Realm Makers 2016 - Day 2 - Discipline & Cosplay

Captain's Log, Conference Date 20162907,

My expedition among the gathering of the Realm Makers continues. And the marvels continue to unfold.


The day started off with some strangely familiar characters fighting it out over the light and dark sides of editing. A dark and explosive man named Kylo Ren, sought to teach all how to conquer win over their audiences by using the Force without the need for editing! But he was bested by the mysterious Rey, who showed the light side of the force, and a snickers, to be stronger.

It was truly an engaging start to the day.

Not to be outdone by forces form far, far Away, keynote speaker Thomas Locke gave a strong an inspirational talk about the discipline of writing and learning to identify the areas of control in your writing.

Some key thoughts that stood out from this most enlightening talk.


  1. Forge a discipline around your creative clock. And build a boundary around this time.
  2. If you hit a wall, feel free to walk away and let your subconscious work through it, but always come back.
  3. Forge the discipline of your writing space. Separate from outside distractions.
  4. Write your first draft with confidence, not looking back or re-reading what has been written.
  5. Write your second draft with doubt and questioning.
  6. Seek joy regardless of the outcome.
This message truly hit home and I will carry it with me in all my future endeavors exploring the realms that lay ahead.

Later, I observed the great and powerful Kathy Tyers divulge the secrets of the Relam Makers. This wise being spoke at length of the breadth of the speculative genres, and of the intense and exhaustive work that must go into creating fully fleshed out Realms.  

A few notes I pulled from this talk were:

  1. 90-95% of what you know about your world will never make it into the story.
  2. Mystery is ok but confusion is taboo.
  3. Write what you enjoy reading.
  4. If you make a mistake, don't immediately fix it, first ask, "Why did this happen?"
  5. Know the how the community works and how your characters fit in it.
This foundational talk of making Realms continued with the theme of discipline. The discipline of putting in the work that no one will ever see, but will surely notice if it is not done well. Excellence requires the dedication to ask and seek out the answers that give dimension and cohesion to created realm.

Perhaps the most striking display today, though was the Real Maker's awards banquet. For it was here that the beings in attendance showed their true selves as they transformed into beings majestic and terrifying.

I must cut the transmission here, but will leave you with an image log of these strange proceedings. And a message of congratulations to those whose realms were chosen for the honors bestowed upon them by their fellow Realm Makers.










Comments

mr_disco said…
Great write-ups, Stuart! I'm glad you're here at the conference.
9:59 AM
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