I want to take a second to talk to you guys about something I've noticed, which has to do with PANELS.
PANELS and TALKS are how publishers deliver writers to audiences and readers. It's a chance for writers to talk about our books but it's also a chance for us to talk about our work and the work of writing and creating books.
The thing is most often what happens is writers sit at the front of the stage talking to a moderator and talking at an audience. Which can be great but I can't help but think it can also be kind of boring. Not really inspiring or engaging.
(As an aside, engaging people is not an easy job. Engaging people in a room, especially an auditorium full of students is a skill that's not necessarily linked to the skill of WRITING a STORY. I'm not saying you can't do both, I'm saying they're both hard things to do. My girlfriend, Heather Gold, has written and spoken A LOT on this subject and she has a whole workshop on how to talk WITH instead of TO people, which you can read about here.)
So one thing I've found makes things way more enjoyable is when people ask questions. Which is kind of hard to make happen, I think because asking questions can intimidating. But people asking questions can be the start of some really amazing conversations!
Recently I put up a blog post of some questions and people started using them at panels, which I found super hilarious. So I thought I'd add some more here.
But all of this is really to say: PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS!
It's your panel more than it is mine, right? I'm here to talk to you and not to myself, because hey I can talk to myself all day. And I do. But we're not getting into that here.
So here are some questions, but please make up some of your own and toss them out there the next time you're at a panel.
Because you are awesome.
I hope to see you at COMIQUE CON on October 22nd, 2016.
Or at the London Wordfest November 4th to 6th, 2016.
Other event details forthcoming.
What kinds of things are you drawn to as a
writer?
What kinds of things do you try to avoid in
your stories, characters, settings when you write?
Do you think reality show All Stars
editions are a worthwhile part of a franchise or meaningless hype?
What do you think makes someone a good
villain? Do all stories need a villain?
Who is your favorite hero of either fiction
or real life (and don’t say someone related to you)?
What is your favorite ending to a story?
What is your favorite beginning to a story?
Do you think owning a pet helps story
writing because it gives you an unspeaking figure in your house that
you can bounce ideas off of without them getting upset or annoyed when you’re
not really looking for feedback?
Are there books you used to love that you
can’t read any more?
What is something that makes you laugh that
probably shouldn’t make you laugh?
What do you do when you’re not sure what’s
supposed to happen next in a story or book you’re writing?
What is something you wish more people
would put in their stories?
What is something you don’t want to see in
stories anymore?
What is your preferred form of ponytail –
on either yourself or someone else?
Do you put your coat on or your shoes on
first? Why?
What’s the last piece of advice someone
gave you that you took? How did that go?
What’s the last piece of advice someone
gave you that you ignored? How did that go?
What’s something about your childhood that
you think contributed to your work as a writer?
Did you have a stuffed animal? Did you name said stuffed animal or did you
just go with whatever name came on the packaging? If so, is that okay or lazy?
What did you have for breakfast?
What do you wish you had for breakfast?
Thank you!
m