{"id":15557,"date":"2019-11-09T15:23:26","date_gmt":"2019-11-09T20:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lawrencecconnolly.com\/archive\/?p=15557"},"modified":"2023-07-07T22:43:27","modified_gmt":"2023-07-08T02:43:27","slug":"world-fantasy-2019-writing-fantasy-for-television","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lawrencecconnolly.com\/archive\/2019\/11\/09\/world-fantasy-2019-writing-fantasy-for-television\/","title":{"rendered":"World Fantasy 2019 & Writing Fantasy for Television"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Following close on the heels of Sustefest X<\/a>, this year\u2019s World Fantasy Convention<\/a> provided a marked change of scenery \u2013 from Valle de Santiago’s old-world streets and dormant volcanoes to LA’s multi-lane highways and active wildfires. Fortunately, skies around the Marriott Airport Hotel (the site of this year\u2019s convention) were clear despite the proximity of the Saddleridge fire fewer than 20 miles north. Nevertheless, some attendees commented on fire-related road closures and long detours.<\/p>\n

One of the major gatherings centering on fantastic literature (the others being science fiction’s WorldCon<\/a> and horror’s StokerCon<\/a>) World Fantasy offers the solitary writer a chance to check-in on the state of the genre, do a panel or two, and (most of all) kick back at the bar with friends and colleagues.<\/p>\n

This time around, programming kicked off at noon on Thursday with a panel on Writing Fantasy for Television<\/a>, where I got to join fellow panelists Eldon Thompson<\/a> and Gillian Horvath<\/a> in a discussion moderated by Craig Miller<\/a>. After an initial discussion of the current boom in original fantasy programming (thanks to Netflix, Amazon, Disney Plus, Apple TV, Shudder, et al), the discussion turned to the craft of scriptwriting and the best ways for new writers to enter the field. Specifically, one member of the audience asked what books new writers might read to learn the craft. Among the panel’s recommendations were\u00a0Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting<\/a> by William Goldman and On Directing Film<\/a> by David Mamet (which, despite its title, offers some excellent insight into the screenwriting process). Beyond such titles, the panelists agreed that the best way to learn to write scripts is to read them. That’s easy to do these days, since many screenplays are currently available through sites such as The Internet Movie Script Database<\/a>,\u00a0The Black List<\/a>, and Screenplay.com<\/a>. Indeed, the website Script Reader Pro<\/a> recently advised apprentice screenwriters to carefully study their favorite films through a process of re-reading and re-viewing. It remains some of the best advice out there.<\/p>\n

As always, the convention culminated with the awards banquet and the naming of this year’s best works of fantasy. A complete list of awards appears below.<\/p>\n

Next year’s WFC 2020<\/a> will be held over Halloween weekend in Salt Lake City. I’ll hope to see you there.<\/p>\n

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