ConQuesT 50: Full Schedule

Write a story in an hour! Draw random plot and character elements out of a bag and be creative! Stories that have all the required elements and format will be posted in the ConSuite (without names!) where they can be read and voted on. Winners will be announced at Closing Ceremonies.

Speakers

Sherri Dean

Sherri Dean, yr Feisty Mistress of Fear is a Jack-o-lantern of all trades and Monster of none. She is a published author and cover artist most recently through Yard Dog Press. She is also a costumer, Masquerade emcee, cover model and singer (check out Bland Lemon and the Lemonades... Read More →

Paula Helm Murray

Paula Helm Murray's stories have appeared in Sword and Sorceress IV and VIII, Spells of Wonder, MZB's Fantasy Magazine and Eldritch Tales. She is currently working on several very different writing projects as well as working a full time ‘day’ job. She lives in Kansas City with... Read More →

Allison Stein

Author, Artist, Geek Princess, Cat Servant... Not Necessarily In That Order, Author & Artist

Allison Stein is an artist, author, TV addict, geek princess, and cat servant — not necessarily in that order. Look for her watercolors and mixed media originals in the art show and her award-winning short fiction with Yard Dog Press and NobleFusion Press. Allison is a member of... Read More →

Mike Higgins

Rachael Mayo

Saturday May 25, 2019 10:00am - 11:00am CDT
Empire C

Writer's Workshop

11:30am CDT

Story & Structure

Learn best practices from a national bestselling and Hugo-nominated editor and author. Bryan Thomas Schmidt writes novels, has edited 13 anthologies (3 of them bestsellers), and has a novel in development as a motion picture at a major studio.

Speakers

Bryan Thomas Schmidt

Freelance Writer/Editor

A national bestselling and Hugo-nominated editor, author, and screenwriter, Bryan Thomas Schmidt has written or edited novels including The Saga of Davi Rhii Trilogy, The Martian by Andy Weir, and entries in the Predator, X-Files, Monster Hunter International, Joe Ledger, and Decipher’s... Read More →

Saturday May 25, 2019 11:30am - 12:30pm CDT
Empire C

Writer's Workshop

1:00pm CDT

The Gentle Art of Writing Fight Scenes

Get solid advice for writing fight scenes, with special attention to techniques used by smaller fighters, using ambient weapons, and negotiating period clothing.

Speakers

Holly Messinger

Fashion, Fiction, and Hand-to-Hand Combat

Holly Messinger is a writer, costumer, and martial artist who enjoys silk dresses, edged weapons, and semicolons. She is the author of the weird western, The Curse of Jacob Tracy, and her short fiction has appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Baen's Universe.

Saturday May 25, 2019 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Empire C

Writer's Workshop

2:30pm CDT

Silly Haiku

Let's have fun writing and sharing some nonsense haiku! For our purposes we'll adopt the convention of "haiku" as a three-line poem having five syllables in the first line, seven in the middle line and five on the last line. Family-friendly nonsense only, please!

Speakers

M.C. Chambers

M.C. Chambers writes science fiction and fantasy. Her first novel, Shapers’ Veil, is published by Hadley Rille Books. Other stories published by Hadley Rille Books include Silk and Velvet in the anthology Renaissance Festival Tales, an award-winning science fiction story, Visual... Read More →

Saturday May 25, 2019 2:30pm - 3:30pm CDT
Empire C

Writer's Workshop

10:00am CDT

Self-Editing for Writers

This workshop helps writers - especially those of speculative fiction - identify and focus on key elements of fiction to help them improve their manuscripts.

Speakers