Workshops
We plan to have workshops on writing and costuming. Below are a sample of the writing workshops that will be offered at the convention.
Schedule TBA
Writing Workshops
Choosing the Right POV
Every story lives or dies by who the protagonist and POV character is. Sometimes, it feels obvious, other times you can pick any character in the narrative and tell an equally thrilling story. This class, led by Bryan Young, will show you all the different options of choosing the right POV for your story or screenplay, and, if you’re writing prose, what POV to actually write in.
Fee: $20
Flash Fiction Frights: Crafting Chilling Tales with Tally Johnson
Join Special Guest Tally Johnson, a renowned storyteller, on an exciting journey to create concise and impactful flash fiction pieces inspired by eerie pictures. Participants will be challenged to craft chilling tales, with the chance to win prizes for captivating storytelling. Dive into this unique opportunity to explore the enchanting art of storytelling in a compact and powerful format.
Let’s Make a World: Discuss World-building, Then Make One Together!
Join Michael G Williams as he takes you through the basics of building a world - then the group will build a world together!
Using Real-World Legends and Lore in Your Writing
Join Gail Z. Martin as she shows you how to mine real-world legends, lore, ghost stories, and locations for story material and how to make it your own.
Write Tighter; Write Better (Saturday afternoon)
There are tons of books and classes to teach you about plot and character and story. But to be effective at those things, you need to write sentences. A lot of sentences. In this workshop by Stuart Jaffe, you’ll learn how to craft sentences with power, cut out the wasted words, and maybe even a few secrets and tricks of the trade that’ll bring your sentence writing to the next level. That way, the great idea in your head might actually make it to the page.
Fee: $20
Writing Your First Novel - How to Get from the Initial Idea to a Finished Manuscript
Rumor has it that 95 percent of people who try to write a book give up before finishing, and it can feel like a daunting process. Bruce Buchanan gave up on his first three attempts before finishing The Blacksmith's Boy (and now, several other books!). In this workshop, he will show you how he changed his approach and process to reach the finish line.
Leather Workshops
Workshop: Leather Working 101 (fee)
In this introduction to the craft led by the designers at Ribbons and Rivets participants will be guided through the steps to make their own personalized wrist cuff. Many of these same steps can be applied to much larger and more complicated projects later on. All tools and materials will be provided for this workshop, just bring a pair of hands.
Participation fee is $20 (at the door)
Workshop: Basic Pattern Making
This primer for armor patterning led by the designers at Ribbons and Rivets, will have participants making their own bracer pattern that can later be applied to other rigid mediums such as leather, thermoplastic, or EVA foam. Participants will leave with their own personalized pattern as well as knowledge about measurements, seam allowances, fasteners, and the pros and cons associated with different armor making mediums.
Film Workshop
Independent Filmmaking From Start to Finish
Filmmaker and author Bryan Young will take students and aspiring filmmakers step-by-step through the process of making a film in this workshop. Using an award-winning short film as a case-study, he'll walk everyone through every step of the production process, from screenwriting and grant-writing, to making the most of your production and post-production, budgeting and film festivals, and more.
Fee: $20
Crafting Workshop
Paper Flowers Workshop
Learn how to turn used books into beautiful flowers! With this class by April Baker, you will learn how to make paper flowers made from book pages! By the end of this workshop you will have flowers that will never die, and will be the perfect gift for a book lover in your life or for display on your TBR shelf!