Turning Real Life into Authentic Fiction

Categories: Craft | Experience | Research | Writing

Real life experience can be a powerful storytelling tool when used well. This panel challenges the idea of simply writing what you know and shows how careers, unexpected backgrounds, and lived experience can add authenticity, texture, and originality to fiction.

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Falling Down the Research Rabbit Hole

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The Power of Place in Storytelling

The Power of Place in Storytelling

Setting is more than a backdrop. It shapes mood, character, and meaning. In this session, authors share how they choose the settings for their novels and how place influences the story at every level, from atmosphere to theme.