submit your work.

She asked the attendees to take three minutes to answer two questions and put our answers down on paper. What are your biggest hopes and dreams as a writer? What stops you from achieving those hopes and dreams?

She then asked a series of five questions to the attendees. Five things to do in the next year to accomplish your goals or dreams. Four things to do in the next six months. Three things to do in the next two months. Two things to do in the next month. One thing to do before next Friday. The questions were helpful to help prioritize tasks to be completed.

https://www.writingclasses.com/faculty/bio/kim-liao

They held the presentation in the Basement of the Ace Hotel with about 160 attendees

Friday, October 25th at 12:25 PM

Weike Wong is interviewed by Gotham President Alex Steele

Alex had Weike read a passage from her novel Chemistry. In the passage, the unnamed main character is given a proposal of marriage from her boyfriend. That event starts off the novel leading to the main character’s dilemma and change.

Weike wanted to write a novel without shocking turns of events. She wanted a character-driven story and chose to find other ways to create tension in the story.

Alex had Weike read another passage from the novel. The main character is a grad student in Chemistry. She a psychologist to help her understand why she feels the way she does.

It was Weike’s choice to write a first-person novel with no names except for the boyfriend, Eric. It is a short novel with no chapters. Weike’s advice is to have a vision and stick to it.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15679271.Weike_Wang

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31684925-chemistry

They held the presentation in the Basement of the Ace Hotel with about 160 attendees

Summary after Lunch

Friday, October 25th at 2:45 PM

The Agents View: What We Talk About When We Talk About You, a panel with Kurestin Armada, Suzie Townsend, Jim McCarthy, and Susan Breen (moderator)

Susan asked a series of questions to the panel and they responded. Who was the latest client you signed and why? They talked about searching the slush pile and related that it feels like panning for gold. What do you like to see with a platform? They said it is essential for non-fiction writers but is up to the author for fiction writers. How quickly do you know you love the book you are reading? They say within the first few pages. She asked about pay and they said the going rate for agents is 15%. Is finding an agent only the first step? They talked about the agent must be a partner you trust and trusts you and that it is some kind of magic when a book works.

The panel ended with a question and answer session with the attendees.

Kurestin Armada’s literary agency

Who We Are

Suzie Townshend’s literary agency

Suzie Townsend

Jim McCarthy’s literary agency

https://www.dystel.com/jim-mccarthy

They held the presentation in the Basement of the Ace Hotel with about 160 attendees

Friday, October 25th at 4:10 PM

The Agent Game Show with J. L. Stermer, Noah Ballard, Alec Shane, Jeff Kleinman (host), and Alex Steele (fill-in host)

Jeff was late because of a time mix-up to Alex filled in as host of the panel. Alex ran the Game Show by having the agents answer questions and having the attendees vote on their favorite responses.

Alex’s questions were the most awkward situation, most uplifting experience, most challenging book you sold, worst pitch for a book, and name an author you would love to represent. At this point, the audience favored Noah’s answers.

Jeff continued the questioning. He asked about elements of a great query letter, is platform important to you, and after the sale is made what do you do as an agent. Jeff gave out gag gifts to the panelists at the end with input from the audience.

J. L. Stermer’s literary agency

JL Stermer

Alec Shane’s literary agency

https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/gylligann/?_ga=2.205836820.621312319.1576097454-525066593.1576097454

Noah Ballard’s literary agency

Noah Ballard

They held the presentation in the Basement of the Ace Hotel with about 160 attendees

Recommendation – Conclusion

I enjoyed attending the Gotham Writers Conference. Thanks to Josh Sippe for getting me into the conference at the last minute due to a late cancellation. The Conference was packed with eager writers looking for advice from the pros. I wish I had gotten my novel presentation completed in time to try to earn a spot at the pitching roundtables conducted on October 26, 2019. Hopefully next year there will be another conference and I could submit my novel then. My star of the Con was Alex Steele. He gave a great welcome speech, conducted an interesting interview with Weike Wang, and filled in admirably at the Agent Game Show. The conference was well worth the time invested and I would like to attend next year.

Links

A similar conference I attended this year was the Indie Author Conference in Parma, Ohio on October 12, 2019, at the Parma-Snow branch of the Cuyahoga County Library at 2121 Snow Road Parma, Ohio 44134. The Cuyahoga County Library sponsored the conference for the fourth time. There were three presentations in the morning and a local author fair in the afternoon. The focus of the conference was for writers and authors to learn more about self-publishing. They featured thirty-one authors in the showcase. The listed authors all had at least one published book in either 2018 or 2019 for sale.

Indie Author Conference Parma 2019

Writing Progress Report December 2019

This is my Writing Progress Report December 2019.

