A starting talk to attend if you’re just beginning to put some words to paper or maybe you’ve written a few stories and you want to expand your craft. We’ll discuss some of the basics of plot structure, ways to improve writing, and how to benefit from the heirarchy of talent in writing. Seasoned writers are also welcome for review or adding experienced opinions.
Friday July 4, 2025 10:00am - 11:30am EDT DLCC 310-311
Writers often need critique and beta readers to help them improve and catch flaws in their own writing. After all, there's only so much one can catch by staring at their own work for so long! Join the panelists in exploring how writing groups helped them grow, their experiences, and what you might expect from a writing group you join or start.
Friday July 4, 2025 12:00pm - 1:30pm EDT DLCC 310-311
A panel for furry readers! Come watch a dog who reads way too many books tell you about the best furry fiction of the year. I'll give you the resources you need to get your paws on great furry stories from great furry writers. You might even leave with a free book!
So you’ve got your fox (or other characters), but now what? Why go on an adventure, of course! But what will that adventure entail, and will it keep your readers engaged throughout? This panel will help you plot out your story whether it’s a galaxy spanning romp or just a trip to the local Starbucks that leads to self-discovery.
Some character sprang to life your head (and then won't shut up about their story). Others have to be carefully crafted over time. Whether it's herd the cats of wild characters you have in mind or steadily coaxing their full story out, we'll talk about fleshing out your character through history, relationships, and how to make them feel realistic to your reader, relative to the story and world you're creating.
Friday July 4, 2025 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT DLCC 310-311
Everyone has a particular way of talking. Even characters from almost the exact same backgrounds may develop their own idioms, grammar patterns, and unique forms of dialogue. How a character talks can reveal so much about them, and we'll discuss how to structure everything from slice of life conversations to villainous monologues in your story.
Friday July 4, 2025 6:00pm - 7:00pm EDT DLCC 310-311
With a world populated with vibrant character, how you tell the story can be almost more important than the core story itself. At the heart of writing is finding the right expression for the action in your story, and we'll discuss how to find the rhythms, word choices, and scene structures to best make your moments come alive for your readers.
Friday July 4, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT DLCC 310-311
Our annual open discussion about writing adult and erotic content. This panel will cover the basics and some of the intricacies of adult writing such as word choice, pacing, and where the adult material fits in your larger work. We'll also look at making your adult work enticing to the reader and just how enticing it should be based on the purpose of your story. Must be over 18, or over the legal age in country of citizenship. IDs and badges will be checked at the door.
Friday July 4, 2025 11:00pm - Saturday July 5, 2025 12:00am EDT DLCC 310-311
This year we're "slashing" our adult writing panels to bring you a totally new discussion on writing adult material. We'll be talking about the process and art for those times when you really want to see some canon characters in some very non-canon situations. How true to the original characters should you stay? How do you furrify (while making up your own words) properties that aren't originally furry? Will you keep it a tasteful romance or go all out? All this and more in our first panel focused on adult writing in fanfiction.
Saturday July 5, 2025 12:00am - 1:00am EDT DLCC 310-311
Writing is challenging at the best of times, but throw in social life, a day job, and a family and it can be extremely difficult. How do you keep going with your attention being pulled in so many different directions? Our panelists offer up some perspective and ways to keep yourself going when the words aren't getting on the page like they should.
Saturday July 5, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT DLCC 310-311
After composition comes a good night's sleep (with any luck) and then a fresh look at your masterpiece … and all the things that need to change. We'll discuss the personal process of editing, tips and tricks to find your own errors or issues, and how to work with others you may engaged to help shape and polish your work to where it can truly be a finished product.
Saturday July 5, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT DLCC 310-311
Once, all you needed to write was parchment, quill, and imagination. These days a lot more is necessary for the world of publishing, online formatting, and putting your best paw forward. Come for our yearly talk about the proper ways to use word processing software to make your editors (and self-publishing sites) happy and get updates on the latest technological advances for your writing.
Saturday July 5, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT DLCC 310-311
"Everybody's a critic." These days, that's never been more true. And it's best to make your critiques and reviews of others' work effective and honest so that they are truly useful to all parties instead of posting a simple love fest or hatchet job. Come learn and discuss how to offer a truly good review whether you're leaving a simple comment, offering feedback on a friend's work, or writing a full review for a large website.
Saturday July 5, 2025 5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT DLCC 315
Where does your story take place? In a world similar to our own? In a different time? In a far flung place that only vaguely resembles what we know? Sometimes the setting is the first thing that comes to mind for a story to then be populated, other times it has to be crafted after characters have sprung to life. Join us for a discussion about how to build your world, how to consider its rules, and how much your readers need to know in the process.
Saturday July 5, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT DLCC 310-311
Building an immersive world for your readers involves balancing realism with relatability. Birds are particularly challenging because their anatomy and lifestyle is so different from our own. I will discuss my challenges in developing worlds for both anthro and feral avian characters, share my experiences, and invite the audience to share their questions and comments. I've written many short stories and three novels, including the new Avian Age series, involving a variety of avian world settings.
Every year, there are more and more options to get your work out there in a small press or other professional publication. This panel will specifically speak to how to submit your work to others for publication. You'll hear about the ins and outs of working with editors and publishers, as well has have a chance to ask process questions from representatives of the major furry publishers.
Saturday July 5, 2025 8:30pm - 9:30pm EDT DLCC 310-311
Writing adult fiction is not always as simple as the standard expectations. In our community, there are plenty of strange desires that can be encountered. Discovering the secrets of such kinks in writing can be rewarding artistically and financially and downright fun, but there are always challenges. Join us for an open discussion of the odder side of adult writing. Must be over 18, or over the legal age in country of citizenship. IDs and badges will be checked at the door.
Saturday July 5, 2025 11:00pm - Sunday July 6, 2025 12:00am EDT DLCC 310-311
Take some Time And Relative Discussions In Space to talk all things sci-fi furry. Whether it's how to write your epic space opera or your quick jaunt into the very possible future, this is the place to bring your cybernetics into our parallel world.
Sunday July 6, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT DLCC 310-311
Sometimes a story doesn’t require a princess to be saved, or an adventure to be taken. Occasionally, stories look at trying to show a bit of the drama, comedy, or tragedy in everyday life. Our panelists will help you make even this seemingly mundane genre interesting and exciting, and look at ways to keep your story from being just another Wednesday.
Sunday July 6, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT DLCC 310-311
An in-depth discussion of writing fantasy in different styles and length, what to learn from the masters, and how best to give a furry flavor to your epic quest or simple story of might and magic. So get the party together, sharpen your blades and discover what adventure lies ahead.
Sunday July 6, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT DLCC 310-311
History can provide a wonderful array of settings, characters, and plots for stories to take place in. But it can also provide many challenges that don’t crop up in created worlds. This panel takes a look at how you can use factual history backdrop for your own writing and discusses things you can include to make your writing feel more historical and point out somethings you may wish to avoid.
Sunday July 6, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT DLCC 310-311
Are you interested in writing in furry? I have been working on a multi year webcomic and I will delve into the world on how to create and build a comic.
