Sorry for the inconvenience, but we’ve had to swap two of the workshops. Jack Dann’s workshop “A Writer’s Guide to Dreaming” has moved back to 3pm, while Karen Herkes’ “Mental Magic” has moved forward to 12pm. If you want to book for any workshop, email workshops@conflux.org.au asap.
This is just a quick message to pass on some important announcements about Conflux 5.
First, and most importantly, we need to announce an identity change to our overseas guest. Sharon November, who had been scheduled as our international guest, has had to withdraw due to unavoidable circumstances. We are, of course, sorry to lose Sharon, but we’re very pleased to have arranged instead for Liz Gorinsky to attend in the capacity of overseas guest. Liz is an editor with Tor, in the US, and has worked extensively with both established big-name authors and up-and-coming writers. We’re very much looking forward to her involvement in the Con. You can find out more about Liz on the guests page
We’d also like to bring to your attention that Mark Shirrefs will also be attending Conflux, as a guest, and will be presenting a special screening of his BAFTA- and Oscar-nominated animated specfic short film, ‘The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello’. Mark has considerable experience in writing for TV and the big screen. You can also find out more about Mark on the guests page . There’ll be more about both Mark and Liz in the fourth and final Progress Report, which will be along soon.
Finally (for now), if you’re thinking of putting in an entry for the art show, laying claim to a dealers’ table, or booking for Saturday night’s Banquet, please don’t delay. We’re busy finalising the lists for all of these, so first in best dressed.
That’s it for now. Looking forward to seeing you in – what is it? – less than 20 sleeps now.
Some updates on Conflux for you all. For those who don’t know, Conflux will take place in Canberra at the Marque Hotel on October 3 to 6. All things going well, the program will be up on the website Monday of next week. So check www.conflux.org.au at that time to see the fun that will ensue.
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In the meantime, bookings are now open for the workshops, and the Prohibition New York dinner. To attend the dinner, you need to book using the form on the website, and need to do so BEFORE the convention – we have to confirm numbers with the chef, so can’t take bookings at the con. To book into a workshop, you need to email workshops@conflux.org.au I’m replying to them as soon as I read them, so if you’ve sent an email and haven’t had a reply, I haven’t seen it and you’re not booked in. Please, send it again.
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Workshops are:
Friday October 3
9am
Blogging with Gillian Polack (costs $10)
Caring for Your Collection with April Herzog (free for members)
The Business of Writing Comics with Liz Argall (free for members)
12pm
The noble and knightly art of the longsword with Chris Barnes (free for members)
A writer’s guide to dreaming: how to transform thoughts, ideas and dreams into fiction with Jack Dann (costs $55))
Finishing the first draft with Maxine McArthur (free for members)
3pm
Mental magic: illusions and tricks of the mind with Karen Herkes (free for members)
Emarketing for authors with Fiona McLennan (free for members)
Creating dynamic characters with Karen Miller (free for members)
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Monday October 6 (all free for members)
1pm
Dream Magick, an experiential workshop with Margi Curtis and Leigh Blackmore
Grant Writing with Peter Strong
Writing the otherword with Felicity Pulman
Workshop 13 – superstition, with Nicole R Murphy
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A day membership of $50 can get you into Friday or Monday of the con, so you can go to the workshop of your choice as well as take in other aspects of the con on that day. To book, email workshops@conflux.org.au Spaces in the workshop are limited to 15 people (except the sword workshop, which goes to 16) and they will go for 2 1/2 hours. And there won’t be any worksheets or notes for anyone not able to attend – sorry, but you have to be present to get the advantage of the expertise of the people involved.
We’ve had some discussions, tossed around a few ideas and here is the next list of possible panels. Feel free to comment, add your own suggestions and if you’re coming, and there’s a panel you just have to be on, let me know. Note that Conflux will have a maximum of four people on a panel, and we want to try to limit people to three or four appearances at the convention, so there are lots of different views shared.
Welcome to the con – how to get the most out of the experience
Where to start – the must-reads
Writing the tie-ins – novels from series
Moving on from mobiles – where to next for technology
Filking 101 – the secret of the great song
Cultural tales – writing ethnicities into your work
What people want – spec fic booksellers tell all
Flying fire – dragons in literature and story
Fans v.2 – how do we grow fandom
Clarion revisted – do structured writing workshops work
AAAARRRRGGGHHHH! – the worst SF and Fantasy in history
Blinded by science – the state of psychological sci fi
Pilots with pms – women in sci fi
Blowing the ship with one shot – fiction of science fiction battles
Levels 1 to 10 – the role of gaming in developing the genre
How to find a hero – avoiding the king-hidden-as-shepherd type clichés
Beach balls and strobes – cheap but effective special effects
It came in a dream – how to generate story ideas
Writing for the end of the world – environmental sci fi
Returning to the world – when you have to go back.
It’s great – the art of the review
Type and photocopy – creating a fanzine
Scary or weird – what is horror
10 things beginning writers get wrong
Prayer and prophet – creating an authentic fictional religion
Keep the hero going – just what does he/she need to reach the end of the story? Looking at food, sleep and so on
Writing disciplines – the impacts of other styles of writing
The dead body – how to kill someone
Young adult fiction – is it real or just marketing
Blogs – the new community
What is fear and what is evil
Gothic romance – the genre
Literature vs film – where does horror belong
What makes a good villain in story and real life
Scientification – the history of fandom
Dr Who – the fans talk
Beasts of Burden – moving around in literature
Space opera – did it ever die
Love, crime and spells – cross-genre work
Scrolling through the story – past, present and future of webpublishing
Cons – why do it
Making you squirm – horror writers read their work
It’s over – what we think of Harry Potter
Authors blogs – good pr or a waste of time
Take me to your leader – who the aliens should talk to
Original versus derived – spec fic movies
We want to do everything we can to make sure that people have an interesting, thought and discussion provoking fun, with new ideas and concepts as well as the old favourites we all know and love. Who said we don’t think big at Conflux? 
Here’s a list of things we’ve thought of so far. Have your say, whether you’re a member or not. Vote for the ideas you like. Suggest the panels you’ve always wanted to see. And if you are coming, and there’s a panel you really want to do, then let us know so we can book you in.
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