I spent time with the family and had pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.

Writing Progress from November 2019

I wrote three blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my writing progress report for November 2019 linked below.

Writing Progress Report November 2019

I bought and used the editing program Pro Writing Aid to edit my novel, Assassin in New Marl City. I edited and typed Assassin Chapters 30, 32, and 33 in August 2018, reviewed Chapters 34, 35, and 36 in September 2018, and I completed the review in February 2019. Reduced the total chapters to 30. Reviewed Chapters 1 to 22 using Pro Writing Aid and submitted it to my novel-writing class. I submitted Chapter 21 and 22 in November.

In July 2018, I completed the first draft of Assassin in New Marl City totaling 99,981 words. Completed pre-draft two (30 chapters long) in December 2018 at 89,072 words. Finished draft two edits for Chapters 26 and 27 in August, chapters 28, 29, and 30 in September, and chapters 19 and 20 in October. I reviewed chapter 21 in November. Plan to review chapter 25 in December to complete the draft two edit. I will start the third draft edits after draft two is completed.

In November, I submitted the story “A Trio of Time Travelers” to the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

I made three posts on my Goodreads account in November.

In the past, I submitted the stories The Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, Get to the Point, LARP Film noir, and Sleeping Sickness to magazines.

Statistics of magazine submissions for 2019 are; 1 different story submitted 1 time with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 1 rejection.

Events from November 2019

The next conference I plan to attend is ConFusion in Novi, Michigan from January 16 to 19, 2020. ConFusion is sponsored by the Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association.

https://2020.confusionsf.org/

Writing Goals for December 2019

I plan to write seven blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for December 2019.

I plan to work on second draft edits for Chapters 25, 29, and 30 of Assassin in New Marl City using Pro Writing Aid to complete the second draft.

After the second draft is complete, I plan to work on third draft edits for Chapters 1 to 22 of Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Advanced Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I started the third draft edit for Chapter One used at the first pages workshop at Confluence 2019 in July. I plan to complete third draft edits for chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 in December.

Polish and submit the stories Caliburnus, Space-Dog Confession, White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Submit The Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness to other short fiction magazines.

Put the novel, Assassin in New Marl City, into the writing program, Scrivener.

Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Write a story for the Introductory Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio library.

Work on a story for the Wednesday Writing Workshop at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Library to submit in December.

I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account; update the information on my Facebook and Twitter accounts and update all the pages of my website in December.

Planned Events for December 2019

The next conference I plan to attend is ConFusion in Novi, Michigan from January 16 to 19, 2020. ConFusion is sponsored by the Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association.

https://2020.confusionsf.org/

Reckoning by John Grisham

Introduction

Reckoning by John Grisham is a combination of a family saga and a courtroom drama novel. Pete Banning is a World War II war hero and the owner of a large plantation in Mississippi in 1946. He has been planning a deadly crime. One morning he wakes up and knows he must commit this crime despite the dire consequences. Can his family learn why he committed his crime and save the plantation from those who will take it from them?

Summary

The Reckoning by John Grisham has three parts.

Part One, The Killing describes the deadly crime that Pete Banning committed. He tells no one why he did it. The section ends with a courtroom drama.

Part Two, The Boneyard tells the story of Pete Banning’s history. He meets and marries his wife Liza Sweeney. It tells the backstory about how Pete’s family bought their plantation in Mississippi. Since Pete was an army reservist, the army calls him up in 1941 and the army assigns him to the Philippines. Pete is one of the prisoners who suffered the Bataan Death March. The Army calls Pete missing in action and presumed dead to his family. He survives, becomes a war hero, and returns home, wounded but alive.

Part Three, The Betrayal follows the events immediately after Part One. Florry, Pete’s sister, lives next door and owns half of the acreage of their father’s original plantation. Joel is Pete’s son is Joel and Stella is his daughter. Liza, Pete’s wife, is committed to the insane asylum. His family must learn why he committed his crimes and save the plantation in a second courtroom drama.

Recommendation

I enjoyed this novel. It had aspects of a family drama, a war story, a courtroom drama, and a mystery. It was ambitious to put all these elements into a novel that wasn’t very long. The central mystery for The Reckoning was why did Pete do what he did. This question concerns every character in every part of the novel from the beginning to the end. So, it is extremely important that the reason was logical and unavoidable to make the novel the best it could be. My issue with the novel is that I don’t believe that Pete would do what he did considering what he knew at the time he committed his crime.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Reckoning by John Grisham.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47173384-the-reckoning

I reviewed Camino Island also by John Grisham.

Camino Island by John Grisham

I reviewed the Rooster Bar also by John Grisham

Rooster Bar by John Grisham