There’s no video game-style announcement to tell us when we’ve leveled up our writing skills. Sometimes it’s hard to know if you’re improving at all–especially when you’re just starting out. We’ll discuss ways that our panelists have leveled up their own skills, from formal workshops to writing groups to exercises and beyond.

Read more about Leveling up: Strategies to Grow as a Writer

You’ve sold the book and now they want another—by a certain day. Join us to learn how other mid-career authors acclimated to deadlines, balanced schedules, and got the book done on time—or managed when the deadline slipped.

Read more about Getting It Done On Time

When many popular traditional publishers have New York or otherwise North American roots, “breaking in” from elsewhere in the world can be difficult. In this panel, writers living beyond the US and Canada discuss their publishing experiences.

Read more about Living Overseas and Publishing in the US and CA

As SFWA welcomes and integrates game writers into the membership, non-game writers have the opportunity to acquire critical tools for evaluating the work of their games writing colleagues to better equip themselves when voting for the Nebulas or expanding into games themselves. This panel will introduce important concepts and tools for evaluating game writing.

Read more about Intro to Critiquing Game Writing

Worldbuilding is challenging for any writer, but building a new world in a small space is its own feat. This panel will include writers of short stories and short story collections to discuss how they accomplish quick and effective worldbuilding.

Read more about Worldbuilding in Short Stories

Speculative Fiction can be a way of escape for both the writer and the reader. What are ways that trauma shows up in fiction? How does it translate to the page? How do we approach out own trauma when developing stories versus how do we approach writing about trauma that isn’t our lived experience? Authors from various backgrounds and perspectives discuss how to create a safe space to process trauma through storytelling.

Read more about Dealing With Trauma Through Fiction

The second person is often regarded as difficult, complex, or experimental. But it doesn’t need to be! Explore how your work could benefit from this technique with authors who have intentionally and successfully written from this perspective.

Read more about The Second Person and You

Writing for kids comes with a lot of unwritten rules, beyond just to take out the swearing and the sex. This panel will go over some of the things authors were surprised to learn was different in writing for middle grade than writing for an adult or YA audience.

Read more about The Written and Unwritten Rules of Middle Grade

Flash fiction can be funny, quirky, and deeply moving, but it’s a challenging form that requires its own skill set. What makes flash different from longer short stories? In this panel, several flash writers will share their tools and tricks for creating stunning stories under 1000 words.

Read more about Flash: More Story, Fewer Words!

A panel of experienced writers will discuss mistakes in their writing careers, moments of imperfection, and a few things they wish they’d done differently. Join this conversation for humorous anecdotes and advice on how to avoid the these same pitfalls.

Read more about Major Mistakes in a Writing Career